Roll-out "Spirit of Oswald Boelcke" 31 Tactical Wing Boelcke, Nörvenich AFB

The 31st Tactical Wing Boelcke in Nörvenich revealed their special painted EF2000 Typhoon, celebrating 125 years of Oswald Boelcke. Low Approach attended this special organised event.

Nörvenich Air Base (Fliegerhorst Nörvenich) is the home of Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 "Boelcke". The squadron flies the Eurofighter Typhoon. The first four Eurofighters arrived at Nörvenich on 16 December 2009 and with the departure of the last Tornados on 25 June 2010 JaBoG 31 became the Luftwaffes first operational Eurofighter wing.

Before the pictures first a little history why this special paint is made.

Captain Oswald Boelcke was born on 19 May 1891 and joined the 3rd Telegraph Battalion in Koblenz in 1911. Early 1914, he was assigned to a radiotelegraph company in Darmstadt as Second Lieutenant but not long afterwards he transferred to the Darmstadt Military Flying School. He received his pilot license in August 1914 and served as a tactical reconnaissance pilot until the spring of 1915. After this he was deployed as fighter pilot and achieved his first aerial victory on 4 July 1915. After being transferred to the newly formed Feldfliegerabteilung 62, Boelcke flew the two seat armed “C series aircraft” the LVG biplane. Soon afterwards, he received one of the new Fokker E-1 monoplanes. On august 1916, the first fighter squadrons were created on the basis of his proposals and Boelcke was tasked to command Fighter Squadron 2. He was the first to formalize rules of air fighting, which he presented as the Dicta Boelcke.

Captain Boelcke was killed in action on 28 October 1916 after he had achieved a total of 40 aerial victories. In the middle of a heated air combat, the aircraft of his friend Böhme touched his aircraft. Boelcke could not bring the crashing aircraft back under control and was killed when it hit the ground. So if he was still alive he would have been 125 years this year and therefore this special painted Eurofighter.

On the one side there is a picture of Boelcke himself.

On the otherside you find a picture from the Albatros D.II. On the top of the airplane you find the Dicta Boelcke.

Also on display was another EF2000 but this one was in fully operational colours.

Also the departure from an UH-1D could be seen and finally before I went home I had the opportunity to make pictures of the gateguards of Nörvenich, first I saw a Panavia Tornado with special paint the “Blue Lightning” and afterward I could photograph the F-104 Starfighter standing on a pole.

I must say: the base offered us all to take the best pictures as possible, stairs where provided and aircraft were turned so we could see all sides. We as Low Approach would like to thank everyone involved to make this day a really big success.

Hopefully we see each other in the near future.

Text about Oswald Boelcke: Luftwaffe

Text: Dirk Geuns

Photography: Dirk Geuns