Historical Narrative
1 Air Division Headquarters
The Construction Story of Canada’s NATO Airfields
In building a NATO airfield there are approximately seven different authorities involved: The Host Nation, the User Nation, and the various other departments of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. All these checks and balances are necessary because of the complexity of multilateral agreements, and to ensure economy. NATO pays only for the infrastructure, i.e. the minimum in buildings, runways, and other installations required to operate an airfield to standards set by the NATO military. Broadly, these include all pavements, petroleum installations, technical buildings such as hangars, workshops, operations buildings, control towers and Headquarters.
If the User Nation, i.e. Canada, desires any additional facilities above the standard, that country must pay for it. She is also responsible for financing the building of personnel housing, quarters, messes and hospitals, etc. The Hose Nation in turn pays for the land and the roads leading up to the airfield site. Actual construction of the base, too, is the responsibility of the host.
In building airfields for Canadian Wings, French and Canadian engineers worked together on the blueprints for the stations, taking into account the extras the RCAF required. NATO funds took care of approximately 65% of the cost of each station with Canada paying the rest.
Although the outward appearance of No. 2 Fighter Wing based at Grostenquin, France, does not compare with the other fighter wings, its operational capability is on the same level. No. 2 Wing was built in record time between February and August, 1952, and on a very difficult ground site. The Air Division planning team, formed in January 1952, carefully controlled the planning and building of the station.
Because of the urgency, created by incidents along the Czech border, it was decided that aluminum pre-fabricated buildings would best suit the purpose at Grostenquin. Due to this type of construction, No. 2 Wing was the first NATO airbase in Europe, placing the Canadians with their Sabre jets, in a position of being the only force on the Continent equipped to fight Communist MIG-15s on an equal footing.
No. 1 Fighter Wing, at Marville, is constructed of more permanent material and took a little longer to build than Grostenquin. For the erection of this airfield, the same co-operation between French and Canadian authorities existed as with No. 2 Wing.
Requirements on the German bases at Zweibrucken and Baden-Soellingen were initially prepared by the RCAF, then developed into plans and specifications be the French Construction Agency set up in the French occupied Zone of Germany.
Unlike the Canadian bases in France, the financing of buildings and roadways was through German support costs allocated to the three allied occupying powers who in turn passed on sufficient funds for the construction. As at the French bases, Canada paid for the extras.
As each station was completed, RCAF and French authorities together performed an acceptance inspection and then the units were turned over by France, in the name of NATO, to the RCAF for occupancy and operation. Maintenance from then on was the responsibility of the RCAF.