The German Air Force had four Reconnaissance Wings in their history. The Recce Wing 51, Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 at Jagel is the only one that is still active today.  

The first squadron, which was assigned to the task of the tactical air reconnaissance in the year 1959 was the Weapons School 50 at Erding. During that year the AG 51 ‘Immelmann’ was created from the 1. Squadron of the WS 50 and was put into service on 01.04.1959 at Erding Air Base. The aircraft types RF-84F, RF-104G und RF-4E were used during the 14 years of duty. It was disbanded on 31.03.1993 and its last home base Bremgarten was closed. Also the AG 52 that was erected on 01.04.1959 at Erding, too was disbanded on 31.03.1993 and the base at Leck was closed.

But the first squadron of the new Recce wing to come was already established on 04.01.1993 at Jagel the former Naval Air Station. On 1st January 2004 the AG 51 ‘Immelmann’ was officially put into service with the Recce Tornado.

Today the only reconnaissance wing of the German Luftwaffe based in the high north of the Federal Republic of Germany continues smoothly the tradition of the two dissolved wings. The structure decision for the dissolving of both RF-4 E reconnaissance wings of the Luftwaffe in 1993 as well as the disbandment of the Naval Air Wing 1, MFG 1 focused the idea to settle down a Recce Wing in northern Germany. Home base of the new AG 51 "Immelmann" was the former Naval Air Station Jagel. Mission tasks and tradition care should both manifested in the continuation of the wings name of the AG 51 "Immelmann" and in the take-over of the heraldic animal in the wings badge of the AG 52 at Leck, the panther. The membership in the tiger association was also inherited in that way. The new wing was equipped with 46 all weather combat aircraft Tornado IDS. From 01.01.2005 on the defence of German and allied naval vessels with ‘HARM’ and ‘KOMORAN’ missiles over the Baltic and North sea is also one of the tasks of the wing. In the context of NATO assumption the AG 51 has the order of the tactical air reconnaissance and accomplishes employments in the context of international alliances. Parts of the Wing participated in the operations over the area of the former Republic of Yugoslavia from 1995 to 2001 and take successfully part in the international security forces ISAF in Afghanistan since 2007.

The Tornado IDS 45+06 that was presented at Jagel on 10th of July 2009 was painted for two reasons; 50 years of tactical reconnaissance and the sadder one, the Fly Out of the 2nd Squadron of AG 51. The aircraft was decorated with tiger intakes to show the connection to the tiger association, the fuel tanks show 50 years of Recce, the upper side shows the Wings Badge with the tiger and 51 titles and the underside shows the titles Last Call on the wings and 512 squadron on the fuselage. The tail shows the recce eye in the sky and the silhouettes of RF-84F, RF-104G, RF-4E and Tornado in a strip of wet film.

 
by:  Jens Schymura, Marcus Fülber and Holger Stüben / www.hat-home.de