Development on the Jumo 004 began in 1939 under the direction of Anselm Franz, whose experience with turbocompressors built on the pioneering turbojet work of Hans von Ohain. The model 004A flew for the first time on 1942, but was not suitable for production because of its high weight, and large content of high-temperature alloys, which were in short supply in Germany. The 004B production model was easier to manufacture, weighed less, and utilized air cooling of the combustor, turbine blades, and exhaust nozzle. First production engines were delivered in mid-1943, and volume production began in 1944, with close to 6,000 Jumo 004 engines built by the end of World War II.

The Jumo 004 was the world's first mass-produced turbojet engine, and first to incorporate afterburning and a variable area exhaust nozzle. Although its major application was the Me 262 fighter, it also powered the Ar 234 twin-engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.