Sonderkommando Elbe " Sonderkommando " " " ELBE " " was the name of a World War II Luftwaffe task force assigned to bring down Allied bombers by ramming German aircraft into them mid - air , with the desperate strategic aim of causing the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces to halt or at least reduce their air campaign against Germany . History . Sonderkommando literally means " special command " , and Elbe is one of the main rivers in Germany . While the " Luftwaffe " had a ready supply of airplanes at this point in the war , well - trained pilots and fuel were two components in short supply . Despite the grim prospects of survival of such a mission , the unit was not a true " suicide unit " in that the pilots were expected to either attempt to bail out just before colliding with the Allied aircraft , or attempt to bail out after colliding . This is quite unlike the Japanese " kamikaze " attacks against Allied ships in the Pacific Theatre , in which Japanese forces loaded their pilots ' aircraft with explosives , most often within the structure of the aircraft , and therefore had no chance of survival , as the explosives detonated with the crash of the aircraft itself - purpose - designed into the nose of the dedicated Ohka rocket - powered suicide aircraft . The closest airframe design that Germany ever developed in purpose to the " Ohka " was the Reichenberg R - IV manned version of the pulsejet - powered V - 1 flying bomb . The aircraft of choice for this mission was usually a later G - version ( " Gustav " ) of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 , stripped of armor and armament . The heavily stripped - down planes had one synchronized machine gun ( usually a single MG 131 in the upper engine cowling ) instead of up to four automatic weapons ( usually including a pair of 20mm or 30mm underwing - mount autocannon ) on fully equipped Bf 109G interceptors , and were only allotted 60 rounds each , a normally otherwise insufficient amount for bomber - interception missions . To accomplish their mission , Sonderkommando Elbe pilots would typically aim to ram one of three sensitive areas on the bombers : the empennage with its relatively delicate control surfaces , the engine nacelle s which were connected to the highly explosive fuel system , or the cockpit itself . One of the most famous reports of cockpit ramming was against a Consolidated B - 24 Liberator heavy bomber , nicknamed " " Palace of Dallas " " , along with another bomber that the German plane careened into after slicing the cockpit of the " " Palace of Dallas " " . Adding to the last - ditch nature of this task force , the only mission was flown on 7 April 1945 by a sortie of 180 Bf 109s . While only 15 Allied bombers were attacked in this manner , eight were successfully destroyed . History . Similarities to Japanese " kamikaze " units . Unlike that of Japan , Germany ′ s geographical position did not allow mass self - sacrificing attacks on enemy troops and installations . The largest targets that Germans were able to hit with ramming tactics were Allied four - engined bombers and some strategic bridges over the Oder , with their " Mistel " composite attack aircraft . Order of battle . Successful missions . Rank / Name / Former Unit e / a Unit Status " Luftwaffe " records claim at least 22 - 24 American aircraft fell victim to the " Sonderkommando Elbe " unit .