Jagdgeschwader 71
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| Jagdgeschwader 71 "Richthofen" (Fighter Wing 71) |
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 Coat of arms of Jagdgeschwader 71 |
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| Active | 6 June 1959-Present |
| Country | Federal Republic of Germany (Bundeswehr) |
| Branch | German Air Force (Luftwaffe) |
| Role | Air Defence, Rapid Deployment, NATO Command Force |
| Part of | 4th Air Force Division (4. Luftwaffendivision) |
| Garrison/HQ | Wittmund |
| Equipment | F-4 Phantom II |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
(Oberst) Gerhard Roubal |
| Notable commanders |
Erich Hartmann, Günther Josten |
Jagdgeschwader 71 Richthofen (JG71 - Fighter Wing) was West Germany's first operational jet fighter unit, and remains an operational Fighter Wing of the Luftwaffe, the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is currently the last operational German fighter unit using the F-4 Phantom II aircraft.[1]
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[edit] History
The unit was formed in June 1959, equipped with 50 Canadair Sabre Mk.6s and stationed at the former RAF Ahlhorn. The highest-scoring fighter pilot of all time, Erich Hartmann, flew the Canadair Sabre (reputedly his favorite fighter plane design), and aircraft such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, in the newly formed wing in the late 1950s.
On 21 April 1961, the 43rd anniversary of the death of “Red Baron” Rittmeister Manfred Von Richthofen, JG 71 was given the honorary title of “Richthofen” by Federal President Heinrich Lübke. In 1961, JG 71 transferred from Ahlhorn to Wittmund.
May 1963 saw the introduction of the first F-104 Starfighters into Luftwaffe service. In 1974 the Wing obtained its first F-4F Phantom II's and on 19 September 1974 the unit's Starfighters were decommissioned. In 1988 the Wing's secondary role of Fighter Bomber Attack was given up so that JG 71 is now exclusively a Fighter Wing. The Phantoms are due to be decommissioned and replaced by Eurofighter Typhoons by 2012.
[edit] Jagdgeschwader 2 of the Wehrmacht
There was also a Jagdgeschwader 2 serving in the Luftwaffe for a short while during World War II. It consisted of I. Group (I. Gruppe), with a staff (Gruppenstab) and two squadrons. It was created on 16 July 1939 in Schleissheim, and served until redesignated II./JG 51 in October.
[edit] Jagdgeschwader 71 of the Bundeswehr
In 2007, for the second year running, JG71 was German Air Force's record-breaking fighter wing in terms of flying activity, clocking up over 7,600 flying hours.[1] The unit is on 24/7 readiness to intercept unidentified aircraft over Germany. Between June and September 2008 the unit took part in NATO's Baltic Air Policing.[2] The unit is scheduled to be deployed again at Baltic Air Policing on 1 November 2009.[3]
JG71 is part of NATO's Immediate Reaction Force, meaning that it must be ready to deploy 12 aircraft on five days notice. However, the likelihood of having to deploy at such short notice is almost nil, so the Phantoms are kept operational to fulfill Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) interceptions and provide the best possible training for future Eurofighter Typhoon pilots. JG71 is sharing its QRA duties with Fighter Wing 74 (JG74), which completed Eurofighter conversion in late-2008. Depending on the situation, the dividing line between the two units is roughly Frankfurt-Berlin, with JG71 protecting the northern part of Germany.[4]
It is scheduled that starting with 2010 the JG71 will begin receiving its first Eurofighters. The wing will fly a mixed fleet for one or two years and by 2012 at the latest, the Phantom will be completely withdrawn from use. Although the Eurofighter is a multirole fighter aircraft, it seems likely that the JG71 will continue to carry out only air defence and interception duties.[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b German Phantoms still going strong, Air Forces Monthly magazine, June 2008 issue, p. 40.
- ^ "Baltic Air Policing – Solidarity Among Partners". NATO Allied Air Component Command Headquarters Ramstein. http://www.airramstein.nato.int/bast_e/prevpub/AP%20003%20Ramstein%20Sword.pdf. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "German Air Force to conduct once more NATO Air Policing over Baltic States". German Air Force. 24 August 2009. http://www.luftwaffe.de/portal/a/luftwaffe/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLNzKINzZ1CgRJgjnuXs76kQjhoJRUfV-P_NxUfW_9AP2C3IhyR0dFRQChPR1B/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfMjBfMzVCUQ!!?yw_contentURL=/01DB060000000001/W27VCCVG215INFODE/content.jsp. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ German Phantoms still going strong, Air Forces Monthly magazine, June 2008 issue, p. 42.
- ^ German Phantoms still going strong, Air Forces Monthly magazine, June 2008 issue, p. 43.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II
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