Indeed, the F-104 set records for air speed, altitude, and time-to-climb in the late 1950s. Nor was West Germany the only foreign operator to have runaway safety problems with the F-104 ...

But other nations, especially West Germany, used the F-104 heavily throughout the Cold War. It was in Germany that the plane earned its macabre “Widowmaker” label. As one might expect from a ...

Despite this, the F-104 found success with NATO and allied nations, where it took on a variety of roles beyond its original interceptor mission. West Germany, Canada, Italy, and Japan were among ...