1944, the Nazi Germany introduced the first rocket-powered aircraft in human history, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet.Its design was revolutionary, and the plane was capable of performance unrivalled at the time.

As expected, the aircraft was extremely fast, and for a time, the Allied fighters were at a complete loss as what to do about it. Singly or in pairs, the Komets attacked, often faster than the opposing fighters could dive in an attempt to intercept them.

The first actions involving the Me 163 occurred at the end of July, when two USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress were attacked without confirmed kills. Combat operations continued from May 1944 to spring 1945. During this time, there were nine confirmed kills with 14 Me 163s lost. Feldwebel Siegfried Schubert was the most successful pilot, with three bombers to his credit.