Bitburg Air Base Bitburg Air Base ( 1952 – 1994 , former ICAO EDAB ) was a front - line NATO base during the Cold War . It is located 2 miles ( 3 km ) southeast of Bitburg , 20 miles ( 32 km ) north of Trier , and 135 miles ( 217 km ) west of Wiesbaden . It was the official home of the United States Air Force 36th Fighter Wing for over 40 years as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It was turned over to the German government on 1 October 1994 . History . Under contract with the United States Air Force , the French Army began construction of what would become Bitburg Air Base in Western Germany ' s Eifel Mountains in Rhineland - Palatinate in early 1951 . Located in the French zone of occupation , the air base was situated on farm land that had been a Wehrmacht tank staging and supply area for the Battle of the Bulge in early 1944 . The air base and its housing area occupied nearly , with a long runway ( with overruns at each end , total length would be 10 , 200 ft ) . Bitburg Airbase was where Buzz Aldrin , the second man on the moon , served as a Flight commander in the 22nd TFS ; US President Ronald Reagan also has some connection to the base during the 1950s . 36th Fighter Wing . In July 1952 the 53rd Fighter - Bomber Squadron ( FBS ) from the 36th Fighter - Bomber Wing ( FBW ) , from Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base a few miles west of Munich arrived at the newly built base . Throughout the summer , elements of the 36th FBW moved into Bitburg , with the wing officially arriving in November 1952 . Under various designations , the 36th would remain at Bitburg for the next 40 years . With its arrival the 36th FBW was equipped with the Republic F - 84E " Thunderjet " . Operational squadrons were : In August 1953 , the North American F - 86F " Sabre " was introduced to the wing , replacing the F - 84s . In August 1954 , the wing was redesignated as the 36th Fighter - Day Wing . After transitioning to the Sabre the 36th TFW added two new squadrons , the 32d Fighter Day Squadron from Soesterberg Air Base in the Netherlands , and the 461st Fighter Day Squadron from Hahn Air Base . At first the 36th ' s F - 86 markings consisted of Korean Theater - styled yellow and black - bordered bands , but squadron - specific colored bands were eventually applied to all the 36th FDW Sabres . First USAF Operational Missile Squadron . The 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron , equipped with the B - 61A Matador , was assigned to the 36th Fighter Bomber Wing , Bitburg Air Base , Germany , on 31 March 1954 , making it the first operational U . S . missile unit . The 36th Fighter Bomber Wing was renamed 36th Fighter Day Wing ( no change of station ) a year later on 14 March 1955 , and the 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron was renamed to the 1st Tactical Missile Squadron at that time . The B - 61A Matador was renumbered to the TM - 61A Matador . The 1st Tactical Missile Squadron was detached from the 36th FDW , no change of station , and assigned to the newly formed 7382nd Pilotless Bomber Group headquartered at Hahn Air Base , on February 1 , 1956 . The 1st PBS remained at Bitburg Air Base . The 7382nd Tactical Missile Group was inactivated on 15 September 1956 , and the 1st Tactical Missile Squadron was reassigned to the newly formed 585th Tactical Missile Group , Bitburg Air Base , as part of the newly formed 701st Tactical Missile Wing , headquartered at Hahn AB . The 1st PBS became the 1st Tactical Missile Squadron , and was later redesignated as the 71st TMS . The unit converted from the TM - 61A to the TM - 61C Matadors during that time . The Matadors were operational at Bitburg until 1962 when replaced by the newer CGM - 13B ( TM - 76B ) Mace missile which were held in underground launch bays at sites near Rittersdorf and Idenheim . The 71st Tactical Missile Squadron was also the last operational missile squadron in USAFE when it was inactivated April 30 , 1969 , ending 15 consecutive years of operational tactical missile duty at Bitburg . F - 100 era . In 1956 , the wing received the North American F - 100 " Super Sabre , " marking the first time a wing in USAFE flew supersonic jets . One of the F - 100 pilots was future Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin , who served as a flight commander at Bitburg Air Base , Germany in the 22nd Fighter Squadron . Squadron - specific colored bands were applied to the tail fins of the F - 100s , with five tail stripes for the wing commander ' s aircraft . On 15 May 1958 , the 36th FDW was redesignated as the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing ( TFW ) , with its squadrons redesignated as Tactical Fighter Squadrons , because its missions had now grown to include delivery of tactical nuclear weapons under NCA and SACEUR direction . 525th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . In January 1959 the 86th Air Division at Ramstein Air Base assigned the 525th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron to Bitburg flying the F - 102A / TF - 102A Delta Dagger . The 525th FIS became the first European - based F - 102 squadron when it received its first aircraft ( TF - 102Bs ) on 3 January 1959 . The mission of the 525th was to confront Soviet fighter aircraft over the skies of Western Europe and operated under the USAFE 86th Air Division ( Defense ) at Ramstein Air Base West Germany on 1 July 1960 . This transfer was made in order that all USAF fighter assets in Europe could be concentrated in one command . The F - 102As were identified by blue stripes on their tails . The 525th FIS operated F - 102s until December 1969 when it transitioned to a Tactical Fighter Squadron flying F - 4Es . F - 105 era . In November 1959 , the 36th was assigned to Seventeenth Air Force . In May1961 , the wing received the Republic F - 105 " Thunderchief " . Formal USAFE acceptance of the Mach 2 fighter - bombers was held at the Paris Air Show on 3 June 1961 . Deliveries of the F - 105D model were completed in 1963 , and the 36th carried on its Cold War mission of tactical nuclear weapons delivery . The first of the wing ' s 2 - place F - 105Fs arrived in March 1964 , and all were on base by the end of the year . The F - 105Fs performed the same roles and missions as the single - seat D models , except they provided for training new pilots in the thud ' s characteristics . The F - 105s in Europe were specifically designed for the nuclear strike role , with the primary armament being a " special store " ( a euphemism for a nuclear weapon ) housed in the Thud ' s bomb bay . This weapon was usually a Mk 28 or a Mk 43 nuclear weapon . However , a Mk 61 store could be carried underneath the left or right inboard underwing pylon and a Mk 57 or a Mk 61 store could be carried underneath the centerline pylon . However , as nuclear conflict became less and less likely in the European theater , the nuclear weapon carried in the bomb bay was usually replaced by a 390 - gallon internal fuel tank , the offensive load being carried on four underwing pylons and / or on a pylon mounted underneath the fuselage on the centerline ( attached to the bomb bay doors ) . F - 4 Phantom . By 1966 the Thud was being phased out of NATO , being replaced by the McDonnell F - 4D " Phantom II " . By December 1966 , all the 36th TFW Thuds had been ferried Stateside for combat crew training duties at McConnell AFB , Kansas , or on to warfighting glory in SEA after stateside refurbishment . During November 1968 the F - 102s of the 86th AD were sent to Air National Guard units at CONUS and the 525th FIS was re - equipped with F - 4Es and assigned to the 36th TFW . In 1969 , the 23rd TFS left the 36th TFW and moved to the new 52nd TFW at neighboring Spangdahlem Air Base . In 1970 the Tail Code concept was established , with the following squadron insignia : 22d TFS " BR " , 53d TFS " BT " and the 525th " BU " . The 36th would continue to fly the F - 4 until 1977 , and all Bitburg tail codes were eventually streamlined to read " BT " , and the aircraft ' s squadron was then identified by a color band tail flash . On 4 January 1969 the 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron from Shaw AFB South Carolina was activated at Spangdahlem Air Base and assigned to the 36th TFW . The 39th TEWS flew the Douglas EB - 66C / E " Destroyer " aircraft which engaged in various forms of electronic warfare . The B - 66s were identified with tail code " BV " , with a black stripe on tail . In August 1972 , the 52d TFW was activated at Spangdahlem AB . With this activation , the 39th TEWS and the 23d TFS were transferred to the 52d TFW . In September , the F - 4Ds were replaced with the F - 4E model with its upgraded avionics , maneuvering wing slats and an M61A1 cannon , giving the Phantom II more complete air - to - air capabilities . The markings of the 36th TFW aircraft were also standardized with tail code " BT " . The operational squadrons of the 36th TFW in 1973 were : F - 15 Eagle . By 1976 a major modernization of USAFE was necessary . The Soviet Union ' s new MiG and Sukhoi fighters made NATO military planners anxious . Indeed , intelligence reports about the MiG - 25 left little room for comfort ; the apparent performance of this new Russian combat aircraft was assessed to be far superior to any NATO aircraft . The twin - engined MiG - 25 could reach speeds of over 3 , 000 km / h at high altitude ( over 70 , 000 ft ) , and it could be armed with radar - guided AA - 6 Acrid air - to - air missiles . When the Soviets stationed large numbers in the Soviet Union and later in the GDR , NATO needed to address this problem . Although the McDonnell Douglas F - 4 Phantom was equipped with modern infrared - guided AIM - 9 Sidewinder and radar - controlled AIM - 7 Sparrow air - to - air missiles , it was not as maneuverable as the MiG - 19 Farmer and MiG - 21 Fishbed fighters it faced over the skies of North Vietnam . While the F - 4 was an ideal platform for a great variety of weapons and suitable for an equal number of various tasks , it was not developed solely as an air superiority fighter . The solution was provided by the F - 15 Eagle . Just like the MiG - 25 , it has two powerful engines and double tail fins . Its two powerful Pratt & Whitney F - 100 turbofan engines provided a thrust of around 12 , 510 kg . And with full tanks and armed with four AIM - 7F Sparrow air - to - air missiles the F - 15A gave a thrust / weight ratio better than 1 . 1 . This is the basis of the Eagle ' s phenomenal performance . In 1977 Project Ready Eagle brought the McDonnell Douglas F - 15A Eagle to the 36th TFW . The first F - 15As arrived at Bitburg AB on 7 January 1977 . These were two TF - 15A ( F - 15B ) trainers ( serial numbers 75 - 049 and 75 - 050 ) that had flown non - stop from Langley AFB Virginia in seven and a half hours . These Eagles were to be used primarily for ground crew familiarization in anticipation of the arrival of the 525th TFS ' s first F - 15As . The 23 aircraft for this first operational squadron left Langley on 27 April 1977 for a mass Atlantic crossing . Over the following months the aircraft for two other squadrons ( 22d TFS and 53d TFS ) arrived . The 36th TFW ' s full strength of 79 fully operational F - 15As was reached in December 1977 . Project Ready Eagle was completed in precisely one year . In 1980 , more advanced F - 15Cs and F - 15Ds would replace the original F - 15As . On 5 May 1985 President Ronald Reagan visited Bitburg Air Base as part of a visit to Kolmeshohe Cemetery near the town of Bitburg . West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl requested his visit to pay respects to the soldiers interred there . Desert Shield / Desert Storm Throughout the 1970s and 1980s , the 36th TFW conducted routine training missions from Bitburg Air Base , however the outbreak of the 1990 - 91 Gulf War put the F - 15s of Bitburg into the heart of the conflict . The 53d and 22d TFS ( Combined Squadrons ) and deployed to Al - Kharj Air Base Saudi Arabia , while the 525th TFS flew its F - 15s to Incirlik Air Base Turkey as part of USAFE ' s Joint Task Force Proven Force . The 53d and 22d TFS F - 15s entered the Gulf War on 17 January in support of Operation Desert Storm and were credited with 11 confirmed kills . Two F - 15C ' s from the 53d TFS ( 84 - 025 and 84 - 027 ) each shot down 2 Iraqi MiGs on the first night of the war . The 525th entered combat on 19 January when two F - 15s used AIM - 7 Sparrow radar missiles to destroy two Iraqi Mirage F - 1 ’ s . During the next six weeks , until the cease - fire , 36th TFW aircraft flew around the clock , protecting two strikes per day and one strike each night . PROVEN FORCE strikes targeted military airfields , nuclear and chemical facilities , communications centers , power plants , and oil refineries and storage facilities in northern Iraq . By the middle of February , PROVEN FORCE was attacking Baghdad . In addition to protecting strikers , the 525th FS was frequently tasked to man barrier caps in eastern Iraq to destroy Iraqi fighters attempting to flee to Iran . These missions , often lasting in excess of five hours , required aircraft to operate over behind enemy lines without any support assets . The 36th TFW ' s pilots , support personnel and aircraft performed magnificently in Operation Desert Shield , Operation Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort . The 36th Fighter Wing was credited with 17 confirmed air to air kills for the entire Gulf War . Not a single F - 15C aircraft was lost in combat during the war . On 13 March 1991 , over half of the deployed squadrons of the 36th TFW returned to Bitburg while a small contingent remained at Al Kharj AB until 3 July 1991 . The celebration was brief , however , as the 525th TFS deployed back to Incirlik AB on 5 April 1991 to support Operation PROVIDE COMFORT . Following the war against Iraq , numerous Kurdish refugees fled northward from the remaining forces of Saddam Hussein . The United States initiated a vast airlift operation , named Operation PROVIDE COMFORT , to drop food and supplies to these refugees concentrated in Iraq along the Turkish border . Because tensions between the Iraqi and Allied forces in the area remained quite high , the 525th was called back to Turkey in April 1991 to protect the vulnerable Allied cargo aircraft . In addition , the 525th TFW was tasked , as part of the operation , to fly at low altitude over Iraq and provide intelligence updates of Iraqi troop and equipment locations . Between the 5 April and the 25 May 1991 , the 525th flew 285 sorties over Iraq in support of Operation PROVIDE COMFORT . Just as before , not a single aircraft was lost in Iraq due to hostile fire . Post Cold War era . Bitburg Air Base was part of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure ( or BRAC ) process that saw the drawdown of many military facilities . On 31 March 1992 the 525th " Bulldogs " retired their colors , while the 22d " Stingers " and 53d " Tigers " remained at Bitburg Air Base . On 1 November 1992 , the 606th Air Control Squadron moved to Bitburg from Basdahl , Germany . In July 1993 , HQ USAFE announced another in a series of post - Cold War force drawdowns in Europe which announced the closure of Bitburg Air Base and the pending inactivation of the 36th Fighter Wing . With the announced closure of Bitburg , on 25 February 1994 the 53d Fighter Squadron was transferred to the 52d Operations Group at Spangdahlem Air Base , along with its F - 15 fighters . The 22d Fighter Squadron was also moved to Spangdahlem on 1 April , however neither its personnel , nor its F - 15s were transferred to the 52d TFW . The 22d became an F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon squadron , replacing the 480th Fighter Squadron . The 606th Air Control Squadron was also assigned to the 52d Operations Group but remained at Bitburg until September 1995 before moving to Spangdahlem . Along with its operational aircraft and squadrons , the 52d FW also gained Bitburg ' s 1 , 200 housing units , its base high school and hospital , and several exchange service and Defense Commissary Agency facilities . On 1 October 1994 the 36th Fighter Wing was officially inactivated and the final 36th Wing Commander , Brigadier General Roger E . Carleton , returned Bitburg Air Base to the German government . The 36th Fighter Wing was inactivated in place , then reactivated without personnel or equipment at Andersen AFB , Guam the same day , taking over as the host unit there as the 36th Air Base Wing , a non - flying organization . Bitburg Air Base Base Housing is currently serving as housing for part of the Spangdahlem Air Base and the Bitburg Annex contingents . The base housing is also provided for a nearby Army base in Butzweiler . Bitburg High School is the American high school located on the base , with the mascot being the " Barons " . There is also a middle school , with the " Bobcat " as its mascot . As of August 2006 , the remaining American facilities at Bitburg are in the process of being closed and returned to the German government . Americans living in Bitburg base housing are being relocated to Spangdahlem AB . Temporary Reopening Between June and September 1997 necessary repairs on the Spangdahlem Air Base runway called for a temporary location to accommodate the 52d Fighter Wing ' s three squadrons of F - 15s and F - 16s . The closed Bitburg Air Base was the most logical place - only down the road . The job entailed resurrecting the former U . S . Air Force flightline and associated fuel tanks that haven ' t seen fighter aircraft in over three years . Since its closure , the Bitburg runway had been operated as a small commercial airport . However , it had seen enough flightline maintenance to sufficiently host flying activities , but the fuel tanks had long been separated from the NATO Central European Pipeline System . A site survey conducted in November 1996 verified the air base would indeed be an ideal site to temporarily support the three fighter squadrons from Spangdahlem . But there was work to be done . The fuel tanks required more work than the flightline . An inspection done by the German Technical Inspection Company approved the use of two 660 , 000 - gallon capacity fuel tanks , however improvements needed to be made which included splash guard dyke and oil water separators . These improvements were made and though the summer of 1997 , operational military flying returned to Bitburg . The USAF departed for the second time in September 1997 , and the flightline at Bitburg was returned to the civil aircraft which now call it home . Notable Appearances in Media . Bitburg Air Base was featured in the 1981 documentary ' The Wing : Documentary of the F - 15 . '