Transport helicopter squadron 34
|
Transport helicopter squadron 34 |
|
|---|---|
 Entrance sign to the traditional cabinet of the THG-34 |
|
| active | January 5, 1959 to October 2, 1990 |
| Country |
 GDR
|
| Armed forces | National Peoples Army |
| Armed forces |
.svg){kind=small} Air Force
|
| Squadron location | Brandenburg-Briest airfield |
| Last commander | |
| Lieutenant Colonel Reinhard Streisel | Squadron commander |
| insignia | |
| squadron | III |
| Aircraft | |
|
Transport aircraft / helicopter |
Mi-1 / SM-1 , Mi-2 , Mi-4A , Mi-8T , Mi-8PS |
The transport helicopter squadron 34 Werner Seelenbinder was an association of the air forces of the NVA of the GDR . In addition to air transport , his main tasks also included training helicopter pilots from 1962 to 1981. All rotary wing units of the NVA listed below emerged from the THG-34. In detail, these were the helicopter squadron 16 and the squadrons KHG-3 , KHG-5 , MHG-18 and HAG-35 .
prehistory
The first helicopter unit of the NVA was set up in squadron strength at the Cottbus-Nord airfield in 1957 and comprised six pilots and seven technicians under the command of Lieutenant Siegfried Müller. The unit first completed a training course for the Mi-4 helicopter at the 226th OSAP (Independent Mixed Flier Regiment) of the Soviet armed forces in Berlin-Schönefeld , where the squadron commander completed his first free flight on June 27. In July the first Mi-4A helicopters were delivered and the "Helicopter Squadron Müller" relocated to the former Junkers works airfield in Dessau, where they were subordinated to the local transport flying school and began their service in August, which also trained other helicopter drivers duration. On November 5, 1957, the Dessau Transport Aviation School was transformed into Transport Aviation Training Squadron 4 (TAG-4) and placed under the command of the LSK / LV Aviation School with headquarters in Bautzen (Commander Walter Lehweß-Litzmann ). Within a total of four flight training squadrons, the unit, which was equipped with four Mi-4 and Mi-1 at the time, formed the 8th squadron. Training on the Mi-1 helicopter also began in February 1958, although initially under the guidance of a Russian instructor and on machines of a Soviet unit stationed in Zerbst, which were relocated to Dessau , since the first Polish SM-1s delivered from the end of 1957 did not have double controls .
On January 5, 1959, the relay was relocated to the new location in Brandenburg-Briest, whereby the SM-1 chain could not be flown over due to the insufficient training of the crews, but had to be transferred by road. The airfield had already been taken over by the Dessau Aviation School in March 1957 and, among other things, was used for training from April to the end of 1957 due to the brief stationing of the Mi-4 chain.
history
After the unit had been separated from TAG-4, the helicopter squadron was set up on February 1, 1959, initially without a unit number and directly subordinate to the head of the LSK / LV. It was divided into a Mi-4 squadron, an SM-1 squadron, the Aviation Technology Company 19 (FTK, from December 1, 1960 FTB, Aviation Technology Battalion) and the Technical Inspection and Control Group (TDK).
In September 1959, a sea chain - the later MHG-18 - was formed within the squadron and spun off to Parow . On January 1, 1961, by order of the Defense Minister , the unit was given the designation Helicopter Wing 31 (HG-31). The FTB-19 has been renamed FTB-31. With the addition of 40 student officers, the training of helicopter personnel on the SM-1 began in February 1962. A second Mi-4 squadron was set up in October 1963, and a squadron was added in 1964 and 1965 respectively, so that the HG-31 had a total of five squadrons, from which three border chains were formed in 1964 and placed under the GDR's border troops . This later became the HS-16 . On December 1, 1966 there was a renewed restructuring and the division of the ground staff into squadrons. Were formed u. a. a maintenance and repair team (WRS) and a flight service team (FDS); the technical review and control group was renamed the control and repair team (KRS).
In 1968, the squadron was the first NVA unit to prepare for the launch of the Mi-8 helicopter . For this purpose, 13 helicopter pilots and 16 members of the ground crew completed a retraining course in Kremenchug from May 13 to July 20, 1968 . The first three Mi-8T were delivered in August, with which the first flight service was carried out on September 20.
On March 1, 1971, the HG-31 was renamed Helicopter Wing 34 (HG-34), and the FTB-31 was consequently renamed FTB-34. In preparation for an increased training of pilots with a view to an increase in the Mi-8 population and a planned formation of combat helicopter associations within the NVA, the HG-34 was reorganized on December 1, 1971 and expanded to five squadrons.
In April 1972, the introduction of the Mi-2 began as a replacement for the SM-1 school helicopter, which has now been phased out. This period of time with the use of four different types of helicopter up to 1973 is unique in the history of the THG-34. The Mi-2 went into service on May 19, 1972.
In November 1975, the first combat helicopter association of the NVA, the helicopter squadron 54 , was formed from the 5th squadron of the HG-34 and relocated to Basepohl , later the formation of the helicopter squadron 64 , from which the KHG-3 emerged . After the end of the 1978/79 training year, the Mi-4 began to be retired; the last one was deleted from the inventory of the HG-34 in 1980 and flown over to the Magyar Repüléstörténeti Múzeum in Szolnok .
In December 1981, the 3rd squadron was separated from the squadron. As helicopter training squadron 35, it formed the basis for the HAG-35 and from that point on was solely responsible for training future helicopter pilots. Released from this task, the previous HG-34 was given the definitive designation of Transport Helicopter Squadron 34 . The THG-34 was subordinated to the FO FAFK on July 30, 1982 . During its service time it took part in several maneuvers of the Warsaw contracting states, these included "Oder-Neisse 69", "Brotherhood of Arms 70", "Schild 76", "Brotherhood of Arms 80", "JUG 84", "Druzhba 86", " Drushba 88 ". From April 1, 1987 it was integrated into the duty system and therefore kept a Mi-8T on constant alert in Brandenburg-Briest and Strausberg from April to October .
After the political change, the Mi-8T of the THG-34 equipped with an LPG-150 winch were combined in the 1st season and used for SAR and air rescue tasks. From April to October 1990 they flew as SAR 91 from Brandenburg-Briest on 61 missions with 148 flight hours, SAR 98 at Erfurt airport achieved 189 flight hours in 197 missions. The story of the THG-34 ended on October 2, 1990 when the troop flag was brought in.
Commanders
.JPG)
| Rank | Surname | period of service | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Wilhelm Ice | January 5, 1959 - 1962 | |
| major | Theo Pötsch | 1962 - March 26, 1965 | |
| major | Wolfgang track | March 27, 1965 - August 1, 1970 | |
| Captain | Gottfried Adler | August 2, 1970 - August 26, 1970 | |
| Colonel | Wolfgang track | August 27, 1970 - November 16, 1975 | |
| Lieutenant colonel | Horst Witte | November 17, 1975 - April 21, 1978 | |
| Colonel | Henry Richter | April 22, 1978 - November 15, 1983 | |
| Lieutenant colonel | Reinhard Streisel | November 16, 1983 - October 2, 1990 |
literature
- Wilfried Copenhagen : The Air Force of the NVA . Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-02235-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Franz Spur: Military transport aircraft Dessau – Dresden. A contribution to the 35-year history of the GDR transport system. , AeroLit, Diepholz 2002, ISBN 3-935525-08-7 , p. 25
- ↑ Thomas Bussmann: Reinforced concrete, grass and railway lighting. The military airfields of the GDR. MediaScript, Cottbus / Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-9814822-0-1 , pp. 87/88
- ↑ Thomas Girke, Georg Bader: Wed-2. In: DHS. The planes of the National People's Army. No. 2, Merkur, Rinteln 1998, ISSN 1435-831X , p. 5
- ↑ Repülőmúzeum Szolnok: Wed-4 A. Retrieved on April 9, 2018 (Wed-4A of the HG-34 in the Aviation Museum Szolnok).
- ↑ Thomas Girke, Georg Bader, Thomas Bußmann: Mil Mi-8T / TB. In: DHS. The planes of the National People's Army. No. 4, Merkur, Rinteln 2001, ISSN 1430-0117 , p. 31