Soesterberg Air Base

Soesterberg Air Base (IATA: UTC, ICAO: EHSB) was a Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) military air base located in Soesterberg, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east-northeast of Utrecht. It was first established as an airfield in 1911, and in 1913, the Dutch Army bought the field and established the Army Aviation Division. For almost 40 years, United States Air Force facilities at Soesterberg, named Camp New Amsterdam, were a major front line USAFE air base during the Cold War. The base was closed on 31 December 2008, due to budget cuts in the Dutch armed forces. The air base ceased flying operations on 12 November 2008, when the command was transferred from the RNLAF to the Ministry of Defence which will maintain the base until it will be given back to nature. The last fighter ever to depart, delayed due bad weather at Aviano AB, was a Greek F-4E Phantom II. The former USAFE facilities remained in military hands, and will now officially be called Camp New Amsterdam.