Erding Air Base
Encyclopedia
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...
Air Force airfield near the town of Erding
Erding
Erding is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Erding. It had a population of 34,122 in 2004. It is twinned with Bastia in CorsicaThe original Erdinger Weissbier is a well-known Bavarian specialty...
, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northeast of central Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in Bavaria
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...
. It is the home of the 5th Air Defense Missile Squadron and the 1st Air Force Maintenance Regiment.
The last public airshow
Airshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
at Erding was held during the summer of 1986.
History
Prior to and during World War IIWorld 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...
, Erding was a 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....
pilot training airfield. It was seized by the United States Army
United 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...
in April 1945 and used as a United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
facility during the early years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Erding was used as an Air Depot, Air Base and an Air Station. On 14 Dezember 1957, control of Erding Air Base was returned to the reconstituted West German Air Force
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....
as a front line facility where it hosted various F-104, Tornado and other fighter squadrons.
USAF Units At Erding Air Base
USAF Units stationed at Erding were:- 85th Air Depot Wing, 1 Jun 1945
- Redesignated: European Air Depot, 1 Sep 1945
- Redesignated: Erding Air Depot, 5 Nov 1946
- Redesignated: 7200th Air Force Depot Wing, 1 Jul 1948
- Redesignated: 85th Air Defense Wing, 25 Jul 1949
- Redesignated: 7485th Air Depot Wing, 1 Dec 1953
- Redesignated: 7485th Support Wing (Training), 1 Apr 1956-1 Apr 1957
- 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron440th Fighter-Interceptor SquadronThe 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, stationed at Erding Air Station, West Germany. It was inactivated on 16 February 1959.-History:...
, 17 Feb 1956-1 Jan 1960 - 52d Tactical Fighter Group, 1 Apr 1971-31 Jul 1972
- 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Originally developed as an Air Depot in the early postwar years, the mission of Erding Air Base (later Station) was to provided depot-level maintenance of USAFE and NATO fighters. With the opening of Châteauroux-Déols Air Base
Châteauroux-Déols Air Base
Châteauroux-Déols Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Indre département of France, located about 3 miles northeast of Châteauroux and about 1 mile northeast of Déols on the east side of the Départemental 920 road in Central France.During the Cold...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1953, Erding became a satellite depot.
The mission of Erding Air Base was changed in 1956 to training German Air Force personnel into the newly reconstituted 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....
and the base was turned over to the German Air Force on 1 April 1957.
With the creation of NATO in response to Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
tensions in Europe, USAFE wanted its major air bases in West Germany moved west of the Rhine River to provide greater air defense warning time. The establishment of the new bases in the Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
diminished the USAF use of Erding. It became an air defense facility in 1956 with the assignment of the F-86D equipped 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, a detachment of the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Landstuhl Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
until the arrival of the F-102 in Europe and budget cutbacks in 1960 forced its closure.
In 1966 with France withdrawing from NATO it left a gap in the air defense network of Europe. Operation Creek Ale filled that gap by rotating Convair F-102A Delta Dart interceptors from various squadrons of the 86th Air Division
86th Air Division
The 86th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany...
based at Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
. Squadrons from Soesterberg Air Base
Soesterberg Air Base
Soesterberg Air Base was a Royal Netherlands Air Force military airbase located in Soesterberg, eastnortheast of Utrecht. It was first established as an airfield in 1911, and in 1913, the Dutch Army bought the field and established the Army Aviation Division.For almost 40 years, United States...
, Zaragoza Air Base
Zaragoza Air Base
Zaragoza Air Base was a NATO military airbase located near Zaragoza, Spain. It was located west of Zaragoza, west of Barcelona, and northeast of Madrid.It was closed as a NATO base in in April 1992...
, Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...
, Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Airport is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles southeast of Bitburg, 20 miles north of Trier, and 135 miles west of Wiesbaden....
and Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
rotated to Erding for air defense alert.
With the deactivation of the 86th Air Division
86th Air Division
The 86th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany...
in 1970, the 52d Fighter Group was formed at Erding in 1971 with some of the F-102's on a permanent basis. In 1972 the F-102s were withdrawn from Europe and the 52d FG was deactivated.
Relegated to Air Station status, Erding hosted TDY units of CONUS based USAF aircraft though the 1980s for short-term deployments as part of the annual Reforger exercises.
See also
- German Air Force
- United States Air Force In GermanyUnited States Air Force In GermanySince 7 May 1945 The United States has maintained air bases in Germany initially beginning as postwar occupation forces. During the Cold War, the number of bases was expanded to support NATO....