The Quest for Relevant Air Power

Chapter 4
German Air Force (Luftwaffe)
On 6 May 1955, the Federal Republic of Germany was declared
sovereign. Within two days, the ban on military forces was lifted,
and Germany became a member of NATO. Since the country had
missed a decade of vital experience in military aviation, the German
Air Force had to be built up from scratch. At the beginning,
the GAF hinged upon support from its allies, principally the
United States, for training and equipment. 1 On 6 June 1958, the
first fighter-bomber wing, equipped with American F-84s, was established.
2 In the early 1960s, the introduction of a more complex
combat aircraft, the F-104 Starfighter, made visible the challenges
a not yet mature but fast-growing air force had to overcome. Primarily
due to a lack of experienced personnel, a significant number
of fatal incidents occurred. 3
As a frontline state, German security was dependent upon its
allies. The GAF became deeply integrated into NATO and assigned
all units into the NATO command structure, contributing the
largest share to the integrated air defence within Central Europe. 4
The GAF had no national command and control facilities at its
Courtesy Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, www.eurofighter.com; photo by JG (German Fighter Wing) 74
A Eurofighter Typhoon from GAF Fighter Wing 74 taking off on a QRA
scramble at Neuburg AFB in southern Germany (January 2008)