Jagdgeschwader 71
Encyclopedia
Jagdgeschwader 71 Richthofen
is a Fighter Wing of the German Luftwaffe
. JG 71 was West Germany
's first operational jet fighter unit and is currently the last operational German fighter unit using the F-4 Phantom II
aircraft.
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 Starfighter
s 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.
JG 71 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. JG 71 is sharing its QRA duties with JG 74
, which completed Eurofighter conversion in late-2008. Depending on the situation, the dividing line between the two units is roughly Frankfurt
-Berlin
, with JG 71 protecting the northern part of Germany.
In 2007, for the second year running, JG 71 was German Air Force's record-breaking fighter wing in terms of flying activity, clocking up over 7,600 flying hours. 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
. The unit participated in a Baltic Air Policing deployment from 1 November 2009. In June 2010 six of the unit's F-4s were deployed to Iceland as part of NATOs Icelandic Air Policing
mission.
It is scheduled that starting with 2010 JG 71 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 JG7 1 will continue to carry out only air defence and interception
duties.
JG 71 in World War II
There was also a short-lived Jagdgeschwader 71 serving with the Luftwaffe during the early stages of World War II
. It consisted of one 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 1939.
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
is a Fighter Wing of the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. JG 71 was West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
's first operational jet fighter unit and is currently the last operational German fighter unit using the F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
aircraft.
History
RAF Ahlhorn
The former Royal Air Force Station Ahlhorn, commonly known as RAF Ahlhorn, was a Royal Air Force airbase in Germany situated in the southern suburbs of Ahlhorn, Lower Saxony....
. The highest-scoring fighter pilot of all time, Erich Hartmann
Erich Hartmann
Erich Alfred Hartmann , nicknamed "Bubi" by his comrades and "The Black Devil" by his Soviet enemies, was a German World War II fighter pilot and is the highest-scoring fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare...
, flew the Canadair Sabre (reputedly his favorite fighter plane design), and aircraft such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
, 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
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
, JG 71 was given the honorary title of “Richthofen” by Federal President Heinrich Lübke
Heinrich Lübke
Karl Heinrich Lübke was President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1959 to 1969.-Biography:...
. In 1961, JG 71 transferred from Ahlhorn to Wittmund
Wittmund
Wittmund is a town and capital of the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Geography:Wittmund is a town of 21,000 inhabitants located in Germany's historic coastal district of East Frisia, between the towns of Aurich and Jever...
.
May 1963 saw the introduction of the first F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
s into Luftwaffe service. In 1974 the Wing obtained its first F-4F Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
'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.
JG 71 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
Scrambling (military)
In military aviation scrambling or a scramble is the act of quickly getting fighter aircraft airborne to intercept hostile aircraft.-Historical use:...
(QRA) interceptions and provide the best possible training for future Eurofighter Typhoon
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
pilots. JG 71 is sharing its QRA duties with JG 74
Jagdgeschwader 74
Jagdgeschwader 74 is an aviation unit of the German Luftwaffe, based on Neuburg air base in Bavaria since 1961.JG 74 provides air defence duties for southern Germany. The wing operates two squadrons, the Falken squadron and the Viva Zapata squadron.-History:JG 74 was activated as the last West...
, which completed Eurofighter conversion in late-2008. Depending on the situation, the dividing line between the two units is roughly Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
-Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, with JG 71 protecting the northern part of Germany.
In 2007, for the second year running, JG 71 was German Air Force's record-breaking fighter wing in terms of flying activity, clocking up over 7,600 flying hours. The unit is on 24/7 readiness to intercept unidentified aircraft over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Between June and September 2008 the unit took part in NATO's Baltic Air Policing
Baltic Air Policing
The Baltic air-policing mission is a NATO air defence Quick Reaction Alert in order to guard the airspace over the three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.-Mission:...
. The unit participated in a Baltic Air Policing deployment from 1 November 2009. In June 2010 six of the unit's F-4s were deployed to Iceland as part of NATOs Icelandic Air Policing
Icelandic Air Policing
Icelandic Air Policing is a NATO operation conducted to patrol Iceland's airspace. As Iceland does not have an air force, it requested that its NATO allies periodically deploy fighter aircraft to Keflavik Air Base to provide protection of its airspace in 2006...
mission.
It is scheduled that starting with 2010 JG 71 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 JG7 1 will continue to carry out only air defence and interception
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
duties.
JG 71 in World War II
There was also a short-lived Jagdgeschwader 71 serving with the Luftwaffe during the early stages of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It consisted of one 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 1939.