USAF Patch Fighter USAFE a b 50 TFW Tactical Fighter Wing h F 16 Falcon Hahn 4sd

USAF Patch Fighter USAFE 50 TFW Tactical Fighter Wing Subdued F 16 Falcon 1981 Hahn AB West Germany Embroidered on twill cut edge 82mm by 84mm three and one quarter inches by three and five sixteenth inches.

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50 Fighter Wing was activated on 1 June 1949 at Otis AFB with 81 Fighter Squadron as its only component equipped with P 51 Mustang fighters as part of USAF Reserve training with 33 Fighter Wing Air Defence Command. The Wing was redesignated 50 Fighter Interceptor Wing on 1 March 1950 and taking part in 33 FWs air defense missions and exercises the 50 FIW flew  T 6 Texans T 33 T Birds F 84 Thunderjets and F 86 Sabres. Personnel and equipment of 50 Fighter Wing were ordered to active service on 1 June 1951 and reassigned as replacements to active duty units taking part in the Korean War with 50 FW inactivated on 2 June 1951.

 The Wing was reactivated as 50 Fighter Bomber Wing on 1 January 1953 at Clovis AFB equipped with F 86F Sabres for the US commitment to NATO to provide additional air defence assets. Once trained to operational levels 50 FBW relocated to Hahn AB West Germany on 10 August 1953 with 10 81 and 417 Fighter Bomber squadrons assigned to Twelfth Air Force USAFE. The Wings primary mission was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons against Warsaw Pact forces in the event of an invasion of Western Europe with secondary missions of tactical air defense and support for NATO ground forces. 50 FBW converted to F 86H Sabre fighter bombers in 1955 and expanded its mission to support 69 Tactical Missile Squadron and 7382 Guided Missile Group at Hahn operating MGM 1 Matador tactical missiles.

The Wing relocated to Toul-Rosières AB France on 17 July 1956 to move the Nuclear Weapons equipped units further west reducing risk of being quickly overrun and added. 50 FBW converted to F 100 Super Sabre aircraft in 1957 and was redesignated 50 Tactical Fighter Wing on 8 July 1958 and in support of NATOs Dispersed Operating Bases in France activated Detachment 2 50 Air Base Group at Luneville Chenevieres AB in September 1959.

International relations between France and the US deteriorated in the late 1950s resulting in French President Charles de Gaulle demanding the removal of NATO forces from the country. 50 TFW its support units 10 TFS and 81 TFS returned to Hahn AB West Germany on 10 December 1959 as part of Operation Red Richard. 417 TFS was detached to the 86 Tactical Fighter Wing at Ramstein AB West Germany. The Wing reequipped with F 4D Phantom IIs on 8 October 1966 and 417 Tactical Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 30 April 1967 on its reassignment to 67 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Mountain Home AFB but remaining committed to USAFE under the Dual Based concept. USAFE assigned Hahn based F 102 Delta Dagger equipped 496 Fighter Interceptor Squadron from 86 Air Division to 50 Tactical Fighter Wing on 25 November 1968 redesignating the Squadron as 496 Tactical Fighter Squadron to continue the provision of air defence. 496 TFS retired its F 102s and reequipped with F 4 Phantom IIs in 1970.

81 Tactical Fighter Squadron moved to Zweibrucken Air Base on 12 June 1971 and rerolled as USAFEs first Wild Weasel surface to air missile suppression unit in 15 January 1973 reequipping with F 4E Wild Weasel Phantom IIs for search and destroy missions or jamming SAM equipment and relocating to Spangdahlem AB where it was reassigned to 52 Tactical Fighter Wing. 50 TFW activated 313 Tactical Fighter Squadron equipped at Hahn AB with F 4E Phantom IIs from 36 TFW following its conversion to F 15 Eagles.

USAFE announced that 50 Tactical Fighter Wing would test and then field the new F 16A Fighting Falcon. Testing commenced on 20 April 1979 and new HAS and support buildings were built at Hahn AB. 313 TFS received the first of the Wings F 16s on 30 December 1981 quickly followed by 10 and 496 TFSs with the Wings last F 4 Phantoms departing Hahn in June 1982.

On 1 January 1991 the Wing deployed 10 TFS to Al Dhafra AB United Arab Emirates in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and on 17 January 1991 took part in the first missions of Operation Desert Storm attacking Al Taqaddum Airfield, near Baghdad continuing targeting Iraqi airfields communication centers military command centers and Scud Missile hunting until the end of the campaign. With the reunification of East and West Germany in October 1990 and the end of the Cold War 50 TFW inactivated 496 TFS on 15 May 1991 313 TFS on 1 July 1991 and 10 TFS on 30 September 1991. 50 Tactical Fighter Wing itself was inactivated on 30 September 1991.

The Wing was reactivated as 50 Space Wing on 30 January 1992 at Falcon AFB taking control of the personnel and assets of 2 Space Wing providing satellite launches operations communications and GPS and have deployed assets for operations in Afghanistan.  

This patch dates from 1981.