Tactical Air Force Wing 71 "Richthofen"

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Tactical Air Force Squadron 71 “Richthofen”
—TaktLwG 71 “R” -
III

COA JG 71.svg

Internal association badge (coat of arms)
Lineup July 1, 2016
Country GermanyGermany Germany
Armed forces Bundeswehr Kreuz.svg armed forces
Armed forces Bundeswehr Kreuz.svg air force
Insinuation Air Force Command
Locations DEU Wittmund COA.svg Wittmund , Richthofen barracks
Wittmundhafen air base
Nickname Richthofen
Web presence TaktLwG 71 "R"
guide
commander Colonel Kai Ohlemacher
Important
commanders

Erich Hartmann

Aircraft
Fighter aircraft /
helicopter
Eurofighter Typhoon

The Tactical Air Force Wing 71 "Richthofen" (TaktLwG 71 "R") is a traditional association of the Air Force . The TaktLwG 71 “R” is stationed at Wittmundhafen Air Base . It sets the alarm riot for the north of Germany. The currently used aircraft type is the Eurofighter Typhoon . In the meantime (from October 1, 2013 to July 1, 2016) the association was subordinate to the Tactical Air Force Squadron 31 “Boelcke” as the tactical air force group “Richthofen” . On July 1, 2016, the Tactical Air Force Group became a squadron again. Up to 21 Eurofighter Typhoon are stationed there.

Tactical Air Force Wing 71 "Richthofen" (Germany)
Wittmundhafen Air Base
Wittmundhafen Air Base

assignment

The main task of the squadron in peacetime since reunification has been the setting up of the so-called Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) for the north of the federal territory. This task was previously the responsibility of RAF Germany , most recently at RAF Wildenrath .

history

Retired “F-4F Phantom II” (license number 38 + 14), elevated since October 15, 2006 at the intersection of Isumser Straße / B210 near the barracks

1958-1963: Saber

Saber Mk.6 and F-4F 1989 in Wittmundhafen

On August 30, 1958, during the Cold War, the establishment of the air base group on the airbase Ahlhorn that the on 15 October 1958 the Royal Air Force was taken over. Commodore Erich Hartmann , the most successful fighter pilot in history and a member of the Luftwaffe 10 weapons school in Oldenburg , landed the first Canadair CL-13B Mk.6 (F-86E Saber) fighter aircraft together with Lieutenant Colonel Peters on February 26, 1959 Canadian license build of the American North American F-86E , in Ahlhorn.

On March 13, 1959, the Federal Minister of Defense , Franz Josef Strauss , visited the Ahlhorn Air Base with the new fighter planes. On 6 June 1959, the Fighter Wing 71 (JG 71) was officially by the Inspector of the Air Force , Josef Kammhuber placed in Ahlhorn with around 50 Saber in service. On May 12, 1960, the Commander in Chief of the French Air Force, Général d'armée aérienne Paul Stehlin visited the squadron. On June 1, 1960, the squadron was subordinated to NATO as "Command Force" (NATO CF) and belonged to the command area of ​​the 3rd Air Defense Division in Münster . Two interceptors were kept on alert around the clock as Quick Reaction Alert .

The squadron's first accident occurred on June 13, 1960, when Sergeant Egon Osenberg crashed with a Saber and was killed in the process.

On the 43rd anniversary of the death of Freiherr Manfred von Richthofen , the fighter squadron was given the traditional name “Richthofen” on April 21, 1961 by the then Federal President Heinrich Lübke .

On February 22, 1962 the subordination to the 4th Air Defense Division (from 1963: 4th Air Force Division) took place in Aurich . At the beginning of March 1962, an advance command under the leadership of the commander of the technical group was relocated to Wittmundhafen air base in preparation for taking over the device for the F-104 Starfighter fighter . From April 26th to 30th, 1962, all Sabers of the squadron were transferred from Ahlhorn to Wittmundhafen.

1963-1973: Starfighter

On April 9, 1963, the first F-104 starfighters landed in Wittmund: license plate KH + 112 by First Lieutenant Manfred Fischer and HK + 114 by First Lieutenant Diether von Olleschik. This made it the first Bundeswehr fighter squadron to be equipped with this type of aircraft.

On August 7, 1963, Sergeant Eckhard Wendt had a fatal accident with his Saber during target display flights on the Brockzetel training area . Five other soldiers of the Air Force Air Defense Battalion 44 of the Air Defense Regiment 4, who observed the approaches, were killed by the approaching aircraft.

On April 24, 1965, Federal President Heinrich Lübke donated a troop flag to all air force units in Munich , including JG 71. On July 28, 1966, Defense Minister Kai-Uwe von Hassel visited the squadron. On September 22, 1966, the squadron took over newly built storage halls for the F-104, which until then had been outdoors. In tactical reviews by NATO (TAC EVAL; Tactical Evaluation) from June 2nd to 5th, 1970, the squadron finished with the final rating "Excellent" and on September 24th, 1970, the commanding general of the North Air Force Group signed Lieutenant General Helmut Mahlke 1st The squadron's fighter squadron as the best unit of the 4th Air Force Division.

Several F-104G Starfighter fighter jets of the squadron crashed between 1968 and 1973: September 24, 1968, April 15, 1969, September 15, 1969, April 21, 1970, March 18, 1971 (registration numbers: 23 + 63), March 8, 1972 (registration number: 23 + 89), June 1, 1973 and July 19, 1973. By March 1973, the squadron's F-104G had completed around 75,000 flight hours.

1973-2013: Phantom

A McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom II alarm riot of the JG71 on the way from the “ Last Chance Check ” to the runway, 2012

On August 31, 1973, the first two F-4F Phantom II combat aircraft landed in Wittmundhafen to retrain the technicians for the new weapon system. On January 31, 1974, the squadron's assignment to NATO was canceled. The first two F-4F Phantom intended for the squadron landed on March 7, 1974 at the air base and the last flight with the F-104G Starfighter was carried out on September 19, 1974 by Captain Harry Giese to Erding Air Base.

As of April 1, 1975, the squadron was again subordinated to NATO and was also given the order for fighter-bomber operations . On March 12, 1975, the squadron received the gravestone from Manfred von Richthofen's grave at the Berlin Invalidenfriedhof as a gift from the von Richthofen family because of a reburial . On May 15, 1975, Federal President Walter Scheel , State Secretary Helmut Fingerhut and the Inspector of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Gerhard Limberg , visited the squadron.

On March 27, 1976, the squadron's NCO home was completely destroyed by a major fire.

On June 6, 1977, an F-4 Phantom crashed during a low-level interception exercise near Lastrup . Both crew members saved themselves with the ejection seat and were injured.

On June 18, 1979, during a training flight, an F-4 Phantom (license number 38 + 71) crashed in Lage and fell into a residential building. The two crew members Oberleutnant Bernd Bracke and Oberleutnant Werner Lempe as well as five residents were killed.

On March 18, 1980, two pilots Captain Manfred Peters and captain Uwe Carstensen was commissioned by the Federal Minister of Defense Hans Apel , the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor in Silver awarded.

An independent command of the squadron relocated to the Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay on June 7, 1981 , to train in the Canadian province of Labrador the training flight operations in high-speed low flight.

On April 21, 1981 and on February 8, 1982 an F-4 Phantom of the squadron crashed.

On April 2, 1984, during the NATO exercise Highway 84 , take-offs and landings with the F-4 Phantom of the squadron were carried out on a temporary motorway airport , a section of the federal motorway 29 between Grossenkneten and Ahlhorn. On January 31, 1985, two F-4 Phantom of the squadron collided over Bremerhaven . A jet crashed into the assembly hall of the Tiemann container company in the Speckenbüttel industrial area, killing one worker and seriously injuring five others. The weapons system officer was also killed, the pilot was able to save himself with the ejection seat.

On March 12, 1986, the 100,000 flight hour with the aircraft type F-4 Phantom was reached.

F-4F Phantom II of JG 71, 2006
An F-4F Phantom II of JG 71 on its approach for landing in 2007
The 37 + 01 of JG 71 at the "roll" for the last flight in 2013

May 26, 1987, two F-4F Phantom II jet fighter began as QRA a Soviet long-range bombers Tupolev Tu-22 from which flew towards the axis Wittmund Jever and pushed it into the UK airspace from.

The second order as a fighter bomber (Fighter Bomber Attack, FBA) was given up again with effect from July 1, 1988 due to the greater importance of interceptor hunting.

After the end of the Cold War in 1990, the squadron became part of the German Crisis Reaction Forces (KRK) on July 1, 1995 and can therefore also carry out a possible mission outside of the NATO alliance area.

On July 22, 1993, the first upgraded F-4F ICE Phantom II arrived at the air base.

On July 6, 2004, the inspector of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Klaus-Peter Stieglitz, visited the squadron and on January 17, 2006, Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung made the inaugural visit on behalf of the Air Force.

2005, 2008 and 2009, the squadron became part of the Baltic Air Policing for several months on behalf of NATO from Lithuania from the air traffic control and airspace protection in the Baltic States . In the first quarter of 2011 the JG 71 "R" was supposed to take over this order from the USA again with 6 F-4F.

On May 30, 2007, the squadron achieved a total of 250,000 flight hours with the aircraft type F-4 Phantom II.

In May 2007 the Swiss Air Force relocated seven F / A-18 Hornets to Wittmundhafen for two weeks and trained together with pilots from JG 71.

On June 26, 2007, construction began on the simulator building for the new Eurofighter multi- role combat aircraft . For the conversion of the air base 120 million euros were estimated.

In March 2009 six F-4F Phantom were relocated to the Decimomannu military airfield in Sardinia (Italy) and from April 9, 2009 on to the Al Dhafra Air Force Base in the United Arab Emirates . The pilots participated in a multinational exercise on the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course 12 (ATLC 12), (Advanced Tactical Leadership Course 12) .

In 2010, 45 of the F-4 Phantom machines were still stationed at the air base. From June 1 to 25, 2010, NATO Air Defense (NATINADS) took on air policing for the first time in the airspace of Iceland . Six F-4 Phantom and 140 soldiers of the squadron were used at Keflavík Airport . See Air Policing Island .

Flight operations with the F-4F Phantom II were finally stopped in mid-2013.

From 2013: Eurofighter

On April 8, 2013, the first of 9 Eurofighters landed , which from July 1, 2013 replaced the F-4 Phantom as an alarm riot.

From June 28 to 30, 2013, the squadron said goodbye to the F-4F "Phantom II" aircraft during an open day. The specially painted aircraft with the registration number 37 + 01 completed the last flight of a "Phantom" in the service of the Air Force on the afternoon of June 29, 2013 . Around 100,000 visitors are said to have followed the event called "Phantom Pharewell".

Between July 1, 2013 and September 30, 2013, JG 71 "R" was subordinate to the Luftwaffe Command in Cologne-Wahn and, in the course of its downgrading to group status, came to TaktLwGrp "R" to TaktLwG 31 "B" . As the "Richthofen" tactical air force group, the Wittmund-based part of the Tactical Air Force Squadron 31 consisted of the operational squadron (flying squadron), technical squadron (maintenance and repair), airfield squadron and supply squadron.

On July 1, 2016, the TakLwGrp "R" became the Tactical Air Force Wing 71 "Richthofen" again.

Commodore / Commander

1. / Jagdstaffel 711
2. / Jagdstaffel 712
No. Surname Beginning of the appointment End of appointment
21st Colonel Kai Ohlemacher December 12, 2017
20th Colonel Oliver Spoerner July 1, 2016 December 11, 2017
19th Lieutenant Colonel Gero Finke 23rd January 2015 June 30, 2016
18th Lieutenant Colonel Timo Heimbach October 1, 2013 23rd January 2015
17th Colonel Gerhard Roubal April 28, 2009 July, 1st 2013
16 Colonel Christian Badia February 24, 2006 April 28, 2009
15th Colonel Achim Rützel October 1, 2003 February 23, 2006
14th Colonel Burkhard Pototzky October 1, 2001 September 30, 2003
13 Colonel Heinz-Joachim Hecht July 1, 1998 September 30, 2001
12 Colonel Wolfgang Fahl April 1, 1995 June 30, 1998
11 Colonel Dierk-Peter Merklinghaus April 1, 1993 March 31, 1995
10 Colonel Heinz-Gerd Nowak July 1, 1989 March 31, 1993
9 Colonel Dirk Böcker April 1, 1987 June 30, 1989
8th Colonel Klaus Eggert October 1, 1983 March 31, 1987
7th Colonel Lothar Kompch 3rd October 1979 September 30, 1983
6th Colonel Erwin Willing 20th September 1976 2nd October 1979
5 Colonel Hans-Jürgen Rentel October 10, 1972 September 19, 1976
4th Colonel Ulrich Pieper September 26, 1970 October 9, 1972
3 Colonel Horst Dieter Kallerhoff April 2, 1967 September 25, 1970
2 Colonel Günther Josten May 30, 1962 April 1, 1967
1 Lieutenant Colonel Erich Hartmann January 19, 1959 May 29, 1962

See also

Other traditional air force associations are:

Web links

Commons : Jagdgeschwader 71  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Lena Wingen: Richthofen a squadron again after 33 months. www.luftwaffe.de, July 5, 2016, accessed on July 6, 2016 .
  2. Manfred Stolle: Concern for the future of the Richthofen squadron. nwzonline.de, September 2, 2017, accessed on May 1, 2018 .
  3. The Eurofighter has the red "R" on www.luftwaffe.de, accessed on July 19, 2013
  4. NWZ.online: Farewell to Phantom lasts three days. Retrieved July 1, 2013 .
  5. "Phantom Pharewell" on NDR.de , accessed on 1 July 2013
  6. “Sonorous Farewell to the Phantom, by Susanne Ullrich” , accessed on July 19, 2013