German Air Force Patch 31 Jabog Boelcke Tornado Tech Crew Chief

German Air Force Patch Jabog 31 Boelcke Technical Group Crew Chief Tornado 1980s Norvenich AB Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 52mm by 101mm two and one sixteenth inches by four inches.

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History 1957-2013 

JaBoG 31 B Jagdbombergeschwader 31 Boelcke Fighter Bomber Wing 31 West German Air Force was activated on 1 October 1957 at Büchel Air Base equipped with F-84F Thunderstreaks. JaBoG 31 began its relocation to Norvenich AB in January 1958 becoming operational there on 20 June 1958. On 19 January 1959 became the first German Air Force wing to be assigned to NATO. The Wing was tasked with fighter bomber tactical strike attack using conventional and nuclear weapons under NATOs nuclear sharing concept where training and local storage was provided by USAF. On 20 April 1961 the JaBoG 31 was given the name Boelcke in honor of the World War I fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke. The wing received F-104 Starfighters in 1961 and became the first operational German Air Force Starfighter wing on 20 June 1962.

The Wing comprises a Headquarters and three Groups Flying Group Technical Group and Aerodrome Group. Flying Group controls the two flying Squadrons of the Wing 311 and 312. Technical Group provides aircraft technical services including maintenance and repair weapons and ammunition survival equipment fueling Aerodrome fire protection while Aerodrome Group provides non-aeronautical activities and tasks including transportation supplies Aerodrome security and defense runway and airfield repair.

In 1979 JaBoG 31 re-equipped with Tornados becoming the first German Air Force Wing to operate the type. The Wing gave up its tactical nuclear weapons delivery role in the late 1990s when nuclear weapons formerly stored at Nörvenich Air Base were withdrawn from Germany.

The Wing received the Eurofighter Typhoon on 16 December 2009 again the first German Air Force Wing to operate the type and the last of the Wings Tornados departed on 25 June 2010.  

During 2013 JaBoG 71 will be reduced from Wing status to Squadron status and will join JaBoG 31 as its third Typhoon Squadron on 1 October 2013 and the Wing will be renamed Tactical Air Force Wing 31 Boelcke TaktLwG 31 B. To continue the lineage of JaBoG 71 the Aerodrome Group
will be renamed Tactical Air Force Group Richthofen. 

This patch dates from the 1980s