German Air Force Patch 64 HTG Hubschraubertransportgeschwader 2a

German Air Force Patch Hubschraubertransportgeschwader HTG 64 Helicopter Transport Wing 2 Staffel SAR UH 1D Huey 1978 Ahlhorn AB Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 89mm three and one half inches diameter.

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History   

Hubschraubertransportgeschwader HTG 64 Helicopter Transport Wing 64 was activated ​​on 1 October 1966 at Penzing Air Base Landsberg Lech with personnel and equipment of three of the German Air Forces helicopter SAR and liaison Squadrons as well as elements of Pilot Training School A after jet training was transferred to the United States. The Wing was equipped with a variety of aircraft including Bristol Sycamore Bell 47 Piasecki H 21 and Alouette II helicopters and Dornier Do 27 fixed wing aircraft and tasked with Air Ambulance Search And Rescue SAR Combat Search And Rescue CSAR Flight training and Liaison

The Wing comprised a Headquarters and three Groups namely Flying Group Technical Group and Aerodrome Group. Flying Group controlled the three flying Squadrons of the Wing 1 Training Test and Transport Squadron at Furstenfeldbruck Air Base 2 Search And Rescue SAR Liaison Squadron at Penzing AB and 3 Seefliegerstaffel Sea Search And Rescue SAR Liaison Squadron at Fassberg AB. 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 Wing adopted an emblem of the number 64 in black with two yellow stylised helicopters on a shield split vertically two thirds mountains one third blue representing SAR in the mountains and on the coast.

The Wing relocated 3 Search And Rescue Liaison Squadron to Ahlhorn AB in January 1968 and began reeequipping with UH 1D Huey helicopters in February 1968. HTG 64 activated 4 Search And Rescue SAR Squadron at Landsberg Lech AB Penzing in May 1968 which quickly moved to Diepholz AB with 2 SAR Squadron to form 2 Flying Group. The Wing completed its conversion to UH 1D helicopters in May 1969.

HTG 64 deployed assets overseas for relief operations including Tunisia after heavy flooding in 1969 East Pakistan in the wake of the 1970 Bhola cyclone and to Bingol Province Turkey after an earthquake in 1971.

2 3 and 4 SAR Squadrons were relocated to Ahlhorn AB in April 1971 when Air Transport Wing 62 was inactivated at Ahlhorn AB with 1 Training Test and Transport Squadron returned to Penzing AB Landsberg am Lech. The Wing absorbed some of LTG 62s helicopters and personnel and now operated 78 helicopters. In 1973 the Wing deployed to Ethiopia for relief missions during the severe drought.

Helicopter Transport Wing 64 with its flight simulator was assigned the task of training new helicopter pilots in 1975 when the German Air Force Helicopter Training School at Fassberg AB was closed and its helicopters absorbed by the Wing enlarging its fleet to nearly 120. The Wing detached helicopters to cover SAR in northern and central Germany including the military hospital Koblenz SAR centre Rheine AB SAR centre Hamburg Jever AB and Fassberg AB and a SAR Detachment to Beja Portugal. Helicopter pilots flight training was transferred from HTG 64 to Fort Rucker United States in 1978 and 1 Squadron at Penzing AB was reassigned to LTG 61 in 1979.

Hubschraubertransportgeschwader HTG 64 was inactivated on 1 April 1994 under Air Force Structure 4 reorganisation with its remaining personnel assets 39 of its helicopters realocated to LTG 62 19 helicopters from 3 Squadron transferred to LTG 63 and the remaining helicopters assigned to the Transport Wing Federal Ministry of Defence.

The Wing was reactivated on 1 October 2010 as Hubschraubergeschwader 64 Helicopter Wing on the redesignation of the Helicopter component of LTG 62 at Holzdorf Air Base equipped with UH 1D and adding NH 90 helicopters tasked with helicopter troop and supply transport Combat Search And Rescue CSAR and helicopter pilot training for the German Air Force and adopted a slightly modified version of the original emblem of Helicopter Transport Wing 64.

As part of the capacity transfers of transport helicopters the Wing swapped its NH90 and UH 1D with German Army Aviation in 2012 in return for CH 53GA GE and GS helicopters and personnel from the Armys Middle transport helicopter regiment 25 and the base at Laupheim to which the majority of the Wing relocated with Holzdorf AB used by the Wing as a Group base. The Wing began receiving H145M helicopters to provide support for Special Forces Command.

This patch dates from 1978.