| Naval Aviation Squadron 2 | |
|---|---|
| Marinefliegergeschwader 2 | |
 | |
| Active | 1 April 1958 to 9 August 2005 |
| Country |  Germany |
| Branch |  Marine |
| Role | Maritime Strike / Reconnaissance |
| Part of | Marineflieger |
| Garrison/HQ | Eggebek Air Base |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | |
| Reconnaissance | Fairey Gannet |
Marinefliegergeschwader 2 (Naval Aviation Squadron 2; abbreviated as MFG 2), was a maritime strike and reconnaissance unit of the Marineflieger, or German Naval Air Arm, operating between April 1958 and August 2005. Initially tasked as a multi-role group, operating aircraft in both the strike and anti-submarine warfare missions, from the mid-1960s it transitioned into operating purely in the maritime strike role.
History
editIn 1956, following the entry of the Federal Republic of Germany into NATO, a new German Navy (Bundesmarine) was established in succession to a number of other naval forces that had been operated by Allied-occupied West GErmany since the end of World War II.[1] As part of its new establishment, the navy was to feature its own naval air arm; during the war, all naval aviation in Germany came under the direct control of the Luftwaffe. So, to ensure that aviation was available to the navy to meet its potential objectives, it was decided to form what came to be called the Marinefliegerkommando, or Naval Aviation Command.[2]
As part of the newly established air arm, two operational air groups were formed to undertake the bulk of the force's initial flying operations:
- Marinefliegergeschwader 1 (Naval Aviation Squadron 1) - Baltic Sea area
- Marinefliegergeschwader 2 (Naval Aviation Squadron 2) - North Sea area
Marinefliegergeschwader 2 was formed on 1 April 1958, and was initially stationed at Kiel-Holtenau airbase, owing to its planned main operating station at Nordholz not being ready on the unit's formation.[3] Upon its formation, MFG 2 was a multi-role unit operating a number of different aircraft types - on 30 September 1958, it achieved an initial operating capability, with its flying strength consisting of 6 Hawker Sea Hawk Mk.100/101 strike aircraft, 2 Fairey Gannet AS.4/T.5 for reconnaissance and 3 Fouga CM.170 Magister trainers.
References
edit- ^ "The History of the German Navy". Bundeswehr. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ Burke, Arleigh. "The Role of the United States Navy in the Formation and Development of the Federal German Navy, 1945-1970". Naval History and Heritage Command. US Navy. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Die Marineflieger nach 1945". Holtenauer Geschichte (in German). Retrieved 13 September 2022.