Kommando Nowotny was a Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

 fighter

Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

 Gruppe formed during the last months of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 for testing and establishing tactics for the Messerschmitt Me 262

Messerschmitt Me 262

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...

 jet fighter, and was created and first commanded by Walter Nowotny

Walter Nowotny

Major Walter "Nowi" Nowotny was an Austrian-born German fighter ace of World War II. He is credited with 258 aerial victories in 442 combat missions...

, from whom it drew its name.

History

Kommando Nowotny was formed on 26 September 1944 in Achmer

Bramsche

Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...

 and Hesepe

Bramsche

Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...

 with Stab/Kommando Nowotny from Stab III./Zerstörergeschwader 26

Zerstörergeschwader 26

Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel" was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:Zerstörergeschwader 26 was formed in early 1936 from the Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel". The Geschwaderstab and I. Gruppe was located in Dortmund, II. Gruppe in Werl and III....

 (ZG 26), 1./Kommando Nowotny from 9./ZG 26, 2./Kommando Nowotny from 8./ZG 26 and 3./Kommando Nowotny (new). Thus its strength was 3 Staffeln and a Stab flight.

On 3 October it attained operational status with a complement of about 40 Me 262-1A jet interceptors. Over the next month and a half the unit operated against allied aircraft, while at the same time trying to establish proper tactics for a Jet fighter unit. It also had to deal with many technical problems plaguing the unproven Me 262.

The unit was the first to realise that a dedicated protection-squadron of single piston-engined, single-seat fighters like the Bf 109

Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...

 and FW 190 were a necessity for the jets, as the Me 262 could not manoeuver or accelerate well at low speeds, and thus was a sitting duck for any allied fighters nearby during take-off and landing.

Due to the experimental nature of the unit, and the technical difficulties in operating the jet fighters, the unit had a less than illustrious record. A total of 22 enemy aircraft were claimed for a loss of 26 Me 262s. Shortly after Walter Nowotny's death on 8 November, the unit was redesignated III./Jagdgeschwader 7

Jagdgeschwader 7

Jagdgeschwader 7 Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II and the first operational jet fighter wing in the world.It was created late in 1944 and served until the end of the war in May 1945, and it operated the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter exclusively.JG 7 was formed under the...

 (JG 7) on 19 November, and therefore ceased to exist as an independent unit.

Losses

W.Nr.	Date	Fate	Pilot
170044	4 October 1944	Engine failure on landing at Hesepe Bramsche Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...  75% damage	Oberleutnant Alfred Teumer Alfred Teumer Alfred Teumer was a German Luftwaffe flying ace during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...  killed in flying accident
170292	5 October 1944	out fuel resulting in an emergency landing on the Autobahn near Braunschweig Braunschweig Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....  10% damage	Oberfeldwebel Helmut Baudach Helmut Baudach Heinz-Helmut Baudach was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II...
110405	7 October 1944	shot down during takeoff	Leutnant Gerhard Kobert
110395	7 October 1944		Oberfähnrich Heinz Russel
170307	7 October 1944	shot down during takeoff	Oberfeldwebel Heinz Arnold Heinz Arnold Heinz Arnold was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace. He is credited with 49 aerial victories including seven victories claimed flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter....
110402	12 October 1944	out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Bramel 10% damage	Feldwebel Helmut Lennartz Helmut Lennartz Helmut Lennartz was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 13 aerial victories, including eight victories while flying the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter...
110399	13 October 1944		Oberingenieur Leithner
110401	13 October 1944		Oberfähnrich Heinz Russel
170041	4 October 1944	Undercarriage failure during landing at Braunschweig Braunschweig Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser.... -Waggum	Hauptmann Franz Schall Franz Schall Franz Schall was a German World War II fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
110388	12 October 1944	out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Steenwyk 15% damage	Oberleutnant Paul Bley
110387	29 October 1944		Leutnant Alfred Schreiber Alfred Schreiber Alfred Schreiber , nicknamed "Bubi", was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace. He is noted for claiming the first aerial victory by a jet fighter in aviation history. He was born in Keplachowitz....
110481	28 October 1944	Crashed on takeoff at Achmer Bramsche Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...  99% damage	Oberleutnant Paul Bley killed in flying accident
110419			Hauptmann Franz Schall Franz Schall Franz Schall was a German World War II fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
110386			Oberfähnrich Willi Banzhaff
110368	2 November 1944		Unteroffizier Zöllner
170278	2 November 1944		Oberfeldwebel Siegfried Göbel
170310	4 November 1944		Oberfeldwebel Zander
110403	4 November 1944		Oberfeldwebel Siegfried Göbel
110483	4 November 1944		Oberfähnrich Willi Banzhaff killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
110389	6 November 1944	unknown 50% damage	Leutnant Spangenberg
170045	6 November 1944	Undercarriage failure at Hesepe Bramsche Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...	Feldwebel Erich Büttner Erich Büttner Erich Büttner was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with eight aerial victories while flying the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter becoming one of the first jet aces in aviation history. On 8 November 1944 Büttner was the designated wingman of Leutnant Franz...
110402	6 November 1944	out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Ahlhorn 30% damage	Oberfeldwebel Freutzer
110490	6 November 1944	out fuel resulting in an emergency landing near Bremen Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...  30% damage	Feldwebel Helmut Lennartz Helmut Lennartz Helmut Lennartz was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 13 aerial victories, including eight victories while flying the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter...
110400	8 November 1944	Crash after aerial combat 100% damage	Major Walter Nowotny Walter Nowotny Major Walter "Nowi" Nowotny was an Austrian-born German fighter ace of World War II. He is credited with 258 aerial victories in 442 combat missions...  killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
110404	8 November 1944	Engine flameout Flameout A flameout refers to the failure of a jet engine caused by the extinction of the flame in the combustion chamber. It can be caused by a number of factors, including fuel exhaustion; compressor stall; insufficient oxygen supply; foreign object damage ; severe inclement weather; and mechanical...  at an altitude of 9000m after aerial combat 100% damage (bail out)	Hauptmann Franz Schall Franz Schall Franz Schall was a German World War II fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
170293	8 November 1944	Blown tire on takeoff 35% damage	Feldwebel Erich Büttner Erich Büttner Erich Büttner was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with eight aerial victories while flying the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter becoming one of the first jet aces in aviation history. On 8 November 1944 Büttner was the designated wingman of Leutnant Franz...