Tag Archives: F-104

Watch over the Rhine, F-104 edition

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Watch over the Rhine by artist Ken Riley, 2004 (Image: USAF – Heritage Series, VIRIN: 100606-F-JZ025-803)

The above image depicts the F-104A Starfighter aircraft of the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 134th Fighter-Interceptor Group, “somewhere over West Germany” that looks very similar to Castle Burg-Hohenzollern, near Ramstein Air Base.

One of 35 Air Guard and Air Force Reserve tactical squadrons activated in April-May 1961 and rushed to Europe as a response to the Berlin Wall Crisis, the 134th FIG called up 400 Guardsmen, of which about all but one reported within 24 hours of activation. Of those men, 250 headed overseas with 17 Starfighters and were soon certified ready for service along the front line of the Cold War. 

Official caption:

Germany, 1961-1962. As the Russians tightened their grip on West Berlin, and events appeared to be escalating toward a nuclear showdown in the world, President John F. Kennedy dramatized America’s determination by mobilizing 65,460 officers and men of the Army and Air National Guard. Less than 30 days after the mobilization, citizen-airmen of the Air National Guard flew 216 fighter and reconnaissance jet aircraft swiftly and smoothly across the Atlantic in the largest mass deployment of jets in the nation’s history. The prompt reaction represented the greatest display of National Guard readiness ever. In a modern version of the “Watch on the Rhine,” the Air Guardsmen continued patrolling the skies over Europe until their demobilization a year later. Protecting the NATO nations from surprise attack, the Guardsmen wrote into the record a clear-cut example of the deterrent power of our 20th Century Minute Men, the combat-ready forces of the Air National Guard.

Operation Seven Up

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In April 1964, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, (or AAFCE also AIRCENT), was turning 13 and the NATO/OTAN members behind the group held Operation 7-Up, a tactical weapons meet at RAF Wildenrath, West Germany that cumulated with a breathtaking international formation showcasing some of the best tin of the day.

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the famously dangerous “rocket with a man in it” was obviously the F-16 of its day and the Belgians, Canadians, Dutch, and Germans all showed up with some. Add to this lot the newly-fielded F-105 Thud, RAF Canberras and Gloster Javelins, and French Mirage IIIC’s (the French only withdrew their troops from NATO in 1966), and it is some very sweet period air power. It was an important milestone as, some 19 years after WWII, likely few of the participants had fought in the great conflict and fewer still had cut their teeth in piston-driven fighters, as they were flying what could be considered at least second-generation combat jets.

Participating aircraft lined up on the hardstanding at RAF Wildenrath, Germany during the 1967 AFCENT tactical weapons meet. They are from right to left: An English Electric Canberra B.(I) 8 of No 14 Squadron RAF (Serial number XM264), five Lockheed F104G Starfighters of the German Air Force’s Jagdbombergeschwarder JBG31 (serial numbers DA119, DA106, DA103, DA112, DA237), four Dassault Mirage 3Es of the French Air Force (serial numbers 3-II, 3-IO, 3-IN, 3-JH). On the top-far right can be seen the referee aircraft for this meet a German Air Force Lockheed TF104G Starfighter of JBG32 (serial number DB371). IWM (RAF-T 7398)Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205215094

And this guy

A pilot of the German Air Force seated in the cockpit of his Lockheed F104G Starfighter aircraft. This aircraft (serial number DC 244) was of JBG33 (Jagdbombergeschwader – Fighter bomber) and was participating in the 1967 AFCENT tactical weapons meet at RAF Wildenrath, Germany. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205215093

Early USAF F-105 FH-436; British Gloster Javelin XH771 Netherlands F-104G D-8060 Canadian CF-104 815 Belgian F-104G FX07 German F-104G DA+243 French Mirage IIIC 2-EI Operation Seven-Up an international formation flown to mark the 13th anniversary of Allied Air Forces Central Europe on April 2nd, 1964

More information (and photos) at Flying Zone (Belgian website), 916 Starfighter (German).

And with that being said, here is a classic Bundeswehr clip from 1969 showing German F-104s being stopped via a Hakenfang (arrester hook)

Three Canadian Starfighters

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The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, called the “missile with a man in it” due to its construction and “Lawn dart” due to its unforgiving flying characteristics (the Germans called it the Witwenmacher–“Widowmaker”), was the hottest thing in the sky in the late 1950s. Placed in production in 1958, it was the F-16 of its day, with over 2500 built and serving the air forces of no less than 11 NATO countries as well as Japan, Jordan, South Korea, the ROC and Pakistan. Heck the Italians only retired their last one in 2004.

The Royal Canadian Air Force had some 200 CF-104s build under license by Canadair in the 1960s. These formed an incredible 8-squadron commitment of the 1st CAD (Canadian Air Division) to the NATO standing air forces in Western Europe that included arming these rocket-ships with U.S.-supplied atomic bombs for if the balloon went up for real (go ahead and try to get 8 squadrons of anything from NATO these days!). By 1970, however, with defense cuts coming, these 8 squadrons were reduced to just three.

However what a beautiful three they were.

canadian f-105

They were No. 421 “Red Indians “Squadron,  No.439 “Sabre Tooth Tigers” Squadron, and No. 441 “Checkerboard” Squadron, .Based in Baden-Söllingen (near Baden-Baden), Germany. These squadrons each had a “flash bird” made up for airshows and Tiger Meets in the 1970s and 80s in addition to their dozen or so more combat schemed craft.

canadian f-104s

With the CF-104 and CF-101 Voodoo replaced by some 138 CF-18A Hornets in 1987, most of the flyable CF-104s were transferred to NATO-ally Turkey where they flew for another decade.

Today both No. 421 and 441 Squadrons have long since been disestablished while No. 439, after flying Hornets for a few years, was moved back to Canada and is now a Combat Support Squadron attached to 3 Wing at Bagotville flying the very un-sexy CH-146 Griffon (Bell 412EP).