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Outside the United States, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe)was one of the largest operators of the US-built McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
The Luftwaffe had a total of 10 F-4Es, 88 RF-4Es and 175 F-4Fs in active service in West Germany during the Cold War and the Phantom built up a great reputation over 40 years of active duty. Over the years the Luftwaffe had four operational Fighter Wings (Jagdgeschwader or JG), which flew the F-4F. These units were JG-71 at Wittmund, JG-72 at Rheine- Hopsten, JG-73 at Laage and JG-74 at Neuburg. JG-72 and JG-73 were originally fighter-bomber units (Jagdbombergeschwader or JBG) that operated as JBG-35 and JBG-36 respectively. Since the introduction of the F-4F Phantom in 1973, the aircraft's front-line service finally came to an end this year.To commemorate the service of the Phantom II, the Luftwaffe organised a"Phantom Pharewell" event at the German airbase of Wittmund on 28-29 June 2013.
The Background
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was originally developed for the US Navy. The development of the aircraft was direct result of the Korean War when it became apparent the F-86 Sabre was no match for the follow on MiG-17. The prototype Phantom made its first flight in 1958 and soon proved to be far ahead of its time. The Phantom was a breakthrough in design, being able to reach a top speed of Mach 2.2, which was exceptional. In 1963, the first F-4 Phantoms were delivered to the United States Navy. The aircraft quickly demonstrated its superior capabilities, prompting the USAF and the US Marines to also order the aircraft. The USAF would go on to become the largest operator of the type.
Compared to contemporary combat aircraft, the Phantom was a big and heavy fighter, but was powered by a pair of extremely powerful GE J79 turbojets that endowed it with very favourable combat characteristics. High performance and formidable weapon-carrying capacity(9 hardpoints) saw the F-4 achieve great fame during the Vietnam War. The Phantom was originally not equipped with an internal gun but this changed when the needs for this weapon became painfully visible early during the Vietnam War, and the Phantom was quickly modified - first with gun pods and from the F-4E onward, with an...