Winter sunrise at Sembach.

In the summer, living in the much higher latitudes of Germany resulted in much longer days.

The other side of that coin meant that in the winter, the days were very SHORT.
So very short, that regular duty hours started before it became daylight; while in the afternoons it became dark so early that "retreat" was sounded and the colors lowered, long before duty hours were over! (Those working in Sembach's underground command post under the football stadium stands, in winter could go for days on end without seeing daylight!)

This picture was taken after duty hours had started from a staircase landing window in the Bachelor Officer Quarters (BOQ). This vantage point offered a fine panoramic view of the barracks area, across the local farmers' fields, to the flight line in the distance. A thin low-lying fog has obscured the flight line.

Image from Fred Horky circa 1955