[RN7]

Luftwaffe

At German Reunification the Luftwaffe absorbed the East German Luftstreitkrafte, which made it a force of 140,000 personnel on full mobilisation with over 1,500 aircraft and helicopters including 700 combat aircraft. Luftstreitkrafte helicopters were transferred to the Bundesheer on reunification, but both air forces were structured for very different operational roles and were heavily reliant on their allies. The Luftwaffe was structured for the air defence of Central Europe in conjunction with NATO and its prime role was tactical interdiction and reconnaissance of enemy forces and close battlefield support for NATO ground troops. The East German Luftstreitkrafte was basically a component of the wider Warsaw Pact air defense network and its main role was to prevent penetration of East German airspace by hostile aircraft. The Luftwaffe had long been reliant on other NATO allies to assist in defending German airspace due to restrictions imposed during West German rearmament in the 1950’s. This arrangement had led to American, British and French air defence squadrons based in Germany being better equipped than Luftwaffe units who were still using older fighters in the air defence role up until the mid 1990’s. The Luftstreitkrafte was heavily reliant on East German based Soviet air units for attack capabilities and was equipped with only a small number of older strike aircraft. This put the Luftwaffe at a great disadvantage in the months after German Reunification when forced to confront the numerically and materially superior Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces in addition to having to integrate very different operational procedures and doctrines within both air forces.

NATO forces in Europe mobilised ground, naval and air forces shortly after West German troops crossed the inner-German border. Although obliged by treaty to defend West Germany they were at a loss when a number of Luftwaffe airfields in West Germany were raided by Soviet Frontal Aviation units in early October. A decision was quickly made to maintain an air defence of West Germany, but refuse to co-operate in any German offensive operations. On the 14th of October USAF and British RAF fighter squadron intercepted incoming Soviet fighter bombers and turned back the attack with heavy casualties. The incident led to a storm of protest from the Soviet Union but also led to a pause in major operations against West Germany, and gave the Soviet Air Force their first glimpse of NATO tactical air power and superior AWAC support. It also forced the Soviets to fight the Luftwaffe over the skies of Eastern Europe, which soon became a fight that was rapidly being won by the Russians. The tactical fighter resources available to the Luftwaffe were F-4 Phantoms and Mig-21 and Mig-23, although the Luftwaffe did have a few squadrons of advanced Mig-29BN and a handful of prototype Eurofighters at the start of the war. Luftwaffe Tornado strike bombers were also vulnerable to Soviet air superiority sweeps and losses of all types of aircraft were high. Fortunately both West and East Germany had very extensive ground based air defence networks, fielding 800 Patriot, I-Hawk, Roland-2, SA-2, SA-3 and SA-10D medium and long ranged SAM launchers, and thousands of short ranged SAM’s and anti-aircraft guns. This caused heavy loss to Soviet missions against Germany as Soviet aircraft were forbidden to cross into NATO patrolled airspace or neutral Austria and Sweden, leaving them vulnerable to the German SAM’s as they approached the restrictive airspace corridors over East Germany. Soviet pilots increasingly disobeyed orders and throughout November there were many incidents of Soviet aircraft being shot down over West Germany by American and British fighters.

By December the situation had become unmanageable as air duels over West Germany became commonplace. With Germany coming under huge pressure NATO split over the subject of intervention. America, Britain and Canada entered the war on the German side, whilst France and Belgium withdrew from the coalition as other nations sat on the fence and undertook a defensive role. With NATO ground forces crossing the inner-German border in the second week of December, the full force of NATO air power was unleashed against the Warsaw Pact, striking airfields in Poland and Czechoslovakia and conducting air superiority sweeps over the entire front up to the borders of the Soviet Union. Soviet air losses were crushing and the dominance of NATO air superiority shocked the Warsaw Pact. For Germany it couldn’t have come to soon as the Luftwaffe had lost approximately 25% of its operational strength and most of its air bases in East Germany were heavily damaged or destroyed. The early months of 1997 brought more of the same for the Warsaw Pact air forces that were hard pressed to cope with the quality of front-line NATO tactical air forces. NATO strikes on airfields and rear areas also caused major problems for Pact land operations as ground forces became vulnerable to air attack. Elite air regiments were drafted in from the Soviet Union in the spring of 1997 to confront NATO air forces in Central Europe, leading to a number of massive air duels across Europe which where the largest since the Second World War. By the summer NATO land forces had almost pushed the Warsaw Pact out of Poland, but the attrition of constant air operations was now taking its toll on NATO resources. The United States was heavily committed to defending other areas outside of Europe, and losses and attritions in NATO air forces had not been replaced. In June the Tornado’s of the German Navy’s air arm; the Marineflieger, were transferred to Luftwaffe control to bolster combat losses and US Air National Guard squadrons started to arrive in Europe to reinforce the USAF. As NATO land forces entered Soviet territory resistance began to stiffen, and although NATO air forces were still dominant there seemed to be no shortage of Soviet opponents and losses intensified.

By early July the Italians entered the war on the Soviet side and managed to seize the Alpine passes through Austria against weak initial opposition. The prospect of Italian forces pouring into southern Germany with Czech and Russian forces alarmed NATO, and soon armoured forces were heading to Bavaria as the Italian air force struck a number of NATO logistic and headquarters targets. A rapid redeployment of forces managed to curtail this threat and whilst the Italian air-to-ground capacity was good its fighter force was obsolete and soon destroyed. However their intervention caused an increased thinning of already overstretched Luftwaffe and NATO assets, although the surviving Austrian air force came under Luftwaffe control. By July the Soviet began using tactical nuclear weapons on NATO forces on Russian soil leading to NATO retaliations. The mounting pressure from Soviet offensives finally broke through NATO defences in Poland and caused a general retreat from the east. NATO air forces were increasingly utilised to stem the Soviet advance and tactical nuclear strikes were increasingly used against Soviet forces in Poland. Soviet retaliation hit NATO forward air bases in East Germany, and by September had hit Luftwaffe, USAF and British RAF bases in West Germany. By November all out nuclear war had broken out destroying most of Germany’s cities, and after the shock of the nuclear exchange the lines stabilised and fighting died away. By the time the French invaded the Rhineland the Luftwaffe had lost 70% of its aircraft fleet and 85% of its combat forces, and could do little or nothing to contest German airspace with the powerful French Armee de L’Air. By 1998 fuel as well as aircraft parts were also increasingly difficult to get and the surviving Luftwaffe fleet was used only sparingly as NATO air operations in Europe were largely suspended. In this period excess Luftwaffe personnel were transferred to the German Army and many air units were disbanded. By 2001 the strength of the Luftwaffe had shrunk to about fifty operational aircraft with some anti-aircraft missile batteries operating from a few air bases across Germany. Operationally the Luftwaffe is divided into three air divisions in Northern Germany, Bavaria and the east which roughly correspond to the locations of the three German armies. Most Luftwaffe aircraft are grounded but small stocks of Avgas are maintained and heavily guarded for emergency use.

Luftwaffe Command

• Luftwaffe Command HQ (50 men): Hohn Air Base

1 Luftwaffe Division

Air Division Troops
• 1 Luftwaffe Division HQ (40 men): Munich
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 25 (50 men, 2x Patriot): Neuburg Air Base
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 31 (40 men, 2x I-Hawk): Erding Air Base
• Flakbatterie 121 (20 men, 2x 40mm AA): Augsburg
• Flakbatterie 174 (40 men, 4x 40mm AA): Munich
• Flakbatterie 302 (20 men, 2x 40mm AA): Regensburg
• II. Battalion Objektschutzregiment der Luftwaffe (120 men, 2x Wiesel 1 MK20, 4x Fuchs): Lechfeld/Neuburg Air Base

Jagdbombergeschwader 31 ‘Boelcke’ (240 men, 9x Aircraft): Lechfeld Air Base
• 311 Staffel (150 men, 4x Tornado, 3x Alpha Jet)
• 312 Staffel (50 men, 2x Saab 105)
• Flakbatterie 231 (40 men, 3x 40mm AA)

Jagdgeschwader 71 ‘Richthofen’ (220 men, 5x Aircraft): Neuburg Air Base
• 711 Staffel (80 men, 2x Eurofighter)
• 712 Staffel (90 men, 3x F-4E)
• Flakbatterie 271 (50 men, 3x 40mm AA)

2 Luftwaffe Division

Air Division Troops
• 2 Luftwaffe Division HQ (30 men): Holzdorf Air Base
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 41 (60 men, 2x SA-10D SAM, 1x I-Hawk SAM): Laage Air Base
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 51 (60 men, 2x I-Hawk SAM, 2x SA-3 SAM): Holzdorf Air Base
• 621 Staffel (20 men, 1x An-26): Laage Air Base
• Fliegertechnisches Bataillon 34 (40 men, 1x CH-53G, 1x Mi-8): Holzdorf Air Base
• III. Battalion Objektschutzregiment der Luftwaffe (120 men, 1x Wiesel 1 MK20, 1x BRDM-2, 1x Fuchs, 3x BTR-60): Holzdorf & Laage Air Base

Jagdbombergeschwader 33 (160 men, 8x Aircraft): Laage Air Base
• 331 Staffel (70 men, 4x Mig-23BN)
• 332 Staffel (60 men, 4x Alpha Jet)
• 233 Flakbatterie (30 men, 2x 57mm AA)

Jagdgeschwader 73 ‘Steinhoff’ (200 men, 7x Aircraft): Holzdorf Air Base
• 731 Staffel (100 men, 1x Mig-29BN, 4x Mig-21)
• 732 Staffel (50 men, 2x F-4E)
• 273 Flakbatterie (50 men, 2x 40mm AA, 1x 57mm AA)

3 Luftwaffe Division

Air Division Troops:
• 3 Luftwaffe Division HQ (40 men): Hohn Air Base
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 24 (50 men, 3x Patriot): Hohn Air Base
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 26 (40 men, 2x I-Hawk SAM): Fassberg Air Base
• Flugabwehrraketengeschwader 35 (60 men, 3x I-Hawk SAM): Kiel Airport
• 613 Staffel (50 men, 1x CH-53G, 1x Bo-105M): Kiel
• I. Battalion Objektschutzregiment der Luftwaffe (120 men, 2x Wiesel 1 MK20, 3x Fuchs, 1x BTR-60): Hohn & Fassberg Air Base

Aufklarungsgeschwader 51 ‘Immelman’ (110 men, 3x Aircraft): Schleswig Air Base
• 511 Staffel (50 men, 2x RF-4E)
• 512 Staffel (30 men, 1x Tornado ECM)
• FlakBatterie 251 (30 men, 3x 40mm AA)

Jagdbombergeschwader 32 (250 men, 5x Aircraft): Schleswig Air Base
• 321 Staffel (110 men, 3x Tornado)
• 1 Marinefliegergeschwader (90 men, 2x Tornado)
• FlakBatterie 232 (50 men, 4x 40mm AA)

Jagdgeschwader 74 ‘Molders’ (180 men, 5x Aircraft): Fassberg Air Base
• 741 Staffel (90 men, 3x F-4E)
• 742 Staffel (50 men, 2x Mig-29BN)
• Flakbatterie 274 (40 men, 3x 40mm AA)

Lufttransportgeschwader 61 (170 men, 4x Aircraft, 3x Helicopters): Hohn Air Base
• 611 Staffel (120 men, 1x C-130H, 3x C-160)
• 612 Staffel (50 men, 3x CH-53G)