Command Component Air Ramstein

The Allied Air Forces Central Europe (CC-Air) was the headquarters of the Allied NATO air forces in Europe.

The name for the headquarters in Ramstein, which has been valid since 2013, is Allied Air Command for short AIRCOM.

Earlier names

Earlier names were AAFCE or AIRCENT and stood for Allied Air Forces Central Europe . The German name was Allied Luftwaffe Europa Mitte .

tasks

The tasks of AAFCE included the planning and implementation of aerial warfare operations in Central European airspace.

In the event of an alliance , according to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and within the framework of collective self-defense, the national units previously administratively assigned to it would also have been placed under command and control level. This should create a coherent air defense against the air forces of the Warsaw Pact .

history

The headquarters was initially established in Fontainebleau on August 20, 1953 , but then dissolved on March 1, 1967 after France left the military part of NATO.

On June 28, 1974, the headquarters on Ramstein Air Base was newly created and subordinated to the Allied Forces Central Europe . As part of the adaptation of NATO's command structure of this HQ was in Allied Air Forces Cent ral Europe AIRCENT renamed.

units

From April 2, 1952, the AAFCE was subordinated to the 2nd and 4th Allied Tactical Air Fleet (ATAF) based in Rheindahlen and Heidelberg .

2. Allied Tactical Air Force

The 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force was a multinational federation of the air forces of the Netherlands , Belgium , the USA and Great Britain . The association was founded in 1958 and became part of AIRCENT on June 30, 1993. The commander of the 2nd ATAF was also always the commander of RAF Germany . The headquarters were in the JHQ Rheindahlen .

The main bases were in Belgium:

In the Netherlands:

In Germany:

4. Allied Tactical Air Force

The 4th Allied Tactical Air Force was a multinational association of air forces from the United States , Canada and Germany . The association was founded in 1958 and became part of AIRCENT on June 30, 1993. The headquarters were at Ramstein Air Base .

The units subordinate to her were the German 1st Air Force Division in Fürstenfeldbruck , the German 2nd Air Force Division in Birkenfeld and the American Third Air Force .

The main bases for the US Air Force were :

Ramstein
Spangdahlem
Sembach

For the Royal Canadian Air Force / Canadian Forces Air Command :

As well as the airfields of the German Air Force in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria :

Commanders

July 16, 1953 Air Chief Marshal Sir Basil Embry
January 1, 1956 Air Chief Marshal Sir George Mills
May 20, 1959 Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst
March 1, 1961 ACM Percy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon
1st December 1963 ACM Sir Edmund Hudleston
1965–66 General Johannes Steinhoff as chief of staff and acting commander

Individual evidence

↑ Helmut R. Hammerich , Dieter H. Kollmer , Martin Rink , Rudolf J. Schlaffer : Das Heer 1950 to 1970. Concept, organization, list . R. Oldenbourg Verlag , Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-486-57974-1 , p. 787 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
↑ NATO , " History of the NATO Air HQs at Ramstein Air Base ( Memento of 5 May 2009 at the Internet Archive )" ( English ), access March 2008

[1] Helmut R. Hammerich , Dieter H. Kollmer , Martin Rink , Rudolf J. Schlaffer : Das Heer 1950 to 1970. Concept, organization, list . R. Oldenbourg Verlag , Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-486-57974-1 , p. 787 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

[2] NATO , " History of the NATO Air HQs at Ramstein Air Base ( Memento of 5 May 2009 at the Internet Archive )" ( English ), access March 2008