Oberstleutnant Heeresfliegertruppe Uniform - Federal Republic of Germany

The uniform displayed here is the Grundform or Basic Uniform of a Oberstleutnant ‘Lieutenant Colonel’ in the West German Army’s the Heeresfliegertruppe. The uniform jacket is the standard grey color of Heer uniforms with the silver-gray colored piping of the shoulder insignia and collar bars known as kragenspielen denoting the wearer's affiliation to the Aviation branch of service. Initially West German Army tunics were over a darker gray color but were gradually lightened after the reforms of the Bundeswehr in the 1960s-1970s.

The pants worn with the service uniform are the standard black trousers issued to and worn by all West German Army personnel.

The visor cap is of the Cold War era having been later on in the mid 1980s replaced by a maroon beret bearing the metal cap insignia of the Heeresflieger depicting a wing, crossed vertically by a sword. The visor cap here is shown bearing the crossed sabers and oak leaves insignia of the Heer and the insignia of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) represented by the national colors red, gold and black in a round emblem. Note the silver oak leaves of a commissioned officer in silver on the edge of the brim of the visor itself.  

 The shoulder boards carry the silver-grey Heeresflieger branch piping and the rank insignia of a Oberstleutnant with two silver pips and crossed laurel wreaths.

The bearer for this uniform also wears the a Commander's Cord signifying being a commanding officer of a field grade unit probably of Battalion strength, the uniform also has the Bundeswehr Militärluftfahrzeugführer or ‘Military Aviator’ badge in Gold grade.

The Oberstleutnant’s awards include the Bundesverdienstkreuz 2 Klasse ‘Federal Merit Cross 2nd Class’, Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold ‘Honor Cross of the Armed Forces in Gold’ and Deutsches Sportabzeichen ‘German Sports Badge’. His Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold award denotes that he has served 20 years of honorable service in the West German armed forces.

The cuff bands bear the insignia of the Army Aviation Corps depicting flying wings symbolizing the task of the aviation branch. The insignia is essentially the same wing insignia worn by Luftwaffe personnel only differentiating by being against a black background rather than a dark blue standard of the Air Force. 

The Heeresfliegertruppe or Army Aviation Corps is the aviation branch component of West Germany’s Heer land component. With its wide variety of combat and transport helicopters it is tasked with providing airmobility and support to the ground forces. The primary mission of the Heeresflieger is to use its helicopters for observation, reconnaissance, close air support and transportation of men and materials in support of Heer ground operations. The Army Aviation Corps was first formed along with the Bundeswehr in 1955, and was envisioned by Oberst Horst Pape, who was serving as an Advisor to the Army for military questions. The first units were stood up in May 1957 with the first units being stood up at Niedermendig, West Germany. Initial aircraft types provided to the Heeresflieger included the Bell 47 G-2 helicopter and the Dornier Do-27 light utility airplane.

In the following years the Heer would acquire numerous other types of aircraft including the British Bristol Sycamore, American Piasecki H-21 Shawnee & Sikorsky CH-34 Choctaw helicopters and French Aerospatiale SA-318 Allouette II helicopter. The year 1963 saw the introduction of the Bell UH-1D Iroquois utility helicopter to the Heeresflieger inventory and 1972 saw the introduction of the Sikorsky CH-53G Sea Stallion helicopter which replaced the H-34s. With the growing need for anti armor capabilities to counter the mounting threat of numerical superior Warsaw Pact armored forces, the Heer acquired the Messerschmitt Bölkow-Blohm Bo-105 helicopter which it designated as PAH-1 or Panzerabwehrhubschrauber ‘Anti-Tank Helicopter’-1. In the anti-tank role, the helicopter was armed with six HOT missiles in three tube launchers mounted on each side of the aircraft.

The motto of the Heeresfliegertruppe is Ohne Furcht-Nach vorn! Or effectively “Advance without Fear!”

Aircraft of the Heeresfliegertruppen:

Aérospatiale SA 313 / SA 318 Alouette II

Role: Light Helicopter (Used as a training helicopter in Heeresflieger service)

Country of Origin: France

Manufacturer     Sud Aviation / Aérospatiale

First flight:     March 1955

Introduced into Service: March 1959

Number in Service: 267

Specifications

General Characteristics:

Crew: 2 (One Pilot, One Student)

Capacity: Provisions for 3 Passengers

Length: 9.66 m (31 ft 9 in)

Rotor Diameter: 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in)

Height: 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)

Disc Area: 81.7 m² (881.4 ft²)

Empty Weight: 895 kg (1,973 lb)

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb)

Powerplant: 1 × Turboméca Artouste IIC6 turboshaft, 395 kW (530 hp) derated to 269 kW (460 hp)

Performance:

 Maximum Speed: 185 km/h (100 knots, 115 mph) at sea level
 Cruise Speed: 170 km/h (92 knots, 106 mph)
 Range: 565 km (305 nmi, 350 mi)
 Endurance: 4.1 hours
 Service Ceiling: 2,300 m (7,545 ft)
 Rate of Climb: 4.2 m/s (820 ft/min)

 

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 PAH-1

Role: Anti Tank Helicopter
Country of Origin: West Germany
Manufacturer: Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB)
First Flight: February 1967
Introduced into Service: March 1970
Number in Service: 212

Specifications

General Characteristics:

Crew: 1 or 2 pilots
Capacity: Provisions for 4 combat troops
Length: 11.86 m (38 ft 11 in)
Rotor Diameter: 9.84 m (32 ft 3½ in)
Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Disc Area: 76.05 m² (818.6 ft²)
Airfoil: NACA 23012
Empty Weight: 1,276 kg (2,813 lb)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 2,500 kg (5,511 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Allison 250-C20B turboshaft engines, 313 kW (420 shp) each

Performance:

Never Exceed Speed: 270 km/h (145 knots, 167 mph)
Maximum Speed: 242 km/h[18] (131 knots, 150 mph)
Cruise Speed: 204 km/h (110 knots, 127 mph)
Range: 575 km (310 NM, 357 mi)
Ferry Range: 1,112 km (600 NM, 691 mi)
Service Ceiling: 5,180 m (17,000 ft)
Rate of Climb: 8 m/s (1,575 ft/min)

Armament in Anti Tank Role:

6 Euromissile HOT or 8  BGM-71 TOW anti tank guided missiles

Bell UH-1D Iroquois

Role: Utility helicopter
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter
First Flight: October 1956
Introduced into Service: August 1963
Number in Service: 352

Specifications

General Characteristics:

Crew: 1-4
Capacity: 3,880 lb including 14 troops, or 6 stretchers, or equivalent cargo
Length: 57 ft 1 in (17.40 m) with rotors
Width: 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) (Fuselage)
Height: 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
Empty Weight: 5,215 lb (2,365 kg)
Gross Weight: 9,040 lb (4,100 kg)
Max Takeoff Weight: 9,500 lb (4,309 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-11 turboshaft, 1,100 shp (820 kW)
Main Rotor Diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 135 mph (217 km/h; 117 kn)
Cruise speed: 125 mph (109 kn; 201 km/h)
Range: 315 mi (274 nmi; 507 km)
Service ceiling: 19,390 ft (5,910 m) (Dependent on environmental factors such as weight, outside temp., etc)
Rate of climb: 1,755 ft/min (8.92 m/s)
Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.25 kW/kg)

Armament:

2× 7.62 mm Rheinmetall MG3 machine guns (German Army and German Luftwaffe)

Sikorsky CH-53G Sea Stallion

Role: Heavy Lift Transport Helicopter
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
First Flight: October 1964
Introduced into Service: July 1971
Number in Service: 110

Specifications

General Characteristics:

 Crew: 2 pilots, 1 or more crew chiefs
 Capacity: 38 troops (55 in alternate configuration) or 24 stretchers
 Length: 88 ft 6 in (26.97 m)
 Rotor Diameter: 72 ft 2.8 in (22.01 m)
 Height: 24 ft 11 in (7.6 m)
 Disc Area: 4098.1 sq ft (380.48 m²)
 Airfoil: NACA 0011 MOD
 Empty Weight: 23,628 lb (10,740 kg)
 Loaded Weight: 33,500 lb (15,227 kg)
 Useful Load: 8,000 lb (3,630 kg)
 Maximum Takeoff Weight: 42,000 lb (19,100 kg)
 Powerplant: 2 × General Electric T64-GE-413 turboshaft, 3,925 shp (2,927 kW) each
 Width: 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m)
 Rotor System: 6 blades on main rotor

Performance:

Maximum Speed: 170 knots (196 mph, 315 km/h)
Cruise Speed: 150 kt (173 mph, 278 km/h)
Range: 540 nmi (1,000 km)
Combat Radius: 100 mi (160 km) 95 mi
Ferry Range: 886 nmi (1,640 km)
Service Ceiling: 16,750 ft (5,106 m)
Rate of Climb: 2,460 ft/min (12.5 m/s)
Disc Loading: 8.95 lb/sq ft

Armament:

Two 7.62 mm MG3 machine guns mounted in the side doors