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ACIG Special Reports
On 15 December 2005, the official fly-out ceremony was held at Rheine-Hopsten airbase in Germany. ACIG was able to attend the event.
The day did mark the end of flying operations for the FLZ F-4F (Fluglehrzentrum F-4F = Flight-training centre F-4F) and also marked that last local mission from Rheine airbase. The last F-4F left the base on the 20th and the base will be turned over to civilian authorities in June 2006.
The airbase at Rheine-Hopsten had seen 44 years of service with the Luftwaffe since the end of WW2. During WW2 the base had been used by the Luftwaffe and had even seen Me262 operations. In the last days of the second World War, German forces destroyed the remaining infrastructure and rendered the whole airbase useless. The British occupation forces then turned over the area to the local population for civilian use. With Germany being rearmed and joining NATO the increasing demand for new airbases let to the construction of a new airbase on ruins left over from WW2.
For more information about the history of the base and the units based there please see the following website:
Fluglehrzentrum F-4
The ownership of the base was returned from Oberstleutnant Kling (the commander) to the commander of the 3rd Luftwaffendivision, Generalmajpr Kreuzinger. In his speech General Kreuzinger did not miss to mention the great work done by all members of the unit, past and present, as well as the great integration into the local communities and the the support from the local communities the base and ist soldiers had enjoyed for 44 years.
As a final gesture former members of the unit as well as the local press and people from the neighbouring villages were invited to witness the final local sortie from the base planed for the afternoon of the 15th December. To mark this occasion, six F-4Fs - including the specially painted example 37+11 - were assigned to make one last flight from this airfield.
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| The special painted F-4F "37+11". (All photos by Author)
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| Line-up of the six remaining F-4Fs, being readied for their final sortie from Rheine-Hopsten.
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Before the six F-4Fs were granted permission for take-off it was time for some guests to show their repsect to the unit. The first to leave was a JBG-33 Tornado...
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| JBG-33 Tornado leaving Rheine-Hopsten.
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...followed by three CH-53Gs from MTHR 15 (medium transport helicopter regiment) based at the nearby Rheine-Bentlage:
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| Two of the three CH-53Gs performing a fly-by over the base at Rheine-Hopsten.
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Then it was time for the six F-4Fs to start their last local sortie. Over 2000 people had gathered inside the base in the meantime, with many spotters waiting on the fence to witness this final flight. The six F-4Fs lined-up on the runway and took off one by one - with their afterburners blazing, soaring into the skies for the last time and straight into the (as usually) bad German weather!
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| One of the reaming F-4Fs thundering down the wet runway.
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The F-4Fs returned after take-off to perform some overflights in the sundown.
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| A closer look at this photograph reveals the ?broken wing?-badge painted on the underside of the lead F-4F.
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Remaining airborne for 30 minutes and overflying all the villages they used to overly in the past years, the planes returned to land. Touch down occurred after the sun went down and the fighters taxied back to their parking positions in front of invited guests. Upon landing, General Walter Jertz, commander of the Luftwaffenf?hrungskommando gave a short speech, and reminded the audience of the success the wing enjoyed, the great service given to protect the skies of Germany and especially to the local area of Westfalia, to which the wing had developed a special bond. Gen. Jertz also did not fail to remember the soldiers who lost their lives in accidents, while flying for the unit.
After that the last commanding officer of the FlZ F-4 Oberleutnant Kling (who had also been flying the last sortie in the special painted F-4F), also gave a short speech thanking everyone for their service. ?But we won?t go without a big boom? were the words with which he started a 10 minutes fireworks display, to which the 6 reaming F-4s were beautiful illuminated by the fireworks, while ?Thank you for the music? and ?Time to say goodbye? were played over the bases audio system. A moment that saw many people with a tear in their eyes, regardless if they were active or former soldiers or just guests to the event.
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| The final salute: 10-minutes fireworks display after the final local sortie from Rheine AB.
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On 19 and 20 December the final F-4Fs left the base and the sky over Rheine-Hopsten will remain quiet from now on. Luckily it has been decided that the special painted 37+11 will not be broken up, but will find a role as a static display aircraft at the airbase of the JG-71 ?Richthofen?, at Wittmund airbase, to which it was transferred on the 20 December.
This article would have not been possible without the help of :
- Mr. Uwe Steenweg, from 5053phantoms.com
- Mr. Wolfgang Graefer from the ?Tradiitonsgemeinschaft Westfalengeschwader e.V.? www.36vtfw.de
- The men and women of the FLZ F-4
- Schleckie from the German Flugzeugforum
- and Mr. Manfred Vorl?nder
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