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Bitburg AB Thunderchiefs 1961-1966
     
    36th Tactical Fighter Wing Emblem or Blazon  
    The red, blue, and yellow 
    colors in the wing's emblem 
    stand for the 22nd, 23rd, 
    36TH TACTICAL 
    FIGHTER WING
    Bitburg Air Base, Germany
    THUNDERCHIEFS
    1961 - 1966
    49° 57' N   06° 34' E
    and 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadrons, respectively. These three colors were 
    also used, top to bottom 
    with white cheat lines, 
    in the tail stripes of the wing's F-105 Thunderchiefs.


     
     
     
     

    The wing emblem or "blazon" was approved on June 19, 1940, for the 36th Group and on July 17, 1952, for the 36th Wing. The wing motto "Prepared to Prevail" was approved on August 14, 1979. 

    		 Map of Europe with location of Bitburg AB indicated
The Beginning:  In early 1951, under US Army oversight, the French Army began construction of what would become Bitburg Air Base in West Germany's Eifel Mountains.  Located in West Germany's Rheinland-Pfalz in the French zone of occupation, the air base was situated on farm land that had been a Wehrmacht tank staging and supply area for the Battle of the Bulge in early 1944.  The air base and its housing area occupied nearly 1,100 acres, with a 8,200 foot long runway (with 1,000 foot overruns at each end, total length would be 10,200 feet).  The base housing area contained 1203 modern (for the early 1950s) apartments.

Bitburg Air Base was officially established as a United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) installation on 01 September 1952, after July's arrival of the 53rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron (FBS), 36th Fighter-Bomber Wing (FBW), from Fürstenfeldbruck AB, in Bavaria, Germany, a few miles west of Munich  ("Fursty" would be turned over to the German Air Force in Oct 1957).  The remainder of the wing (the 22nd and 23rd FBS) arrived with their F-84E Thunderjets in November 1952.  Base construction was completed by May 1953.

The Roots of the 36th:   Activated by the US Army Air Force on 01 February 1940 as the 36th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) at Langley Field, VA, the Group initially flew P-36A Mohawks.  After duty in the Caribbean with P-39s and P-40s, the Group converted to P-47B Thunderbolts in England as part of the 9th Army Air Force.  The 36th's first war effort took place on 08 May 1944 in a fighter sweep over the French coast.  On 13 May 1944, a 36th Fighter Group P-47 pilot (Captain Cortner) shot down the Wing's first enemy plane -- a  FW-190 -- while escorting a Marauder bombing mission.  Bomber escort, armed reconnaissance, dive bombing, and strafing were regular wing assignments.  On 21 May 1944, the 36th hung up its first Gold Star when Major Deabler failed to return after leading the 53rd FS on a mission over France.  The 36th took part in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, concentrating on German supply lines, communications centers, airfields, and any other worthwhile targets.  The 36th Fighter Group's WW II combat record totals 42 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air (14 damaged); 250 aircraft destroyed on the ground (112 damaged); 262 armored vehicles destroyed (159 damaged); 420 locomotives destroyed (195 damaged); as well as thousands of dinged rail cars, buildings, bridges, gun emplacements, factories, etc.  In all, the 36th won six battle and two Presidential Unit Citations in only 354 days of combat!  In March 1946, after putting in ten months in Europe as part of the postwar Allied Occupation Forces, the 36th Fighter Group was sent to Bolling Field near Washington, DC, and shortly thereafter to Howard Field in the Canal Zone.

Designated as a Fighter Wing on 02 July 1948, the 36th had little time to fly its new Lockheed F-80A Shooting Star jet fighters at Howard Field.  The wing was reassigned on 13 August 1948 to Fürstenfeldbruck AB in Bavaria -- the first USAF jet unit in Europe.  Fürstenfeldbruck had been the pride of Goring's Luftwaffe and was more than once been called the "world's finest air base."  Before wing personnel and their dismantled F-80s were loaded in Panama onto the USN aircraft carrier Sicily and the troop transport Barney Kirschbaum for the trip to Europe, 16 of the wing's jets had already flown the Atlantic, island hopping to "Fursty."  Although at the time this was a spectacular display of USAF jet capabilities, it was an impractical way to move an entire fighter wing -- ship movement was required for the rest of the Group.  The 16 F-80s made a brief stop en route in Great Britain, prompting a Glasgow paper to state "The Yanks are still coming!  ...Nobody loves a plumber -- but he's a welcome sight when the kitchen is flooded."

In May 1949, HQ USAFE authorized the 36th Fighter Group to form the "Skyblazers" aerial demo team to perform at European and Mediterranean area air shows.  The new USAFE Skyblazers team from Fürstenfeldbruck AB made its first-ever performance in October 1949 at RAF Gütersloh in the British zone of then-occupied Germany.  On 20 January 1950, the 36th FW was redesignated as a Fighter-Bomber Wing (FBW) and began flying Republic F-84E Thunderjets that fall.  Some of the 36th FBW F-84Es carried non-standard markings, such as Wing Commanding Officer ("CO") Colonel Bob Scott's 49-2299 with his personal "Flying Tiger" markings -- he had commanded the 23rd Fighter Wing in the Pacific in WW II, and those emblems were on the Thunderjet he regularly flew.

The 36th Wing-Thunderbirds Connection:  During 1951-52, the 36th FBW maintained support of its F-84-equipped Skyblazers demo team.  In 1953, several experienced Skyblazer pilots PCSed to Luke AFB, Arizona, to form the initial nucleus of today's world - famous USAF Thunderbirds, flying straight-winged Republic F-84G Thunderjets.  That summer, the USAF formed the new flight demo team with five pilots: Dick Catledge, Buck Patillo, Bill Patillo, Mac McCormick and A. D. Brown.  By the end of their first season, the team had flown their F-84s in 50 performances for several million people, and laid the groundwork for a team that has since become an aviation icon.  For the 1955 air show season, the Thunderbirds flew the swept-wing Republic F-84F and in 1956 converted to new North American F-100C Super Sabres.

For the 1964 air show season, the Thunderbirds flew specially modified F-105B Thunderchiefs (F-105B-15-RE 57-5782, 57-5787, 57-5790, 57-5793, 57-5797, 57-5798, 57-5801, 57-5802, and 57-5814).  These Thunderchiefs were modified for air show duty with an added oil smoke system; the AN/APN-131 Doppler nav equipment was removed to allow carrying Thunderbird crew apparel in a built-in suitcase; the liquid oxygen (LOX) system for the pilot was modified to also allow the use of high pressure gaseous oxygen; aircraft communications gear was modified for better operations in overseas locations; the fuel system was modified to allow extended inverted flight; and the J75's afterburner was set for immediate light-up (vice a 5-second delay on the line Thuds).  On April 26th at Norfolk, Virginia, the opening show of the season treated the crowd to the first-ever Thunderbird five- and six-ship diamond formations.  The 1964 Thunderbird flight crew were:
 

Maj Paul Kauttu     LEAD
Capt. Gene Devlin    LEFT WING
Capt Charles Hamm   LEFT WING
Capt Bill Higgonbotham   RIGHT WING
Capt Jerry Shockley    SLOT
Capt Ron Catton    SOLO
Capt Clarence Langerud   SOLO
Capt Russell Goodman   NA
Capt Loyd Reder   Maintenance Officer
But 1964 would turn out to be a tragic, accident-shortened season for the Thunderbirds:
"...at 6:41 PM on May 9, 1964, the Thunderbird diamond approached the runway at Hamilton Air Force Base, California.  They had just presented their sixth show at McChord AFB, Washington.  The seventh was scheduled for the following day at Hamilton's Armed Forces Day open house.  Major Paul Kauttu in Thunderbird One made his tactical pitchup for the landing.  He would be followed immediately by Captain Eugene Devlin, left wingman, in Thunderbird Two.  As Captain Devlin made his pitchup, something happened.  With shocking suddenness, his F-105B [F-105B-15RE 57-5801] disintegrated in the air."
-- Star-Spangled Jets - The USAF Thunderbirds, by P. L. Penney, Meredith Press, New York, 1968, pp 84-85.
Captain Matt Mattingley served at Nellis AFB with the Thunderbirds:
"Major Paul Kauttu was Commander/Leader of the 1964 team with the F-105Bs, having previously served as the Slot Pilot on the 1962 and 1963 teams with F-100Cs.  During my tour with the Team, Paul had made Brigadier General and was serving as Deputy Commander of the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis.  I was fortunate to get to know him and share experiences about the way things were done in our respective eras.  His recollections of the F-105 days were an eye-opener for a young Captain.

"For the aerobatic role, the Thunderchief F-105Bs had the M-61 Gatling and the Doppler nav system removed and replaced by ballast.  A spare drag chute was also carried in the gun bay to expedite "fast turnarounds," always a necessity in the Thunderbird lifestyle.  The landing gear was modified to F-105D standard.  The rudder limiter was modified to allow full rudder authority during certain parts of the flight envelope, primarily to enhance performance of the knife-edge pass maneuver.  This is the wings-vertical, canopy-to-the-crowd pass down show center by the solo which, in the case of most jets, is primarily a ballistic trajectory down the line of flight (in prop aircraft, this maneuver is less trajectory and more controlled flight, hanging on the prop and standing on the rudder).  The fuel system was modified to allow extended inverted flight.  Plumbing for two separate smoke systems was installed which allowed use of both red and blue smoke for shows.  This system proved to be highly unpopular with the maintenance crew: the dyes used to color the lightweight oil that was vaporized (not burned) by injection into the jet exhaust to generate smoke was toxic and required special handling procedures and clothing.  Had the F-105 survived as a demonstration aircraft into the 1965 and later seasons, this dual system would almost certainly have been dropped in favor of the single white smoke system that requires no dyes.  Today, it is doubtful that the colored smoke system would pass environmental standards.

"Another unique modification to the Thunderbird F-105Bs was the change to the standard wing flap system.  The modification resulted in a "maneuvering flap" capability.  Standard F-105 flap systems incorporated a safety system that precluded use of the flaps at speeds above 280 knots.  If a pilot inadvertently left the flaps down, the aerodynamic load at 280 knots would push the flaps up to prevent damage.  This feature was modified to allow flap operation at up to 500 knots.  At these speeds, full flap operation could have done serious airframe damage, so a limiter was installed to restrict the flap deflection to a maximum 4 degrees.

"Two aircraft were modified with the stainless steel vertical stab leading edge for use in the Slot position.  The Thunderbirds deployed with eight aircraft, six in the demonstration flight, and one each for the narrator and logistics officer.  The second Slot-configured aircraft was usually assigned to the narrator or logistics officer to serve as the spare for the primary Slot aircraft in case substitution was necessary on the road.  In large formations like the 7-ship stinger, this second Slot aircraft could fly slot on the primary Slot, resulting in a double slot.

"For being the Team's demonstration mount such a short time, the F-105 appeared in no less than three different paint schemes.  As originally received, the nose scallops were relatively shallow and the rearmost blue scallop incorporated a curved "dip" under the cockpit, rising to meet the intake.  This offended the aesthetic sensibilities of the Team and the scheme was modified to eliminate the dip, the rear of the blue scallop now following a straight line under the cockpit to the bottom of the intake.  Much better.  However, the white outline of the front of the "Bird" on the fuselage bottom and sides was now chopped off in mid-curve under the cockpit.  In the final scheme, the white outline curved gracefully back to the lower intake edge and the nose scallops were given a more elongated, rakish appearance.

"Six official airshows were flown in 1964 in the F-105Bs before a fatal crash on May 9, 1964 at Hamilton AFB, CA ended the F-105 era.  Captain Gene Devlin, the left wing pilot who had just joined the Team in February, was killed when 57-5801 broke up during a pitch-up maneuver.  A standard Team practice when arriving at the next demonstration site is to fly an abbreviated show sequence.  Flying several maneuvers allows the Team to become acquainted with the "lay of the land" around the show site, to confirm the location of any obstructions, and to verify their sight pictures along the show line.  This short demonstration concludes, as do all Thunderbird flights, with a formation flight down the runway and a sequential pitch-up by each aircraft to enter the landing pattern.  I can't recall what the G-forces would have been for an F-105 pitch-up, but for the T-38 I flew it was typically 6 Gs.  As left wing, Devlin was second to pitch-up that day.  As he started the maneuver, the fuselage of 57-5801 suffered catastrophic failure above the weapons bay.  The wreckage came down on the runway and Devlin was killed.  It was concluded that 57-5801's fuselage spine structure had failed.  The investigation also uncovered another unpleasant fact previously unknown to the Team:  57-5801 had been involved in an air-refueling incident that damaged the fuselage spine when turbulence pounded a drogue basket into the fuselage during an aborted hook-up attempt.  The damage was repaired and no evidence was uncovered that this incident caused a weakening in the fuselage structure, but the suspicion, rightly or wrongly, was there.

"When the F-105s were grounded, it was originally planned to be a temporary measure for the Thunderbirds.  Rather than cancel the show season while modifications were undertaken, the team transitioned to the F-100D to finish out the year while planning to resume flying the F-105s in 1965.  Note that these F-100s were new aircraft, not the Team's old F-100Cs.  Of course, in 1965 the Team retained the F-100Ds and flew it four more years before transitioning to the F-4E Phantom in 1969.  That the F-105 did not return as the Thunderbird mount was attributed to the priorities of the Vietnam build-up.  But we always suspected leadership had lost confidence in the F-105 as an aerobatic performer and did not want to risk another disaster.  Of course, the Thud went on to attain legendary status in SEA where it performed in conditions far more arduous than an airshow."
 

A note in the Thunderbirds' logbook reads, "All Thunderbird F-105s  flown to Brookley AFB [Alabama] for IRAN."  The team spent June and July 1964 transitioning into the new F-100Ds.  While the return to the F-100 was supposed to be temporary, F-105s never returned to the Thunderbird hangar at Nellis.

The rest of the F-105Bs/Ds/Fs were immediately grounded after the Hamilton incident -- with one of the Thunderbird "B-models" stranded at McConnell AFB, Kansas, for two months after the California tragedy (it had already been en route to the Mobile Air Materiel Area at Brookley for tear-down and inspection).  The structural and aft section venting problems would plague the Thunderchief throughout the Sixties.

Back to the Bitburg Story:  The early years of the 36th FBW at its new home at Bitburg AB were marred by a Cold War "incident" that occurred in March 1953: two of the wing's F-84s (from the 53rd FBS) were attacked by Czech MiG-15s near the Iron Curtain -- one of the F-84s was shot down.  The 71st Tactical Missile Squadron of USAF's 38th Tactical Missile Wing (TMW) moved to Bitburg AB in March 1954 from Patrick AFB, FL, with its Matador (and later TM-76B Mace) missiles.  While the 71st TMS was the first unit of its type established on foreign soil, other 38th TMW units would later be located at Sembach AB and Hahn AB, West Germany.  The 36th FBW was designated a Fighter Day Wing (FDW) on 08 August 1954, after transitioning to North American F-86F Sabres and adding two new squadrons, the 32nd Fighter Day Squadron from Soesterberg, NL, and the 461st Fighter Day Squadron from Hahn AB, GE (the 461st would disband in 1959 and the 32nd transferred in 1960 to the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, Ramstein AB).  At first, the 36th's Sabre markings consisted of Korean Theater-styled yellow bands with black borders, but squadron-specific, solid-colored bands were eventually applied to all the 36th Sabres.  By June 1956, the F-100C Super Sabre was being flown by two 36th FDW squadrons and all five of the  squadrons were operating "Huns" by the end of the summer.  Squadron-specific colored bands were also applied to the F-100 tail fins, with five tail and fuselage stripes applied to the Wing CO's aircraft!

The Cold War Mission Starts:  On 15 May 1958, the 36th FDW became a Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), with its squadrons redesignated as Tactical Fighter Squadrons (TFS).  Wing missions had now grown to include delivery of tactical nuclear weapons (continual standby "Victor Alert" duty) under NCA and SACEUR direction, in support of the North Atlantic treaty Organization (NATO).  In 1959, the 525th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) became a tenant unit at Bitburg, flying the F-102A Delta Dagger ("Deuce") to provide air defense for the base.  In April 1959, on NATO's 10th anniversary  USAFE awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award to the 36th TFW.  By 1962, the 36th was one of many USAF units in Europe for this NATO role.  The Wing's Skyblazers team continued its European demonstrations with seven specially marked F-100Cs until the team disbanded in early 1962, when the USAF Thunderbirds finally got "long legs" for European air shows with the air-refuelable F-100D.

Two 36th TFW Thunderchiefs, single-seat D model (buzz number unknown) and 2-seat F model 62-4424...
    Two 36th TFW Thunderchiefs, a single-seat D model ("buzz number" unknown) and 2-seat F model 62-4424, trail a KC-97 tanker somewhere above the European overcast.  The Thuds (anodized silver overall with R/B/Y tail stripes, top to bottom) are "sledding downhill" and are ready for (or have finished) refuelling -- the refuel probes and doors are retracted -- but note the position of the leading and trailing edge flaps.  '424 was later converted to the F-105G Wild Weasel configuration.  She was shot down by a MiG-21 on May 11, 1972, and Majors Talley and Padgett taken POW. (Personal Photo)
Enter the Awesome Thunderchief:  The 36th TFW began receiving the Republic Aircraft Corporation F-105 Thunderchief in mid-1961.  On 12 May, 22 TFS 1Lt Gary Retterbush, flying F-105D 60-0433, and wingman Maj Dalton McCullar, Jr., in F-105D 60-0451 landed their Thunderchiefs at Bitburg after a 4550-mile ferry flight from the Mobile Air Materiel Area, Brookley AFB, Alabama.  Formal USAFE acceptance of the Mach 2 fighter-bomber was held at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport on 03 June 1961 -- USAFE commander General Frederic Smith and 36th TFW CO Col Robert Delashaw led the ceremony, while Lt Retterbush demo'd the flying qualities of F-105D 60-0452. 
 
Deliveries of  single-seat F-105Ds to the 36th TFW continued in 1962 -- initially, trained groundcrews for F-105 operations were in short supply at both Bitburg and Spangdahlum:
"Sometime after conversion to the Mace began <by the 38th TMW at Bitburg>, I arrived at the 36th in October 1962 as a new 2nd LT and was assigned to the 36th CAMRON <Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron> as Assistant OIC of the flightline, having responsibility for all the squadron's F-105s.  We had a severe personnel shortage, with usually a ratio of less than one crew chief per bird on the Frag.  Due to slippage in the construction of the new launch facilities, the 38th had a lot of people with no visible means of support.  There was a joint meeting of the two Wings and my section wound up with a group of missile maintenance folks.  Every day for almost a year I had an augmentation force to assist in preflight, launch, recovery, and line maintenance on the Thuds.  Some days I had more missile folks working than Thud folks."

"There was many a Thud driver who, not knowing what had transpired, climbed into his F-105D, was assisted by the ground crew, taxied out, received a "High Ball," and went his way without knowing that the whole operation had been carried out by 38th TMW maintenance personnel.  When some stick shakers questioned the use of the missile personnel, we just pointed out that the only significant difference between the Mace and the Thud was one had a live pilot and one had a mechanical pilot and the airframe really didn't care which was in control.  We really missed the missile folks as they drifted away a few at a time as the 38th gradually came on line.

"My hat is off to a great bunch of folks who more than once saved the day.  My best personal wishes and a belated thank you to all the folks of the 38th TMW/71st TMS who gave a helping hand to a very young and inexperienced 2nd LT maintenance officer."  - Al Mikutis, Member of the Association of Air Force Missileers (AAFM), in the December 1998 AAFM Newsletter (Volume 6, Number 4), Page 6

With the new Thunderchiefs, the Wing carried on its ex-F-100 Cold War mission of tactical nuclear weapons delivery in support of the NATO alliance and the National Command Authority.  The first of the Wing's 2-place F-105Fs arrived in March 1964, and all were on base by the end of the year -- they performed the same roles and missions as the single-seat D models.  All told, the following F-105s were taken on charge by the 36th TFW:

F-105Ds
60-0430, 60-0432, 60-0433, 60-0435, 60-0436, 60-0437, 60-0438, 60-0439, 60-0441, 60-0443, 60-0445, 60-0446, 60-0447, 60-0448, 60-0450, 60-0451, 60-0452, 60-0453, 60-0455, 60-0456, 60-0458, 60-0460, 60-0461, 60-0462, 60-0463, 60-0464, 60-0465, 60-0466, 60-0467, 60-0468, 60-0469, 60-0470, 60-0471, 60-0472, 60-0473, 60-0474, 60-0475, 60-0476, 60-0477, 60-0478, 60-0479, 60-0480, 60-0481, 60-0482, 60-0483, 60-0484, 60-0485, 60-0486, 60-0487, 60-0488, 60-0489, 60-0490, 60-0491, 60-0492, 60-0493, 60-0494, 60-0495, 60-0496, 60-0497, 60-0498, 60-0499, 60-0500, 60-0501, 60-0502, 60-0503, 60-0504, 60-0505, 60-0506, 60-0507, 60-0509, 60-0510, 60-0512, 60-0515, 60-0516, 60-0518, 60-0521, 60-0522, 60-0523, 60-0527, 60-0528, 60-0534, 60-5374, 60-5376, 60-5382, 60-5385, 61-0135, 61-0136, 61-0138, 61-0140, 61-0148, 61-0150, 61-0155, 61-0156, 61-0157, 61-0158, 61-0159, and 61-0161

F-105Fs
62-4424, 62-4432, 63-8299, 63-8301, 63-8304, 63-8308, 63-8309, 63-8311, 63-8317, 63-8319, 63-8322, 63-8323, 63-8324, 63-8327, 63-8328, and  63-8358

The Thunderchiefs at Bitburg and Spang were specifically designed for the nuclear strike role, with primary armament being a "special store" (another way of saying "nuclear bomb") housed in the Thud's bomb bay.  This weapon was usually a B28 or a B43 nuclear weapon.  A B61 streamlined special store could be carried underneath the left and/or right inboard underwing pylons, and a B57 or B61 special store could be carried underneath on a centerline pylon (bolted to the bomb bay doors).  The conventional offensive mission for the Thunderchief was not neglected, however, given its internal M61A1 six-barrelled "Gatling" cannon and the ability to carry large amounts of high explosive bombs and CBU canisters on multiple ejector racks (MER) on each of the four underwing pylons and/or on a MER mounted under the fuselage on the centerline pylon.  The extensive weapons-hauling capability of the Thud made it a true multi-mission bird.  Regardless of the weapons load, logistics and maintenance support (CAUTION: Large JPG image!!) at Bitburg for the "Thuds" was a big change from the previous F-100C/F Super Sabres.

36 TFW Thunderchief Markings:  The 36th's Thunderchiefs had initially arrived in Germany with unpainted, natural metal fuselages and wings, with Olive Drab (FS34087) anti-glare areas painted immediately fore and aft of the cockpit.  Shortly, aluminized acrylic lacquer (FS17178) was applied to the natural metal surfaces as a corrosion control measure under the extensive USAF Operation LOOK-ALIKE upgrade program (LOOK-ALIKE also brought all the F-105s up to the "Dash-25" internal configuration).  Initially, three squadron-specific colored bands were applied to the Thunderchief tail fins: red (22 TFS), blue (23rd TFS), or yellow (53rd TFS) diagonal stripes separated by white (22 and 23 TFS) or black (53 TFS) cheat lines.  By the end of 1962, however, Wing-standard tri-colored bands had been applied to all the wing's Thuds -- this allowed quick transfer of each bird between the three fighter squadrons.  As earlier with the wing's F-100s, a "chevron" in each squadron color was also often applied under the cockpit.  Beginning in mid-1965, these colorful markings were replaced with camouflage colors applied during IRANs ("Inspect and Repair as Necessary") at CASA/Getafe, Spain.

    Photo of the Bit flightline and 23rd TFS line shack, near the end of the day shift
Late 1965 or early '66: the Bitburg AB flightline and 23rd TFS line shack, near the end of the day shift, with NF-2 portable light carts set out for some late evening "Thud fixin" after the day's missions (that's an MB-4 aircraft tug in the middle, with selectable 4-wheel drive/4-wheel steering).  There's two F models in the line (one is camouflaged after an IRAN at CASA-Spain), wrapped up for the night (longer canopy covers than for the Ds).  Note the abundance of silver 650-gallon centerline tanks, another MB-4, Econoline trucks for the line chiefs, and the LOX cart in the foreground, and 525th FIS F-102As (overall silver with blue tail stripes) off in the distance.  Another interesting aspect of this photo is all the camo'ed buildings and false taxiway at the end of the flightline (that's gravel, folks, but a real guard shack right in the middle of it!) -- the remnants of a "base-hiding"exercise conducted at Bitburg AB the previous summer.  This was conducted the "USAFE way:" camo-paint all the secondary base roads, then paint a bright yellow stripe right down the middle of each one... (Charles Byler Photo, Courtesy of Rick Versteeg at THUD  RIDGE WEB)
     
    Photo of BAB tower from Bitburg Online WWWsite
    F-105D 60-443 waits in front of the Bitburg tower (Bitburg Online Photo)
    Photo of two 36th F-105Ds (60-0432 and 60-0436) on a low pass, gear extended
    Off on a ferry mission to Wheelus, two 36th F-105Ds (60-0432 and 60-0436) make a slow pass over the runway at Bitburg -- note the 650-gallon centerline tanks. (Personal Photo)
Photo of the Bitburg flightline on a cold, clear afternoon in early 1966
On a cold, clear afternoon in early 1966, a camo'ed 60-0464 (after IRAN in Spain) has joined three other 60-model Thuds (sporting bright "come and (try to) get me" tail stripes and bright national insignia) on the Bitburg flightline.  That yellow MD-3 electric cart behind 60-0450, and the 4000-pound hydraulic "mule" in front of it, may mean a long night ahead for that crew chief in the parka striding towards us!  Note the OD "horse blankets" installed early in post-flight inspections to protect the electronic stuff from the (normally wet) German climate.  And those silver canopy covers are not installed to protect from the "hot German sun" -- they're on because the canopy seals tended to deflate after a few hours on the flightline, leading to still more moisture problems.  The prominent air scoop on the left side of 60-0450's aft fuselage is part of the "Six Pack" mod applied to the Thuds during IRAN in Spain for better cooling/venting around the J75's hot section...
(Charles Byler Photo, Courtesy of Rick Versteeg at THUD RIDGE WEB)

"Maseratis" Replace "Dump Trucks:"  Operation of the Thunderchief at Bitburg dwindled in 1966 as the first new F4D Phantom IIs in European camouflage were delivered from St. Louis (the first had arrived on March 22) to carry on the NATO nuclear mission.  By December 1966, all the 36th's Thuds had been ferried Stateside for combat crew training duties at McConnell AFB, Kansas, or on to warfighting glory in SEA after stateside refurbishment.

Animated 36 TFW GIF The 36th's Post-Thunderchief Saga

The Only Constant is Change:  On 01 Nov 1967, the 36th TFW assumed control of detachments for dispersed operations and weapons storage at Kleine Brogel, Belgium (Det 1) and Volkel, Netherlands (Det 2).  Exactly one year later, the 525th FIS was designated a TFS and joined the 36th TFW (the "Bulldogs" flew their F-102As as a TFS until converting to F4Es a year later!).  In 1969, the 36th TFW received the first of its gun-equipped F4E "rhinos" and the 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (TEWS), flying EB-66s, was activated as part of the Wing.  The Wing received another accolade on 29 June 1969:  Luxembourg presented its Croix de Guerre award to the Wing for its WW II achievements.  Close-by Spangdahlem AB was attached to the 36th TFW on 15 April 1969 (most of the 49th TFW had completed its move to Holloman AFB, New Mexico), and the 23rd TFS moved its flight operations to Spangdahlem.  The 36th assumed full contol of Spang on 15 Sep 1969, making the Wing the only "twin-base" unit in USAFE.  The "dual-based" 49th TFW continued to train at Holloman, with its 7th, 8th, and 9th TFS returning periodically to "Spang" for exercises in the European environment.

On the last day of 1972, the 23rd TFS and 39th TEWS left the Bitburg and the 36th to join the new 52nd TFW at Spangdahlem -- the 52nd had been activated on 01 Jan 1972 at "Spang" to replace the 49th TFW (the 49th was busy elsewhere!).  The 36th TFW was no longer USAFE's largest fighter wing nor "twin-based," but at least it was "all-rhino" by 30 Sep 1973.

Enter the Eagle:   The 36th transitioned to the F-15 Eagle in 1977 -- its first two F-15As had arrived for ground crew familiarization at Bitburg in September/October 1976, direct from Luke AFB, AZ.  By December 1976, there were four or five (a maintainer who was there sez all of them were "hangar queens" -- and rarely did any of them fly: perhaps one sortie every 3 or 4 days).   In late January/ early February 1977, the bulk of the first F-15As arrived en mass at Bitburg, and the 36th possessed 20 of them at that point.  By early September 1977, all 36th TFW F4E operations had ceased.  The 22nd, 53rd, and 525th TFS flew the F-15A until transitioning to C-models in 1981, and then to MSIPed F-15Cs during the last half of the decade.  In 1989, the 36th TFW assumed logistical responsibility for closure of the Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) base at Florennes, Belgium, arranging and accompanying Soviet inspection team visits to insure US compliance with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.  During the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm -- December 1990 through July 1991), the 36th deployed its 53d TFS, additional pilots and aircraft from the 22d and 525th TFS, and support personnel to Southwest Asia to assist in UN operations to liberate Kuwait from the invading Iraqi forces.  Wing pilots were credited with seventeen enemy combat aircraft destroyed.  In 1992, the 525th TFS "Bulldogs" deactivated and retired their colors, while the 22nd TFS "Stingers" and 53rd TFS "Tigers" remained in operations at Bitburg.

In July 1993, USAFE announced the closure of Bitburg in a series of post-Cold War force drawdowns in Europe -- the 36th, now designated a Fighter Wing (FW), would be deactivated.  Under the Bitburg AB closure plan, the 22nd FS and the 53rd FS joined the 23rd FS in Spangdahlem's new 52nd Fighter Wing.  The 22nd transferred to the 52nd FW without its F-15s and equipment, taking over the assets of the 52nd Wing's deactivated 480th FS, while the 53rd FS took its F-15s and equipment to Spang.  The 52nd also gained Bitburg's 1,200 housing units, its base high school and hospital, and several Armed Force Exchange Service and Defense Commissary Agency facilities.  In 1994, the 36th Fighter Wing was officially deactivated and the last 36th Wing Commander, Brigadier General Roger E. Carleton, returned Bitburg Air Base to the German nation on 30 September 1994.  After 42 years of seclusion, Bitburg's "werewolf chapel" was again accessible to the public....

Today, Bitburg Air Base is the location of "Flugplatz Bitburg" (ICAO code "BBJ") and a prospering business park.  But the USAF's 36th Wing lives on -- halfway around the world from Bitburg!  On 30 September 1994, as Bitburg AB deactivated the 36th Air Base Wing started up at Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of the USAF's Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).  Under this most recent designation, the wing has lived up to its historical roots several times over.  In September 1996, the 36th Wing provided around-the clock forward deployment support to USAF Air Combat Command B-52s during their OPERATION DESERT STRIKE missions over Iraq, and began playing host to more than 6,000 Kurdish evacuees during an 8-month humanitarian assistance mission, Joint Task Force PACIFIC HAVEN.

The 36th TFW is honored as the first USAFE wing to operate jet fighters in Europe (the F-80 Shooting Star) and the first to convert to the F-84 (1950), F-86 (1953), F-100 (1956), F-102 (1959), F-105 (1961), F4 (1966), and F15 (1977) in the European theater.  Periods of aircraft employment by the 36th TFW in Europe: P-47D and F-51D 1944-1948; F-80A/B 1948-1950; F-84E 1950-1953; F-86F 1953-1956; F-100C/F 1956-1960; (T)F-102A (525th FIS as base tenant unit) 1959-1968; F-105D/F 1961-1966; F4D/E 1966-1977; and F15A/B/C/D 1977-1994.  The 36th stayed "Prepared to Prevail" throughout its 51 years of existance!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

  • Thunderchiefs on the Rhine," by Lars G. Soldeus, Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society (A.A.H.S.), Spring 1973, pp. 34-37
  • The Republic F-105 "Thunderchief" (American Aircraft Series-1), by Robert D. Archer, A.R.Ae.S., A.A.H.S., Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, CA, 1969 (Lib of Congress Card # 71-102870)
  • ROLL CALL: THUD, by John M. Campbell & Michael Hill, Foreword by Col Jack Broughton, USAF (Ret), Schiffer Military/Aviation History, Atglen, PA, 1996 (ISBN 0-7643-0062-8)
  • F-105 Thunderchiefs: A 29-Year Illustrated Operational History, with Individual Accounts of the 103 Surviving Fighter Bombers, by Lt Col W. Howard Plunkett, USAF (Ret), McFarland & Company, Jefferson, NC, 2001 (ISBN 0-7864-0880-4)
  • American Military Aircraft Encyclopedia, Edited by Joe Baugher, Hosted on the Canadian Elevon WWW site
  • Modern Military Aircraft: THUD, by Lou Drendel, Squadron/ Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX, 1986
  • Overview of the F-105 Thunderchief
  • F-105 Thunderchief, by J. C. Scutts, Scribner's, New York, NY, 1981
  • "The F-105 Thunderchief in Europe, 1961-1967," British Aviation Review, by the British Aviation Research Group, October 1995 (pp. O1002-O1017)/November 1995 (pp. N1111-N1120)/December 1995 (pp. D1207-D1226)
  • Bitburg: Eagle Country (Superbase #10), by Chris Bennett, Osprey Publishing Ltd/Motorbooks International, London, GB/Osceola, WI, 1989
  • Before Centuries: USAFE Fighters 1948-1959, by MSgt David W. Menard, USAF (Ret), Howell Press, Charlottesville, VA, 1998
  • Air Force Combat Wings - Lineage and Honors Histories - 1947-1977, by Charles A. Ravenstein, AFHRC, Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1984, pp. 63-65
  • "F105 "THUD" -- A Memorable Part of Air Force History," Maj Ballentine, HQ TAC/XPJD, TIG Brief, October 1985, p. 22
  • REPUBLIC F-105 THUNDERCHIEF (Warbird Tech Series Volume 18), by Larry Davis and David Menard, Specialty Press Publishers, North Branch, MN, 1998 (ISBN 1-58007-011-6)
  • "Nap of the Earth," by L. Alan Duaine, Air & Space / Smithsonian, Volume 12, Number 5, December 1997/January 1998, pp. 22-23
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