Jagdverband 44 - The Jet Experten

The Jet Experten

If measured by the accumulated victories of its pilots the Jagdverband 44 (literally "hunting formation") was the most elite fighter unit in the history of military aviation. The unit was established in February 1945 as a jet fighter squadron; many of its flying personnel were high-scoring aces or Experten—the unit's top five aces alone had more than 1,000 combined victories. The unit eventually comprised some fifty pilots and 25 Me 262 jets, although no more than six of the latter were operational at any one given time.

Early in the war, some efforts were made to convert the Me 262 fighter into a fast tactical bomber. Before D-Day this plan was supported by the High Command within the German government. In late 1944 German industry was struggling to produce enough Me 262's as fighters for defense against the constantly growing Allied bomber formations. The Me 262's superior speed (about 800–860 km/h or 500-550 mph) relative to piston-engined aircraft meant sorties could be scrambled quickly to defend factories and other targets throughout Germany.

JV-44 was responsible for defending southern areas of the Reich, especially around the cities of Stuttgart, Ulm, München and parts of current-day Austria including Innsbruck and Salzburg.