"The first time I saw her I thought, 'Damn, that's big!' Being 5ft 5in tall, I could walk under her with no problem. The form struck me as being beautiful; that slender waist and that long nose were simply great. The first take-off was something to remember when the 'burner and the water injection kicked in. She responded like a true lady to the controls and I quickly felt at home with her." So said 1st Lt Gary Retterbush of the USAF's 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg AB, Germany, about his initial encounter with the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. He had spent three years with the unit, flying the North American F-100C Super Sabre in the nuclear strike role. Now, on 21 May 1961, he had the honour of delivering F-105D-10-RE serial 60-0445 to the base in the Eifel mountains, where it became the first "Thud' to re-equip the 36th.
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