Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force (4 ATAF) was a NATO military formation under Allied Air Forces Central Europe tasked with providing air support to NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG). 4 ATAF commanded all flying units based within its sector and all reinforcements flying into its sector, as well as ground based radar systems and stations, air defense units and the airfields in its sector.
Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force was formed in 1951 with its area of responsibility covering the Germany south of the city of Kassel. Commander of Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force at its inception was the commanding Major General of the American Twelfth Air Force based in the southwest of Germany. After Twelfth Air Force returned to the continental US in 1958, the commander of Seventeenth Air Force took over command of Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force.
The main establishment of 4 ATAF was a headquarters which had several locations over more than forty years. Established about 1951 at Trier Air Base, the unit was moved to Ramstein Air Base in November 1957 where it remained until December 1980 when it was moved to Heidelberg where it was colocated with Headquarters Central Army Group. An operational Air Defence Operations Centre was operated at Ouvrage Molvange from 1961 until 1967 when it was moved to a USAF site in Kindsbach just south of Ramstein Air Base. The HQ also operated a number of communications sites which were concerned with secure communications for the release of tactical nuclear weapons through the NATO Quick Reaction Alert Force. In 1985 NATO began with the construction of a new Static War Headquarters bunker in Ruppertsweiler, Germany. Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force commanded besides Seventeenth Air Force, the US Army's 32nd Air Defense Command, 1 Canadian Air Group and two German Air Force (Luftwaffe) divisions, as well as extensive secure communications, air defense and radar installations manned by Germany and the US Air Force.
If needed, 4 ATAF would have been reinforced with units from the US Third (UK based), Eighth (reconnaissance and bombing), Ninth (immediate reinforcements) and Twelfth Air Force (follow on reinforcements), and with Royal Canadian Air Force and French Air Force units. At the start of hostilities 4 ATAF would have had immediately around 600 combat aircraft at its disposal. The following units would have come under 4 ATAF in wartime:
4 ATAF was disbanded on 30 June 1993, its duties were taken over by Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force, Heidelberg, FRG
Air Defence Operations Center (ADOC), Maastricht
Sector Operations Center 3 (SOC 3), Sembach Air Base
1st Btn, 32nd (Luftwaffe) Signal Regiment, Control and Reporting Center Börfink
2nd Btn, 32nd (Luftwaffe) Signal Regiment, Control and Reporting Center Lauda-Königshofen
4th Btn, 32nd (Luftwaffe) Regiment, Lauda-Königshofen, with 12x mobile Radar systems forward deployed to the inner German border.
Sector Operations Center 4 (SOC 4), Meßstetten
1st Btn, 31st (Luftwaffe) Signal Regiment, Control and Reporting Center Meßstetten
2nd Btn, 31st (Luftwaffe) Signal Regiment, Control and Reporting Center Freising
Seventeenth Air Force, (US Air Force) Sembach Air Base
65th Air Division, at Lindsey Air Station
52nd Tactical Fighter Wing, at Spangdahlem Air Base
23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 12x F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel and 12x F-16C Block 25 Falcon
81st Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 12x F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel and 12x F-16C Block 25 Falcon
480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 12x F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel and 12x F-16C Block 25 Falcon
66th Electronic Combat Wing, at Sembach Air Base
43rd Electronic Combat Squadron, with EC-130H Compass Call
316th Air Division, at Ramstein Air Base
86th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Ramstein Air Base
512th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-16C Block 30 Falcon
526th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-16C Block 30 Falcon
26th Tactical Reconnaissance Fighter Wing, at Zweibrücken Air Base
38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, with 22x RF-4C Phantom II
36th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Bitburg Air Base
22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-15C Eagle
53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-15C Eagle
525th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-15C Eagle
50th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Hahn Air Base
10th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-16C Block 25 Falcon
313th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-16C Block 25 Falcon
496th Tactical Fighter Squadron, with 24x F-16C Block 25 Falcon
601st Tactical Control Wing, at Sembach Air Base (operating AN/TPS-43 mobile radars)
32d Air Defense Command, (US Army) Schweinfurt
10th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Darmstadt
3rd Bn, 52d Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Wildflecken, (24x MIM-23 Hawk)
2nd Bn, 43d Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Hanau, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
4th Bn, 43d Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Giessen, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Würzburg
3rd Bn, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Grafenwöhr, (24x MIM-23 Hawk)
6th Bn, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Würzburg, (24x MIM-23 Hawk)
6th Bn, 43d Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Ansbach, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
8th Bn, 43d Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Giebelstadt, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
94th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Kaiserslautern
1st Bn, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Kaiserlautern, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
3rd Bn, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Ramstein, (MIM-72 Chaparral, M163 VADS Vulcan, FIM-92 Stinger)
4th Bn, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Neubrücke, (24x MIM-23 Hawk)
108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Spangdahlem
1st Bn, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Mannheim, (24x MIM-23 Hawk)
4th Bn, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Dexheim, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
5th Bn, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Spangdahlem, (48x MIM-104 Patriot)
5th Bn, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Spangdahlem, (Chaparral, M163 VADS Vulcan, FIM-92 Stinger)
German Air Force
1st Luftwaffendivision, Fürstenfeldbruck
Bremgarten Air Base
Aufklärungsgeschwader 51, 2 x squadrons with 15 x RF-4E (Reconnaissance)
Landsberg am Lech
Flugkörpergeschwader 1, 4 x squadrons with 9 x Pershing 1a
Lechfeld Air Base
Jagdbombergeschwader 32, 2 x squadrons with 16 x Tornado IDS each, and 6x Tornado IDS in reserve
Büchel Air Base
Jagdbombergeschwader 33note 1, 2x squadrons with 16x Tornado IDS each, and 6x Tornado IDS in reserve
Memmingen Air Base
Jagdbombergeschwader 34note 1, 2x squadrons with 16x Tornado IDS each, and 6x Tornado IDS in reserve
Pferdsfeld Air Base
Jagdbombergeschwader 35, 2x squadrons with 15x F-4F each, and 4x F-4F in reserve
Leipheim Air Base
Jagdbombergeschwader 44, 1st squadron permanently deployed to Beja Airbase in Portugal with 18x Alpha Jets for weapons training
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Jagdbombergeschwader 49, 2x squadrons with 18x Alpha Jets each, and 24x Alpha Jets in reserve (18x for 2nd squadron Jagdbombergeschwader 44)
2nd Luftwaffendivision, Birkenfeld
Neuburg Air Base
Jagdgeschwader 74, 2x squadrons with 15x F-4F each, and 4x F-4F in reserve
4th Air Defense Missile Command, Lich
21st Air Defense Missile Wing, Möhnesee, with 6x MIM-104 Patriot squadrons; each with 1x Engagement Control Station, 1x Radar Set, 8x launch stations
38th Air Defense Missile Wing, Burbach, with 4x MIM-23 Hawk squadrons; each with 1x Hawk battery (6x launch stations)
42nd Air Defense Missile Group, Schöneck, with 42x Roland systems guarding Rhein-Main, Sembach, Nörvenich, Pferdsfeld and Büchel air bases and Lindsey Air Station
5th Air Defense Missile Command, Erding
23rd Air Defense Missile Wing, Manching, with 6x MIM-104 Patriot squadrons; each with 1x Engagement Control Station, 1x Radar Set, 8x launch stations
32nd Air Defense Missile Wing, Freising, with 4x MIM-23 Hawk squadrons; each with 1x Hawk battery (6x launch stations)
34th Air Defense Missile Wing, Rottenburg an der Laaber, with 4x MIM-23 Hawk squadrons; each with 1x Hawk battery (6x launch stations)
6th Air Defense Missile Command, Lenggries
22nd Air Defense Missile Wing, Penzing, with 6x MIM-104 Patriot squadrons; each with 1x Engagement Control Station, 1x Radar Set, 8x launch stations
33rd Air Defense Missile Wing, Lenggries, with 4x MIM-23 Hawk squadrons; each with 1x Hawk battery (6x launch stations)
43rd Air Defense Missile Group, Leipheim, with 26x Roland systems guarding Lechfeld, Memmingen, Erding, Neuburg and Bremgarten air bases
Canadian Forcesnote 21 Canadian Air Division, CFB Baden-Söllingen
3 Wing CFB Lahr
416 Tactical Fighter Squadron or 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron from CFB Cold Lake, 18x CF-18
425 Tactical Fighter Squadron or 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron from CFB Bagotville, 18x CF-18
129 Air Defence Battery (detached from 4 Air Defence Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, 4x ADATS, 8x 35mm Skyguard)
4 Wing CFB Baden-Söllingen
409 Tactical Fighter Squadron, 18x CF-18
421 Tactical Fighter Squadron, 18x CF-18
439 Tactical Fighter Squadron, 18x CF-18
128 Air Defence Battery (detached from 4 Air Defence Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, 4x ADATS, 8x 35mm Skyguard)
note 1: Nuclear sharing unit capable of delivering tactical nuclear weapons.
note 2: The Canadian Forces NATO reinforcement units were two Fighter Squadrons rotated from CFB Cold Lake with 416 Tactical Fighter Squadron and 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron, and from CFB Bagotville with 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron and 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron each with 18x CF-18. These forces represented the complete combat-capable assets of Canadian Forces Air Command. The units marked as reinforcements were nominally assigned to the NORAD Canada East and Canada West regions, the plan being that once the two squadrons were deployed to NATO there would be two squadrons remaining with NORAD (one squadron in each region).
