Commemorative Air Force

You probably know about the Luftwaffe’s fighter aces, bomber groups and transport units. But you may never have heard of Kampfgeschwader 200, or KG 200, one of the strangest and most secretive flying units of World War II.

Formed officially in February 1944 under Lt. Col. Werner Baumbach, KG 200 became the Luftwaffe’s catch-all special operations unit. Its missions included long-range reconnaissance, inserting and supplying intelligence agents behind Allied lines, electronic warfare, experimental weapons work and other operations that did not fit neatly into conventional Luftwaffe units. Its existence and activities were kept secret even from much of the German air force.

KG 200 operated familiar German types including the Ju 52, Ju 88, Ju 188, He 111, Ju 290 and Arado Ar 232, but it also made use of captured Allied aircraft. Captured B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators were among the aircraft flown with German markings, particularly when their range or familiar silhouette offered advantages for special missions. Captured Allied aircraft were also evaluated by the Luftwaffe and, in some cases, made available to KG 200 for operational use.

Some missions were almost cinematic. KG 200 crews flew at night to drop agents and supplies deep behind Allied lines. One branch was involved in preparations for Operation Zeppelin, an extraordinary 1944 German plan to insert two Soviet agents near Moscow with the intention of assassinating Joseph Stalin. An Arado Ar 232 was used to deliver them into Soviet territory, although the assassination attempt never came close to succeeding.

The unit was also connected with some of Germany’s increasingly desperate late-war projects. Elements supported Mistel composite aircraft, radar-jamming and pathfinder operations, while personnel associated with KG 200 trained volunteers for extremely hazardous “self-sacrifice” missions using aircraft such as the piloted Reichenberg version of the V-1. Despite the popular comparison with Japanese kamikazes, the German concept did not necessarily require the pilot to die, and no entire KG 200 formation was dedicated solely to suicide missions.