USAF 38th Tactical Missile Wing Patch BGM-109G GLCM Wueschheim Air Station Germany (3 Inch) – Variant A

USAFE 38th Tactical Missile Wing TMW Patch 3 Inch Color Variant A Wueschheim Air Station BGM-109G Gryphon GLCM

38th Tactical Missile Wing (38th TMW), stationed at Wueschheim Air Station, West Germany, during the deployment of the BGM-109G Gryphon Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM).

This subdued green patch was issued to 38th Tactical Missile Wing personnel during its vital NATO nuclear deterrence mission in the final years of the Cold War. The 38th TMW operated under the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) from Wueschheim AS. The Wing became one of the most recognised Ground Launched Cruise Missile wings in Europe making their patches sought after for thier connection to the Cold War, Wueschheim Air Station history, nuclear deterrence history and tactical missile operations.

• Wueschheim Air Station, West Germany
• Dated: 1985
• Visibility Color
• Fully embroidered construction with cut edge
• Size: 70mm x 68mm
• Approximate imperial size: 3 inches x 2 11/16 inches
• Free shipping

38th Tactical Missile Wing History

The 38th Tactical Missile Wing was reactivated in April 1985 at Wüschheim Air Station, West Germany, to operate the BGM-109G Gryphon Ground Launched Cruise Missile system under NATO command.

The wing controlled the 89th Tactical Missile Squadron and maintained 80 nuclear-capable cruise missiles organised into five operational flights. During periods of heightened Cold War tension, missile convoys deployed from Wüschheim Air Station to hidden field locations throughout West Germany where launch crews established camouflaged launch positions and prepared missiles for operational readiness.

The deployment of Ground Launched Cruise Missiles in Europe formed part of NATO’s response to the Soviet Union’s SS-20 intermediate-range missile programme during the Cold War.

Following the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, all BGM-109G Gryphon missiles were withdrawn from Europe. The 38th Tactical Missile Wing was officially inactivated on 22 August 1990 following the decommissioning of the missile system in Germany.

This USAF Patch 38 Tactical Missile Wing dates from 1985.