Reconnaissance Wing 51 (retired)

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Reconnaissance Squadron 51 "Immelmann"
- AG 51 (I) -

Crest of the reconnaissance squadron 51

Internal association badge (coat of arms)
active July 7, 1959 to March 17, 1993
Country GermanyGermany Germany
Armed forces Bundeswehr Kreuz.svg armed forces
Armed forces air force air force
Strength approx. 1,500 soldiers;
approx. 400 civil servants
Insinuation COA 3LwDiv.svg3rd Air Force Division
last position Bremgarten coat of arms.png Bremgarten , air base
guide
Commodore ColonelColonel Focke
(last commodore before decommissioning)
Aircraft
Reconnaissance aircraft /
helicopter 		Republic F-84 , RF-104G , McDonnell F-4 in version RF-4E

The Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 was a reconnaissance wing of the Bundeswehr for manned tactical aerial reconnaissance within the Bundeswehr .

history

On July 7, 1959, the first inspector of the Air Force , Lieutenant General Josef Kammhuber , put the reconnaissance wing 51 (AG 51) into service at Erding airfield . The first commodore was Lieutenant Colonel Walter Grasemann, a former fighter pilot and a knight's cross in the Wehrmacht . The AG 51 was intended for the southern area of ​​the Federal Republic of Germany and thus the area of ​​operation of the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force (4th ATAF) and was subordinate to the Air Force Group South. On May 5, 1960, the Air Force's first operational airfield directly subordinate to NATO was handed over to Reconnaissance Wing 51 at Manching Air Base in the presence of Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss , the Air Force Inspector, Lieutenant General Kammhuber, and the Commanding General of Air Force Group South, Major General Huth . In 1969 the AG 51 was relocated to Bremgarten , where it remained until it was decommissioned on March 17, 1993. Bremgarten airfield had the ICAO code EDSG (1990). The squadron received the nickname "Immelmann" (after Max Immelmann ) on April 21, 1961, the 43rd anniversary of the death of the most successful fighter pilot of the First World War , Rittmeister Manfred von Richthofen .

  • Republic F-84

  • RF-104G

  • RF 4E Phantom II

  • RF-4E AG51

Squadron leadership and structure

The Commodore

  • May 1, 1959 - December 3, 1962 Colonel Walter Grasemann
  • Dec. 03, 1962 - March 31, 1968 Colonel Bruno Loosen
  • April 1, 1968 - September 30, 1972 Colonel Wolfgang Sauer
  • October 1, 1972 - March 31, 1977 Colonel Fritz Schade
  • April 1, 1977 - March 31, 1980 Colonel Hermann Adam
  • April 1, 1980 - October 15, 1981 Colonel Karlheinz Koch
  • October 16, 1981 - December 31, 1984 Colonel Manfred Purucker
  • January 1, 1985 - December 31, 1988 Colonel Ekhard Wienß
  • April 1, 1988 - May 31, 1990 Colonel Gerhard Back
  • June 1, 1990 - March 31, 1993 Colonel Uwe Focke

source

Squadron staff

The Geschwaderstab (also Stab AG 51) supported the commodore and laid down the measures required to implement the order. His areas of expertise are divided into: S1 - Human Resources, S2 - Military Security and Military Intelligence, S3 - Operations, Organization and Training, S4 - Logistics, S6 - Telecommunications, Data Security.

The reconnaissance wing 51 was divided into three groups: the flying group, the technical group and the air base group.

Flying group

The flying group included two flying squadrons and the flight operations squadron . In the planning, control and monitoring of flight operations, the staff worked with subject areas S1 to S3 to the commander of the flying group . The Geophysical Advice Center (Geophys. BSt) for weather advice for the flying crews and the data transmission center (SLAR DÜStn Mitte) were also subordinate to the flying group.

Technical group

The technical group provided the aircraft required for flight operations through repair and maintenance . The task of the technical group also included supplying the squadron with spare parts, operating materials, imaging equipment, food and clothing. A staff and the maintenance team, the maintenance team, the electronics and image equipment team and the replenishment team were responsible for providing this logistical support.

Air Base Group

The air base group was divided into the motor vehicle squadron with the subordinate driving school , the air force security team and the air force medical team . The commander of the air base group was also the barracks commander .

Decommissioning and statistics

On September 17, 1992, a big farewell party for the airborne units of NATO and friendly states took place as part of a "LAST CALL". On September 25, 1992, AG 51 was released from NATO assignment by the commander of the 4th Allies Tactical Air Fleet, Lieutenant General Pacholke, on December 18, 1992 the cessation of the training flight operations and on January 4, 1993 the awarding of the flight safety certificate of the inspector of the air force. On February 16, 1993, the association's last operational aircraft left the Bremgarten airfield and on March 17, 1993, the national decommissioning took place with a large roll call and tattoo, as well as the handover of the troop flag to Lieutenant Colonel Sowada, the commodore of the “new” reconnaissance squadron 51 in Jagel . From April 1, 1993, the service was carried out by a subordinate command , from November 1, 1993 by a “remaining command” and, after its dissolution, the remaining soldiers, while maintaining their place of work, were subordinated to Defense District Command 53 in Freiburg im Breisgau . On August 31, 1994, the last soldier of the unit left the Bremgarten airfield.

Losses (selection)

  • 24 + 14 on March 19, 1970, RF-104G Starfighter , OLt. Werner Frey, disembarked .
  • 23 + 93 on May 5, 1970, RF-104G Starfighter, OLt. Werner Frey †
  • 24 + 37 on March 4th, 1971, RF-104G Starfighter, OLt.Dieter Nickolay, disembarked
  • 35 + 15 on July 11, 1977, RF-4E Phantom II , Maj. M. Wassel, Maj. W. Rauch, both disembarked
  • 35 + 16 on July 14, 1977, RF-4E Phantom II, OLt. Werner Stolz, Hptm. Erhard Ziem, crash near Engen, both †
  • 35 + 45 on April 11, 1979, RF-4E Phantom II, Maj. Volker Richter, Maj.Günter Meidinger, crash near Erlangen, both †
  • 35 + 27 on March 18, 1985, RF-4E Phantom II, OLt.Erich Siegmann , OLt. E. Quintus, both got off
  • 35 + 81 on June 6, 1986, RF-4E Phantom II, Maj. J. Kupsch, Maj. V. Nass, low-level flight training in Goose Bay, both disembarked

Former squadron members (selection)

literature

  • Reconnaissance Wing 52 Chronicle . 1st edition, Clausen and Bosse Leck 1993.
  • Bernd Lemke , Dieter Krüger , Heinz Rebhan, Wolfgang Schmidt : The Air Force 1950 to 1970. Concept, structure, integration. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-486-57973-8 .
  • Roderich Cescotti : The German aviation - combat aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft. Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1989, ISBN 3-7637-5294-3 .
  • Klaus Kropf: Jet squadrons on the move: First Bundeswehr jets in the Air Force and Navy . VDM Heinz Nickel 2006, ISBN 3-86619-001-8 .
  • Reconnaissance Wing Immelmann (ed.): Reconnaissance Wing 51 "Immelmann". 30 years Garrison Eschbach - Bremgarten Air Base. 1959-1989. Publishers Mönch 1989.

Web links

Commons : Aufklärungsgeschwader 51  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 .
  2. ↑ badische-zeitung.de: Insights into the military past. Retrieved December 15, 2012 .
  3. ↑ Bremgarten Airfield / Air Base (Luftwaffe, AG 51). Archived from the original on May 29, 2012 ; Retrieved December 15, 2012 .
  4. ↑ Luftwaffe (magazine) of January 31, 2005, p. 70. (PDF; 2.8 MB) Retrieved on December 16, 2012 .
  5. ^ Badische-Zeitung of September 14, 2008: A village - lovable and cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 15, 2012 .
  6. ^ Commodore AG 51 "I". (PDF) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2015 ; accessed on November 13, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ag51i.de
  7. ↑ Flug Revue Volume 37 / 7-12. United Motor Publishers 1992, p. 24.
  8. ↑ This source gives 24 + 32