Lechfeld Airbase
Encyclopedia
Lechfeld Airbase is a German Air Force base located 1 km east of Lagerlechfeld in Bavaria
, about 20 km south of Augsburg
on the Bundestrasse 17.
It is the home of Training Division A of the School of Management Assistance, and of Fighter-Bomber Wing 32 (FBW 32), part of the Luftwaffe 1st Air Division. Two squadrons fly the Panavia Tornado
units, although USAAF personnel were sent to the base to evaluate the Messerschmidt aircraft left at the airfield. It was designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"R-71"
In December 1945, the facility was turned over to the USAAF, which renamed it Army Air Force Station Lechfeld and was used by various units as an occupation Garrison until being closed on 1 Jun 1947, being put into "standby" status and turned over to the Army garrison at Augsburg
for control.
On 14 September 1961
, two F-84F Thunderstreak from the JaBoG 32 crossed into East German airspace
due to a navigational error, eventually landing at Berlin Tegel Airport, evading a large number of Soviet
fighter planes. The event came at a historically difficult time during the Cold War, one month after the construction of the Berlin Wall
. Oberstleutnant Siegfried Barth, commander of the unit at the time, was transferred for the incident but later, after a number of investigations and complaints, had to be reinstated.
By 1965 FBW 32 received the F-104 Starfighter
until they were replaced from 1982 to 1984 by the Panavia Tornado.
Lechfeld was used for several Cold War NATO deployments of USAF/ANG units during the annual "Reforger" exercises.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, about 20 km south of Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
on the Bundestrasse 17.
It is the home of Training Division A of the School of Management Assistance, and of Fighter-Bomber Wing 32 (FBW 32), part of the Luftwaffe 1st Air Division. Two squadrons fly the Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
History
In 1912, the military flight operations started at the Lechfeld, but were forbidden after the First World War. Flight operations were resumed in 1934 and a flight school was opened. The Messerschmidt Works at Augsburg used Lagerlechfeld also as a test airfield. Most of the buildings were destroyed by 1945 after several air attacks.American use
American Army units moved into the Lagerlechfeld area in early May 1945 during the Western Allied Invasion of Germany and seized the airfield with little or no opposition. Initial reconstruction plans for the base to be used as an Army Air Forces field were canceled after the German Capitulation on 7 May, and the facility was garrisoned by United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
units, although USAAF personnel were sent to the base to evaluate the Messerschmidt aircraft left at the airfield. It was designated as Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
"R-71"
In December 1945, the facility was turned over to the USAAF, which renamed it Army Air Force Station Lechfeld and was used by various units as an occupation Garrison until being closed on 1 Jun 1947, being put into "standby" status and turned over to the Army garrison at Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
for control.
Modern era
The unreconstructed facility was eventually turned over to the reconstituted German Armed Forces in 1955, and the first German military personnel of the newly created Bundeswehr arrived at the Lechfeld on 7 July 1956. Their task was to rebuild the air base that had been damaged in the Second World War. Two years later, on 22 July 1958, the Fighter Bomber Wing 32 began flight operations with F-84 Thunderstreak aircraft.On 14 September 1961
1961 F-84 Thunderstreak incident
The 1961 F-84 Thunderstreak incident, occurring on 14 September 1961, was an incident during the Cold War, in which two Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bombers of the JaBoG 32 of the West German Luftwaffe crossed into East German airspace because of a navigational error, before landing at...
, two F-84F Thunderstreak from the JaBoG 32 crossed into East German airspace
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
due to a navigational error, eventually landing at Berlin Tegel Airport, evading a large number of Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
fighter planes. The event came at a historically difficult time during the Cold War, one month after the construction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. Oberstleutnant Siegfried Barth, commander of the unit at the time, was transferred for the incident but later, after a number of investigations and complaints, had to be reinstated.
By 1965 FBW 32 received the 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...
until they were replaced from 1982 to 1984 by the Panavia Tornado.
Lechfeld was used for several Cold War NATO deployments of USAF/ANG units during the annual "Reforger" exercises.