Jagdgeschwader 400

Jagdgeschwader 400
JG 400 Emblem: Baron Munchausen's cannonball ride
Active	1944–45
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Luftwaffe
Type	Fighter Aircraft
Role	Air superiority
Size	Air Force Wing
Commanders
Notable commanders	Wolfgang Späte
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Me 163

Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 400 was formed on 1 February 1944 in Brandis with Stab only for the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket fighter, as the only military aviation unit of any size in history, to actively use rocket-powered combat aircraft in wartime.

Major Wolfgang Späte, of JG 54 was transferred into the experimental flying unit Erprobungskommando 16 at Bad Zwischenahn in Northern Germany, where the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was under development and tactical testing.

Once the Me-163B was declared operational in July 1944, Späte was given command of the formally raised JG 400, ultimately the only front-line unit to use the Me-163 operationally.

Due to the meteoric rate of climb and limited endurance of the Komet, the Luftwaffe intended to locate individual Staffeln of Komets at strategic points in Germany to intercept Allied bomber formations en route to targets. JG 400 was initially based at Venlo, Netherlands, before moving to Brandis near Leipzig, Germany.

The Me 163B-1a fighters first flew operationally on 6 August 1944, two Me 163s reportedly claiming three North American P-51 Mustangs of the 352nd Fighter Group. JG 400 intercepted formations of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers for the first time on 16 August 1944. Leutnant Hartmut Ryll engaged the B-17s but was shot down and killed by two P-51s of the 359th Fighter Group.

On 24 August 1944, several B-17s were attacked, with Fw. Siegfred Schubert claiming two B-17s downed (another was claimed by other pilots). His wingman also downed a B-17. One Komet was shot down by bomber gunners.