To give aviation enthusiasts the chance of photographing the Richthofen F-4s in their natural habitat, before ending their service in the German Air Force, the base hosted a photo call on 5 June 2012. The base gave the opportunity to photograph the F-4s in front of their Hardened Aircraft Shelters. Wittmund Air Base is home of the 71^st Tactical Wing of the Luftwaffe.

The 71^st Tactical Wing of the German Air Force was established in 1959 at Wittmund Air Base and received the honorary title of ‘Richthofen’ in 1961. Richthofen stands for Manfred von Richthofen, a famous World War I ace pilot nicknamed ‘Red Baron’, who achieved 80 victories.  In 1974, the wing received its first F-4F Phantom II aircraft. An important part of the mission of the fighter wing are Quick Reaction Alerts interceptions over Northern Germany. After 39 years of service, in 2013 the F-4 ended its service within the Richthofen wing while the Eurofighter stepped in.