Late in the war, two attacks by USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress bombers knocked out three of the base's hangars, all the runways, and damaged many of the grounded aircraft.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of this concentration camps, a German-French commemorative plaque, donated by the Citizens´ association, was inaugurated on May 1, 1995 by Anton Posset and Marcel Miquet, vice president of the organization "Amicale des Anciens de Dachau" at the gymnasium in the air base.

With the runway project completed, an Air Depot Group moved in and began repairing buildings for living quarters, mess facilities and so forth.

Having joined NATO in 1955, West Germany could begin to establish the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).

The first pilot training class of 19 German officers, all with previous flying experience, was received by 7351 PTG on 2 February 1956.

For more than two years it had already been quite usual for former Luftwaffe pilots to make familiarization flights on USAF jet fighters.

The new Luftwaffe began building up basic pilot training using forty Piper L-18A Super Cub trainers.

Advanced training and jet transition was looked after by the USAF at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base where the Luftwaffe could use several new Lockheed T-33A T-Bird jet-trainers.

The first ten German jet fighter pilots trained by USAFE instructors received their 'wings' on 24 September 1956.

Within several years the new Luftwaffe would acquire hundreds of F-86 Sabres and F-84F Thunderstreaks via the U.S. Mutual Defense Aid Program (MDAP) so training had to be taken in hand very quickly.