 In January 1943 , JG 54 started converting to the agile Focke @-@ Wulf 190 fighter . With the new aircraft , Nowotny scored at an unprecedented " kill " rate , often averaging more than two planes a day for weeks on end . As of 1 February 1943 , Nowotny , Karl Schnörrer , – Nowotny 's wingman since late 1942 – Anton <unk> and Rudolf Rademacher , formed a team known as the " chain of devils " ( <unk> ) or the Nowotny Schwarm , which during the course of the war was credited with 524 combined kills , making them the most successful team in the Luftwaffe . 
