Missile Wing 1 (, FKG 1) was a unit of the
German Air Force
The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
.
Missile Group 11 (, FKGrp 11) was activated at
Kaufbeuren Air Base
Kaufbeuren Air Base (Fliegerhorst Kaufbeuren) is a German Air Force military airbase. It is currently the home of the Luftwaffe Technical School 1.
History
Originally built in 1935 as a Luftwaffe station, the aerodrome was seized by the Unit ...
in February 1958, equipped with the
MGM-1 Matador
The Martin MGM-1 Matador was the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile designed and built by the United States. It was developed after World War II, drawing upon their wartime experience with creating the Republic-Ford JB-2, a ...
cruise missile.
On 1 September 1963, FKG 1 was activated at Saarburg Kaserne in
Landsberg am Lech
Landsberg am Lech (Landsberg at the Lech (river), Lech) is a Town#Germany, town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg (district), Lands ...
. On 1 January 1964 FKGrp 11 was assigned to FKG 1. In May 1964, FKGrp 12 was formed as a subordinate unit in Landsberg.
On 1 October 1965 FKGrp 11 was dissolved and FKGrp 13 was officially formed in
Kaufbeuren
Kaufbeuren (; Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Kaufbeiren'') is an independent city, independent town in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria. The town is an enclave within the Districts of Germany, district of Ostallgäu.
...
. The wing went through training at Fort Sill on the
Pershing missile
The MGM-31A Pershing was the missile used in the Pershing 1 and Pershing 1a field artillery missile systems. It was a solid-fueled two-stage theater ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile a ...
. FKGrp 12 fired missiles in April 1964 and FKGrp 13 in July 1964. The wing received missiles at their Quick Reaction Sites in West Germany on 12 August 1964. The wing was authorized six launchers; this increased to eight launchers in 1965. A quick reaction alert (QRA) site was established at Schwabstadl, south of
Lechfeld Air Base
Lechfeld Air Base is a German Air Force (''Luftwaffe'') base located 1 km east of Lagerlechfeld in Bavaria, about 20 km south of Augsburg on the Bundestrasse 17.
It was the home of Training Division A of the School of Management Assista ...
. A new QRA site south of Landsberg became operational in 1970.
In 1971, the wing upgraded to 36
Pershing 1a
The MGM-31A Pershing was the missile used in the Pershing 1 and Pershing 1a field artillery missile systems. It was a solid-fueled two-stage theater ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as ...
launchers. FKGrp 12 and FKGrp 13 were dissolved and four squadrons were formed.
Warheads were under U.S. control, released only in wartime conditions.
Warheads for FKGrp 12 were controlled by the
82nd United States Army Missile Detachment (82nd USAFAD) and warheads for FKGrp 13 were controlled by the
74th United States Army Missile Detachment
The 59th Ordnance Brigade is a military unit of the United States Army. The unit is currently stood up as the U.S. Army Ordnance School's training brigade. In its previous iteration, the brigade had more than 6,500 soldiers. It was responsible for ...
from 1965 to 1971. After FKG 1 reorganized in 1971, the two missile detachments were merged into the
74th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment which provided support from 1971 to 1991.
A new combat alert site (CAS) at Lehmgrube in
Kettershausen
Kettershausen ( Swabian: ''Kettershausa'') is a municipality in the district of Unterallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. The town has a municipal association with Babenhausen, Bavaria
Babenhausen () is a municipality in the district of Unterallgäu in ...
was completed in 1975 for FKG 1, but the site was turned over to the
56th Field Artillery Brigade
The 56th Artillery Command is a two-star command of the United States Army that serves as the Force Field Artillery Headquarters for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, with a mission to synchronize, integrate, and control fires and effects in suppor ...
, who named it Fort von Steuben. A new QRA Site at
Ochsenhof was activated in March 1976. The QRA site at Schwabstadl was closed and the Landsberg-Süd site became a training site. FKG 1 then moved to
Görisried/
Bodelsberg.
Pershing 1b
The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fuel rocket, solid-fueled multistage rocket, two-stage medium-range ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States ...
was a single stage, reduced range version of the
Pershing II
The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable thea ...
with the same range as the Pershing 1a. The Pershing II launcher was designed so that the cradle could be easily repositioned to handle the shorter missile airframe. The intent was to replace the German Air Force's Pershing 1a systems with Pershing 1b, since
SALT II
The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of ...
limited the range of German-owned missiles. The German government agreed to destroy its Pershing 1a systems when the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. signed the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was an arms control treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union (and its successor state, the Russia, Russian Federation). President of the United States, US President Ronald Rea ...
on 27 May 1988, thus the Pershing 1b was never deployed. Although not covered by the treaty, West Germany agreed unilaterally to the removal of the Pershing 1a missiles from its inventory in 1991, and the missiles were destroyed in the United States.
The wing was deactivated on 31 December 1991.
Commanders
*
Oberst
''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...
Richard Frodl 1963-1969
* Oberst Hans-Wilhelm Fleckner 1969-1971
* Oberst Heinz Werner 1971-1972
* Oberst Sebastian Sanktjohanser 1972-1981
* Oberst Franz-Egon Dropmann 1981-1984
* Oberst Dieter Reindl 1984-1987
* Oberst Peter Schmitz 1987-1989
* Oberst Herbert Wülfel 1989-1991
* Oberst Kurt Stürmer 1991-1991
Gallery
File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F029235-0037, Nürburgring, Bundeswehrparade zum NATO-Jubiläum.jpg, West German Air Force Pershing 1 on parade, 6 June 1969
File:OR 10.596B 20.png, Members of the West German Air Force receive Pershing 1a equipment in early 1971
File:Pershing1A - Luftwaffenmuseum Gatow.jpg, West German Air Force Pershing 1a at the Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow
The Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr – Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (''Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield''; formally known as ''Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr'') is the Berlin branch of the Bundeswehr Military ...
, Germany
References
External links
Traditionsgemeinschaft Flugkörpergeschwader 1
{{Pershing missile
Missile units of the German Air Force
Military units and formations established in 1963
Military units and formations disestablished in 1991
Pershing missile
de:Flugkörpergeschwader