Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15th
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Medium Transport |
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|---|---|
 Internal association badge |
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| active | October 15, 1957 to March 7, 2013 |
| Country |
 Germany
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| Armed forces | armed forces |
| Armed forces |
 army
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| Branch of service | Army Air Force |
| Type | Intervention and stabilization forces |
| Insinuation |
 Airmobile Operations Division
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| Location | Rheine |
| motto | Bear Strong |
| mascot | bear |
| equipment | CH-53 G / GS |
| Awards |
 Flag ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia (1996) |
| commander | |
| Commander upon dissolution | Colonel Werner Salewski |
| Important commanders |
Colonel Axel Brandt |
The Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15 (previously Army Aviation Regiment 15) traces its origin back to the Army Aviation Squadron 823 , equipped with the H-34 transport helicopter . The Army Aviation Squadron 823 was set up on October 15, 1957 in Celle and on November 17, 1960 in Rheine . On July 1, 1959, Army Aviation Squadron 823 was renamed Heeresfliegerstaffel 103 . The main task of both squadrons was to train the young pilots who had just been trained as part of the development of the Army Aviation Force and to familiarize them with the operational procedures of the Army Aviation Force. Flight operations ceased at the end of 2012 and the aircraft were handed over to the Air Force . The regiment was decommissioned on March 7, 2013 and disbanded on June 30, 2013.
Order of the Army Aviation Troops
The Army Aviation Troop (HFlgTr) is responsible for the air mobility of the land forces . With its forces, it enables airmobile command, reconnaissance , combat and combat support as well as airmobile personnel and material transport, including the air transport of the wounded. With fire support from combat helicopters, it contributes to the armed forces' joint tactical fire support.
With air mechanized forces it is able to fight in and out of the airspace close to the ground, also over enemy-occupied territory. In conjunction with the airmobile infantry , it is capable of conducting airborne operations in and out of the airspace close to the ground, including over enemy-occupied areas. The regiment has CH-53 G and CH-53 GS transport helicopters available for this purpose.
Order of the regiment
The regiment supported special forces as part of special operations by Airmobile Brigade 1 . The 15 medium transport helicopter regiment performed air transport tasks in cooperation with combat and combat support troops and specialized forces in airmobile operations within the framework of the Combat of Combined Arms / Combined Forces, including in the joint and combined framework. It supported special forces in the course of special operations and air mechanized operations of Air Mobility Brigade 1, carried out transport flights on behalf of the Air Mobility Operations Division and operated an army airfield .
In use, it operated from disposal areas or from an army field airfield . There then also a cooperation with combat and combat support troops took place.
Staff duties
The regiment was led by a commander with the rank of colonel . The chief of staff (S3 staff officer, S3StOffz) with the rank of lieutenant colonel was also the deputy regimental commander . The regimental staff was divided into the staff departments S1 (personnel), S2 (security), S3 (training), S4 (logistics) and S6 (command support ( data processing )) as well as a flight safety officer (FSO), a staff officer for electronic warfare (Eloka ), an aviation doctor , a technical officer and a KLV officer (responsibility for costs and services).
Tactical structure
Until the beginning of its decommissioning phase in 2012, the regiment was structured as follows:
- Rod
- Staff Relay
- Flying division 151 / staff
- 1./ Flying Division 151
- 2./ Flying Division 151
- 3./ Flying Division 151
- Aircraft engineering department 152 / staff
- 1. / Aircraft technology department 152
- 2. / Aircraft technology department 152
- 3. / Aircraft technology department 152
- 4. / Aircraft technology department 152
- Army Aviation Supply Squadron 155
- Army Aviation Squadron 159 (support squadron / basic training squadron)
- Technical Deployment Management (TEF) (part of HflgVersStff 155)
history
review
On November 1, 1961, Army Aviation Squadron 103 was relocated from Celle to Rheine and incorporated into the newly established Army Aviation Battalion 100 . The battalion was subordinated to the 1st Corps . The 4th squadron (Stff) of the battalion emerged from the HFlgTrspLehrStff 102 , which, however, was still not used in the battalion association, but as before performed a teaching assignment at the Army Aviation School ( HFlgWaS ) in Bückeburg . It was only planned to subordinate this 4th Stff to the battalion in the event of an emergency.
The Army Aviation Battalion 100, together with the two other corps battalions, represented the first operational unit of the Army Aviation Troops. With this form of organization, the first step was taken to open up the third dimension to the army. From the mid-1960s onwards, this was proven primarily through participation in combat exercises in other corps areas. For this purpose z. B. in the area of the II. Corps in 1966 the exercise "Colibri IV", which was carried out together with French troops, supported. The Army Aviation Troops of III. Corps were supplemented by the battalion in 1967 during the “Panther Jump” exercise.
In September 1966, the battalion formed the focus of a performance by the still young and unknown to the general public.
In May 1967 the Army Aviation Battalion 100 was awarded the troop flag. On March 12, 1968, Heeresfliegerbataillon 100 received the first ever challenge prize for the lowest air accident rate of all helicopter associations in the Bundeswehr .
The Army Aviation Battalion 100 did a great job in the civilian sector during the 1962 storm surge in Hamburg. Here all flying parts were used to rescue people from life-threatening situations or to supply enclosed areas from the air.
This aid service, which was very well received by the public, had to be continued in the winter of 1962/1963, when the East Frisian Islands, cut off from the mainland by ice, could only be supplied with the transport helicopters of Army Aviation Battalion 100. Over 8,000 people were flown and around 1,100 tons of supplies were brought to the islands.
In addition to these focal points of the aviation mission, the battalion strengthened the reputation of the army aviators as a support force of the 1st Corps with liaison, reconnaissance and transport flights in daily routine service. The battle is carried into the third dimension.
The reputation of the army aviators as rescuers from the air is established through a large number of individual rescue flights under the most difficult conditions.
The battalion was disbanded on March 31, 1971 and transferred in bulk to the 15th Army Aviation Transport Regiment to be newly established on April 1, 1971. The staff and supply squadrons as well as the 3rd squadron as a former transport component form the backbone of the new regiment. In addition, Army Aviation Repair Squadron 107 , which has been in Rheine since September 1, 1960, and parts of Army Aviation Battalion 1 , which was set up in Hildesheim with effect from January 1, 1964 , were incorporated into the new regiment. The new regiment was divided into the staff and supply squadron, the flying department 150 and the aircraft engineering department 160.
The H34 is passed
The first years of the regiment served not only to continue traditional transport tasks with the H-34 transport helicopter, but also to try out new command structures that had become necessary in the area of aircraft repairs with the regimental level and the introduction of the “centralized technology” command process. Furthermore, the personnel and material prerequisites had to be created in order to be able to take up the CH-53G weapon system planned for introduction in 1974. The focus here was on the further development of the management process for airborne operations, training and further education of the aircraft pilots with the aim of mastering closed night missions in the field, as well as increasing the number and training of the aircraft technical personnel.
In 1974 the H-34 was taken out of service after a last formation flight of twelve helicopters. This is the end of the use of a helicopter which, since its introduction in 1958, has dominated the image of the transport aviation of the Army Aviation Troops for 16 years. The Heeresfliegerstaffel 823, as the cradle of the 15th Army Aviation Transport Regiment, was the first unit to take over the H-34, and it was left to the regiment as the last unit to decommission the H-34.
During that time, the Rheinens crews did not have to complain about any fatal accidents, while at the same time hundreds of people were helped by the use of the H-34. These included the already mentioned relief flights in the event of natural disasters, many individual ambulance flights and, last but not least, the deployment in the mine rescue service of the Ruhr area ( Ruhr area ). Farewell was not easy for pilots and technicians.
On June 22, 1974, the first four Sikorsky CH-53G were taken over. On October 30, 1974, the first air parade with the CH-53 took place. The reason for this was the change of command in the flying division 150. With the introduction of the CH-53G, the transport capacity of the regiment increased six-fold. The range of applications has increased accordingly. The focus here was on the joint mission with the 27th Airborne Brigade and the sister regiment, the 10th light transport helicopter regiment . The new capacity is also being used more and more frequently for supply flights.
An artillery unit of the German Armed Forces was supplied with 10 CH-53Gs during an exercise in England in June 1975. When planning and carrying out this first closed mission of German helicopters to and in England, new territory is being broken for the Army Aviation Troops. At the same time, however, the foundations are being created, which have been used since 1977 to practice with British troops in England at least once a year. A wealth of experience that is of great value to operations management, crews and technical personnel.
In the area of the I. Corps, the regiment in 1976 was able to demonstrate the value of the introduction of the CH-53G on a large scale as part of the combat exercise “Big Bear”. In three airborne operations, airborne troops are thrown at the focal points of the action. This was finally confirmed during the combat exercise “ Hard Fist ” in September 1979, when, in addition to air landing operations during the day, night air landing operations and material transports were carried out on a large scale during the day and night.
The CH-53 years
In public, the regiment continued the reputation of its predecessor through numerous missions in natural disasters. It excelled in fighting the forest fires in Lower Saxony in 1975 and 1976 as well as the flood damage in the Elbe estuary and on the island of Neuwerk at the beginning of 1976. This z. For example, the dikes on the island of Neuwerk were secured in one and a half days by six CH-53Gs with 800 tons of building material.
In January and February 1979, the regiment provided essential assistance in supplying the population in Schleswig-Holstein and northern Lower Saxony affected by the snow disaster . The forest administrations in North Rhine-Westphalia were helped with the "Whisk" campaign.
On October 1, 1979, the regiment was reclassified. It was called Army Aviation Regiment 15 and was divided into Staff / Stabsstaffel, Flying Department 151, Aircraft Technology Department 152 and Army Aviation Supply Squadron 155. In the event of a defense (V case), the regiment would have set up Army Aviation Security Squadrons 153 and 154. Even in the new structure, the regiment continuously optimized its operational bases and at the same time participated in supporting actions outside the military areas.
On November 26, 1980, the regiment was hit by a serious accident. In Geilenhausen near Waldbröl ( Bergisches Land ), a CH-53G crashed for an unknown cause and burned out. All four crew members were killed. In April 1982, the regiment with its helicopters laid 380 steel pipes weighing more than two tons and over twelve meters in length as a water pipeline through the moorland from Itzehoe to Brunsbüttel, which is inaccessible to motor vehicles .
When the city of Rheine celebrated its 25th anniversary as a garrison town in 1984, the regiment also made a name for itself. A training workshop was opened at the army airfield in Rheine-Bentlage , which every year offers twelve young people the opportunity to be trained as aircraft mechanics .
More than 30,000 visitors came to the "Open House" in 1985 to get an idea of the regiment's performance on site. In the same year the regiment also took over the sponsorship of the workshops for the disabled in Rheine and built a football field for them in countless hours of voluntary work.
The regiment was faced with a not quite everyday transport task in 1987: a “peat sod collector” was transported by external load from Westenmoor in Saterland to Elisabethfehn, where it is supposed to document the history of peatland cultivation in the moor museum . German television also discovered the capabilities and capabilities of the regiment. In 1989 a CH-53G was used for a show in the Wetten, dass ..? used with Thomas Gottschalk .
The 15th Army Aviation Regiment also made a name for itself again and again as the “flying fire brigade”. This was also the case in 1990, when it played a key role in extinguishing a heather fire between Gronau and Ahaus . However, the firefighting operation in Greece in the same year was more spectacular than this mission . On Mount Athos , art-historical treasures were saved from destruction by a large fire with the help of the Rhenish Army Aviators.
Even the Gulf War in 1991 did not leave the regiment unaffected. For Operation Desert Storm , the Army Aviation carried out the transport of the wounded from the American air bases in Frankfurt and Ramstein to field hospitals in southern Germany . In 1991 the regiment was asked again internationally. As part of Operation Kurdish Aid , the Army aviators saved the lives of numerous refugees by transporting drinking water and food to the inaccessible mountain areas of Iran.
The enormous transport capacity of the regiment's helicopters was often in demand for non-everyday missions. In 1994 the regiment transported the Air Force Museum from Appen near Hamburg to Berlin over several weeks . A total of 50 aircraft were transported by external load . From 1992 to 1996 parts of the regiment with its helicopters were constantly deployed in Baghdad in Iraq to support the UN weapons inspectors in their inspection tasks.
In 1994 the regiment was regrouped in the course of taking Army Structure 5 . Staff relay and supply relay were merged again into one relay. Flying Department 151 and Aircraft Technology Department 152 each receive a staff unit in which the BO-105 helicopter is brought in as a connection component. The personnel and material of the disbanded Army Airfield Command 103 is added to the staff of the Flying Division 151 .
The Army Aviation Regiment 15 has since been subordinate to Army Aviation Brigade 3 in Mendig . In the course of this reorganization, it took over the sponsorship of the Recklinghausen district from the disbanded Army Aviation Command 1 . The adoption of the sponsorship was decided by the district council of the Recklinghausen district with a majority decision.
Calls
- Since December 1995, the Rhenish Army Aviation Regiment 15 with three helicopters and approx. 40-50 soldiers in international operations on behalf of NATO was constantly deployed in the former Yugoslavia as part of the IFOR / SFOR troops.
- These and other of the numerous relief operations led, among other things, to the fact that the regiment was awarded the flag of North Rhine-Westphalia by the then Prime Minister Johannes Rau in recognition of the achievements and commitment of the Army Aviation in Rheine-Bentlage .
- The last big stir caused the regiment when the Oder floods in 1997 . For this large-scale relief operation, a member of the regiment was awarded the Bambi media prize on behalf of the entire Bundeswehr .
- The first evacuation of German relatives from the German Embassy in Tirana , Albania , took place on March 14, 1997 . On March 18, 1999, the regiment's mission was expanded to include another international mission. The first parts of the CH-53G of the 2nd / Flying Division 151 are being transferred to the KFOR mission in Macedonia at the Ohrid Airport . For a long time the regiment was constantly involved with parts of the mixed army aviation division that had meanwhile moved to Toplicane in Kosovo . On December 17, 1999, responsibility for the formation, training and management of the units deployed in the former Yugoslavia changed from Army Aviation Regiment 15 to Army Aviation Brigade 3 in Mendig .