Operation Seven Up
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)