The Arado Ar 234 was the world's first operational jet-powered bomber, built by the German Arado company in the closing stages of World War II. Produced in very limited numbers, it was used almost entirely in the reconnaissance role, but in its few uses as a bomber it proved to be nearly impossible to intercept. It was the last Luftwaffe aircraft to fly over England during the war, in April 1945.

The Ar 234 was commonly known as Blitz ("lightning"), though this name refers only to the B-2 bomber variant. The alternate name Hecht ("pike") is derived from one of the units equipped with this aircraft, Sonderkommando Hecht.

Source: Wikipedia, "Arado Ar 234", available under the CC-BY-SA License.

As Described In

Aces Over Europe: As the world's first jet bomber, the Arado 234 was truly a revolutionary weapon. Its speed was so great that no Allied fighter could catch it. The 234 saw action starting in the summer of 1944 over Normandy.