German Air Force Patch 36 Jabog F 4F Phantom 1 Hopsten f

German Air Force Patch Jabog 36 F 4F Phantom 1989 Nuclear Strike Hopsten AB embroidered on twill merrowed edge 91mm three and nine sixteenth inches diameter.

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History

Jagdbombergeschwader Jabog 36 Fighter Bomber Wing 36 was activated on 1 March in 1961 at Norvenich AB sharing with Jabog 31 with one flying Staffel Squadron equipped with F 84 F Thunderstreak aircraft. Jabog 36 sent an advance party to Hopsten AB on 4 March 1961 to be recommissioned for the Wing while training flights commenced at Norvenich. The Wing deployed to the NATO training area at Decimomannu Sardinia in April 1961 and returned flying direct to Hopsten AB on 1 September 1961 to be assigned for NATO operations with the official commissioning ceremony taking place on 12 December 1961. The Wings second Staffel Squadron was authorised on 19 January 1962 tasked with European conditions conversion of German US trained graduate pilots and added six T 33 aircraft for training and two Piaggio P 149 for transport duties to its fleet of F 84F Thunderstreaks.

The Wing comprised a Headquarters and three Groups namely Flying Group Technical Group and Aerodrome Group. Flying Group controlled the two flying Squadrons of the Wing 361 and 362. Technical Group provided aircraft technical services including maintenance and repair weapons and ammunition survival equipment fuelling Aerodrome fire protection while Aerodrome Group provided non aeronautical activities and tasks including transportation supplies medical services Aerodrome security and defence runway and airfield repair.

The Wings prancing horse on Westfalen blue and red background emblem was approved on 13 March 1963.

Jabog 36 commenced conversion to F 104 Starfighter on 2 February 1965 receiving fifty two over two years returning to NATO operations in December 1967 adding nuclear strike to its tasking establishing a two ship QRA Quick Reaction Alert in an specially protected area secured by the Wings special security Squadron. Under NATO nuclear weapons sharing the US provided nuclear weapons for Germany as a non nuclear NATO state and for its military personnel to store handle practice and deploy the nuclear munitions but can only arm the bombs with authorization codes from the US Department of Defense. Jabog 36 began to train with the US Seventeenth Air Force in handling arming and delivering nuclear weapons with the F 104 Starfighter as the nuclear delivery platform armed with nuclear air to air and air to surface missiles as well as nuclear bombs. The Wing reverted to conventional weapons only in 1972 and its two Piaggio P149 were replaced by D 2 Skyservant aircraft.

Jabog 36 began conversion to F 4F Phantom II fighter aircraft on 4 February 1975 and completed the transition at the end of July 1976 and in addition to its Air Defence role the Wing was again tasked for Nuclear Strike due to the delays in the introduction of the Tornado with the QRA established at the resecured former F 104 nuclear QRA location. The Wing became the first German Air Force Unit to deploy to Goose Bay Canada on 21 July 1980 for low level flying training returning on 26 September 1980 and continued these deployments annually. The Wing activated its third flying Staffel Squadron with its Zentralen Ausbildungseinrichtung F 4F Central Training Facility for European conditions conversion of German US trained graduate pilots on 1 January 1984.

Jabog 36 was awarded the name Westfalen in May 1984. With German reunification Jabog 36 was retasked for the fighter role and redesignated Jagdgeschwader JG 72 Westfalen on 1 January 1991.

This patch dates from 1989.