German jet fighter Messerschmitt Me 163B COBI 5766 World War II 1:32

Did you know:

• This unique machine is an example of the desperately ingenious effort of German engineering to create a series of miraculous weapons. It must be said that they actually succeeded quite well.
• Development began with the construction of a completely new rocket engine RI‑203 as early as 1936, designed to burn a solid propellant mixture. This engine was intended for the Heinkel He 176, but the use of rocket propulsion required a tailless aircraft design.
• The project was thus handed over to the capable aircraft designer Alexander Lippisch.
• In Messerschmitt’s secret department “Section L,” the first prototype was built in 1939 and transported to the Peenemünde-West test airfield. Initial tests revealed the need to redesign the structure and switch from cold propulsion with solid fuel to a new two-component fuel with thrust control.
• In just eight months, the pre‑production prototype Me 163 A V1 was completed, already resembling the aircraft we know today.
• Test pilot H. Dittmar made the first rocket‑powered flight on September 1, 1941. During the flight he reached the unprecedented speed of 1003 km/h, breaking the previous world record of 755 km/h.
• On one hand a brilliant design, on the other a “hellish machine” that claimed several lives during testing. Heini Dittmar was severely injured, as were test pilot Hanna Reitsch and the well‑known pilot Rudolf Opitz. One particularly horrific accident occurred in 1943, which you can read about below.
• Perhaps the greatest problem was the two‑component fuel composed of concentrated hydrogen peroxide (T‑Stoff) and a mixture of methyl alcohol, hydrazine hydrate and water (C‑Stoff). The fuel was sensitive to shock and could easily ignite, which happened several times during tests. The fuel risk meant German pilots had to land on hydraulic skids only after all fuel was consumed.
• Flight duration was only 12 minutes with a range of 70–100 km. The aircraft had to attack Allied bombers at speeds 500 km/h higher than the bombers’ own speed, giving the pilot only 2.5 seconds for aiming and firing.
• The first combat deployment took place on May 13, 1944, from Bad Zwischenahn airfield. An audio recording survives of an American P‑47 Thunderbolt pilot as the Me 163 flashed by at tremendous speed. The Thunderbolt pilot spontaneously yelled, “What the hell was that?”
• The German Armaments Office ultimately ordered 70 pre‑series aircraft. By war’s end, about 370 units had been assembled at Hans Klemm’s factory in Böblingen.
• The Me 163 was so technologically advanced that the Allies were unable to duplicate or utilize this technology for several years after the war.

Technical Specifications:

• Dimensions: wingspan 9.33 m, length 5.7 m, height 2.75 m
• Empty weight: 1905 kg
• Maximum takeoff weight: 4310 kg
• Powerplant: Walter HWK 109‑509 A‑2 rocket motor, thrust 1–17 kN
• Maximum speed: 960 km/h
• Service ceiling: 12,100 m
• Rate of climb: 3666 m/min
• Range: 40 km (8 minutes)
• Armament: 2× MK 108 cannons, 30 mm (60 rounds total)
• Crew: 1
• Fuel capacity: C‑Stoff 468 kg + T‑Stoff 1550 kg

From the memoirs of Me 163 mechanic Bernard “Ben” Hohmann:

“The pressure to get prototypes flown was unbearable and unnecessary. Because of the high expectations, serious accidents occurred. One horrific accident in particular remains in my memory. The unfortunate pilot was Lieutenant Josef Pöh s. On December 30, 1943, he took off in the Messerschmitt Me 163. Shortly after lifting off, we saw that he was in serious trouble. From the ground, we watched the cockpit fill with a milky fog. The pilot banked into a wide turn in an attempt at an emergency landing, which he actually managed. To be honest, we were reluctant to help him. We knew there had been a fuel leak, and such a malfunction always ended in a spectacular explosion. But not this time. When we finally dared to approach the aircraft and opened the cockpit canopy, we saw something we will never forget. The action of the strong acid in the fuel and the concentrated peroxide had left almost nothing of the pilot. Only a semi‑liquid mass at the bottom of the cockpit remained, from which a few bones and a metal clasp protruded.”