FW 73 "S"

Fighter Wing 73 “Steinhoff” was established at the former East German base Laage near Rostock and the Baltic Sea in 1995.
The heritage name was awarded to the wing in 1997 in remembrance of the former chief of the German Air Force and WW II ace, LtGen Johannes Steinhoff. Under his leadership the Luftwaffe recovered from the so-called Starfighter Crisis in the late 1960ies.

The F-4F Phantom was flown at Laage from 1997 until 2002. Its Crest und Phantom aircraft were taken over from the decommissioned Fighter Bomber Wing 35 at Pferdsfeld AB.

The stationing of Fighter Wing 73 „Steinhoff“ at Laage (former East Germany) was a substantial contribution of the Luftwaffe for the inner reunification of Germany. It united two large groups of airmen into one unit, one group coming from a former East German and the other from a West German Wing. The 1st Squadron, equipped with the Mig-29, was replaced from Preschen AB at the Oder river to Laage and the 2nd Squadron, equipped with F-4F Phantoms of the former Fighter Bomber Wing 35 Pferdsfeld. The later was finally stationed at Laage in 1997. The Phantom era however ended at Laage already in 2002.

Today the wing is named Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 73 or Tactical Air Force Wing 73 „Steinhoff“, is equipped with Eurofighter “Typhoon” and provides primarily as Training Center for the Eurofighter fleet of the Luftwaffe. Lucky enough, today it has become unimportant from which part of Germany the personnel of the wing originates from.