The development and rigorous flight testing of the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet are documented extensively in the Luftwaffe test centre Arbeitsberichte works reports originating from the central testing ground (Erprobungsstelle) at Rechlin. These primary documents trace the developmental history of the aircraft from its early glider tests to its operational deployment as the world's first combat rocket-propelled interceptor. The Bundesarchiv manages the original military records for the Technical Air Armament directorate via their online Invenio Database. Using the archival signature RL 3 specific technical reports and test records related to the Komet can be retrieved while the Rechlin test and work reports are also available for download. While specific Rechlin test logs and technical handbooks are officially catalogued, direct digital downloads require navigating specific archival databases. If you find Invenio a little tricky, then the Archivportal-D is recommended for ease of use - it offers integrated access to various German state archives such as the deutsche digitale bibliothek from one search function, where you can locate specific entries (such as the Me 163 B-Flugzeug-Handbuch).
For independent archival research, expert resources like Rob de Bie's Me 163 Archives provide detailed inventories and breakdowns of where specific Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) documents are held; eg the Me 163 B handbook manual is available in translation as a pdf download at the NASM link on Rob's pages.
as highlighted by General der Jagdflieger Galland to the head of the Erprobungsstelle Rechlin test centre in a 'top secret' memo concerning 'Development of the Me 163 b' received on 22 June 1942...
" The General of Fighters requests....."
"...er bittet der Entwickung der Me 163 mehr als bisher geschehen vorwärts zu treiben. Als wesentliche Verzögerung haben sich die Triebswerkschwierigkeiten herausgestellt. Daneben erscheint die Lösung der Fahrwerksfrage vordringlich. Die Entwicklung einer Startshilfe ist unerlässlich. Die Frage der Luftverlegungen bedarf der Erklärung .."
..that the development of the Me 163 be pursued more vigorously than has been the case to date. The difficulties with the power plant have proved to be a major cause of delay. In addition, resolving the issue of the landing gear appears to be a matter of urgency. For increased endurance and improving takeoff characteristics the development and testing of takeoff assistance aids is essential. The questions of road transport (ie salvage) following off-airfield landings and a towing aircraft for repositioning by air (air transfers) require clarification.
One reason for re-posting some of the better images from Peter Petrick's archive is that they can be displayed at a much larger size than they were ever published - and usually without the 'moire' pattern too. Presumably one reason why they are also selling for large amounts.
The following photo of the Me 163 B V45 'PK+QP' just sold for 80 euros. Here it is having its C-Stoff tank filled. Franks states that this was the first pre-production Me 163 airframe known to have been fitted with the MK 108 cannon. Note the retractable tailwheel fairing. According to Ransom it was re-painted in August 1944 as C1+05 and later went to Brandis for armament trials.
Peenemünde-West, June 1943. Me 163 B V21 'VA+SS' with test pilot Heinrich Dittmar posing with the aircraft prior to its first 'hot' flight on June 24, 1943 with Lt. Opitz at the controls. Repros currently on offer from Oliver Rogge.
Test pilot Heini Dittmar chats with leading aviatrix Hanna Reitsch (in fur coat) some time (Franks in the latest Valiant Wings 'Airframe album' devoted to the Komet says 19 April 1944) prior to his record-breaking flight on 6 July 1944 at the controls of this Me 163 B V18 (VA+SP) powered by the new twin- chamber "cruiser" rocket motor which enabled the craft to achieve 1130 km/h or 702 mph, an 'unofficial' world speed record..
With only very limited endurance (seven and a half minutes of powered flight) the Me 163 was never more than a dedicated point defense interceptor. Various attempts were made to improve the short flight time. The aircraft in these screen captures (excerpts from the rocket.aero video "Wings of Fire" posted on youtube and similar stills published in 'Warbirds Photo Album' Vol. 6) was an otherwise standard 'B' airframe 'VA+SP' which in the early summer of 1944 was fitted with a more advanced version of the 509 A rocket engine, the 509 B, which featured two separate combustion chambers of differing sizes, one above the other, for greater efficiency. The main combustion chamber or Hauptofen of the 509 B engine used for the V6 and V 18 utilised the same cube-shaped frame occupying the same location as the A-series' engine, with the lower Marschofen "cruise chamber" housed within the retractable tailwheel's appropriately widened ventral tail fairing beneath the exhaust thrust tube. There is a decent image showing this in the new Valiant Wings Airframe Album devoted to the Komet or alternatively on the walterwerke.co.uk page here. On 6 July 1944, the Me 163 B V18 (VA+SP) was flight tested for the first time. This test almost ended catastrophically but the power boost provided by the second 'cruise' motor broke the world speed record (unofficially). William Green's 1971 book "Rocket Fighter" details the 'world record' flight as having taken place on 6 July 1944. His text is unequivocal that the pilot who flew Komet V 18 that day out over the Baltic with "both rocket chambers functioning" was Rudolph Opitz. The pilot in these screen grabs is obviously Dittmar and not Opitz, although it should be stressed that these shots may not show the 6 July flight. Dittmar had just spent the best part of two years in hospital, recuperating following a 1942 'crash' landing. The record-breaking flight began normally enough, but the rate of climb began to increase rapidly with the pilot soon finding himself exceeding the critical Mach number of the aircraft at above 16,000 feet. Dittmar cut power to the motor, causing a steep dive from which he only just managed to recover. It was later determined that the V 18 had reached a speed of 1130 km/h or 702 miles an hour. Upon landing back at Peenemunde it was found that the aircraft had almost completely lost its rudder. (photo in Green's account - Ransom and Camann's Classic title (2002) shows the same illustration of the V 18's rudder on Volume 1, Page 97, but, state that this occurred on a flight of 23rd December 1943, also flown by Heini Dittmar, and although this airframe was later used for assisted take-off rocket tests, they state this did not begin until 7th July 1944).
Below; the presumably still unmodified VA+SP getting airborne with Dittmar at the controls - unfortunately the 'Wings of Fire' commentary makes no mention whatsover of this developmental avenue. The overall single colour scheme may be RLM 76 or possibly RLM 63, close to Grau 02 but lighter..
The 509 B and 509 C rocket motors' main combustion chambers were supported by the "thrust tube" exactly as the 509 A motor's single chamber had been. They were tuned for "high power" for takeoff and climb. The added, smaller volume "lower" chamber on the two later models - dubbed Marschofen - with approximately 400 kg (880 lb) of thrust at its top performance level, was intended for more efficient, lower power cruise flight. These HWK 109–509 B and C motors could potentially improve endurance by as much as 50%. Two Me 163 Bs, models V6 and V18 (above), were experimentally fitted with the lower-thrust B-version of the new twin-chamber engine.
Below; screen captures showing PK+QP in use by Erprobungskommando 16 at Bad Zwischenahn. Captures from youtube footage taken from the rocket.aero DVD "Wings of Fire. More info here
The DVD includes footage of PK+QP landing, resting on its left wing tip during much of the landing and seen smoking from the engine and turbine after landing. It is then taken away on a Scheuch-Schlepper with inflatable bags. More on PK+QP at Rob de Brie's Me 163 Komet site
Pierre Giustiniani build of the Meng 32nd scale Komet for a forthcoming 'Wingmasters' feature..
Out yesterday the May 2017 issue of 'Aeroplane Monthly' publishes the first of a new Bott/Kightly feature entitled 'Briefing File' - the first of these looks at the Komet's rocket motor. Posted by Ian Bott at the Aviation Enthusiast Book Club on FB.
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WNr. 191454 'Yellow 11' Me 163 B Prior to the RAE Exhibition of Enemy Aircraft at Farnborough in October and November 1945, the RAF organised an exhibition of enemy aircraft in London's Hyde Park from 16-22 September 1945. The aircraft came from no.6 MU RAF Brize Norton and comprised a Me 163, He 162, Me (Bf) 108 Taifun, Bf 110 G, Fw 190, Ju 88 G and an Fi 156. It is most likely that these went back there afterwards, although the He 162 went to Canada. Most of the aircraft at Brize Norton were scrapped or put on the bonfire in 1946 or '47. According to Clive Barker, there were more than 70 enemy aircraft at Brize Norton at the end of 1947 mostly parked outside. Among others there were approximately 20 Me163s and 20 Ju 52s. The bad winter of 1946/47 took it's toll on most of the larger aircraft which were either blown over or struck by flying debris. By the end of 1948 all had been dismantled and buried in pits on site along with their regular job of disposing of surplus Spitfires, Spitefuls and Liberators.
The photograph below was used in the 13 September 1945 issue of 'Flight' magazine to illustrate the upcoming event
Over in 72 Land Kevin Callahan has finished his Special Hobby Sack AS 6. I happened to see this at the same time as Tom GF was reviewing Stephen Ransom's brief history of Brandis airfield "Zwischen Leipzig und der Mulde" at his German Aviation 1919-1945 blog Like all of Tom's recommendations this little booklet is well worth tracking down - especially as amazon.de re-sellers have copies on offer for under 10 euros. The connection is Ransom's treatment of the Sack AS 6 on page 61 of his Brandis history. He provides some fascinating information..
Circular wing aircraft planforms were all the rage in America in the 1930s and for a time post war. In fact the American "flying flapjack" flew well enough, but these designs were ultimately no more than aeronautical cul-de-sacs. The Luftwaffe 'sponsored' a similar concept - although their machine was dreamt up in his barn by a farmer, Arthur Sack from Mackern in Saxony (north-east of Leipzig). Sack was an aero-modeller who had entered his flying model in a contest in Leipzig in 1939 and where he had apparently met Ernst Udet who had encouraged him to continue his 'design' work. By early 1944 Sack had built his first piloted Kreisflügler circular wing design 'aircraft', since designated the Sack AS 6 (or the Sack AS 6 V1 according to Special Hobby). Sack then apparently persuaded the Kommandant of his local airfield to allow some developmental work to go on at his airfield - only in this case the local airfield was Flugplatz Brandis, where later that year highly secret and state-of-the-art designs such as the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163 point interceptor and the amazing forward-swept wing Junkers Ju 287 jet bomber were being test flown and operated!
Despite the presence of such a 'design' at a 'secret' test base like Brandis, the Sack AS 6 was as far removed aeronautically from these futuristic machines as it was possible to be - a plywood circular wing powered by an old Messerschmitt Bf 108 Argus engine utilising cockpit parts from a crashed Bf 109. Ground taxiing tests were performed during February 1944, with the first test proving that the rudder was not strong enough and the landing gear not fit for purpose - some structural damage ensued. Five takeoff runs were made during the second test on the 1200 metre Brandis runway during April 1944 with ATG Leipzig test pilot Baltabol at the controls. Testing continued that summer -presumably on a very ad-hoc basis - with a pilot who had some experience of tail-less aircraft trying his hand - Oblt. Franz Rösle, Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 400. These were apparently flight tests although it is doubtful whether the Sack AS 6 ever got airborne - other than a short hop - since it was clear that the 'aircraft' was under-powered. In addition the control surfaces of the flying 'beer mat ' were hopelessly inadequate since they were masked by the circular wing. Based on eye witness reports Ransom concludes that the Sack AS 6 never flew and the 'aircraft' was later broken up on the airfield for fire wood. Of course it is entirely possible that the main legacy of the Sack AS 6 was the host of rumours and myths post-war regarding German 'disc' aircraft and flying saucers...
Raketen-Jagdflugzeug (rocket fighter)Messerschmitt Me 163 A-V4 "Komet" (Kennung KE+SW) auf Flugfeld (Bundesarchiv/WikiCommons)
The Me 163 Komet was perhaps the most unique aircraft design of the Second World War. Developed from Alexander Lippisch's engine-less and tail-less glider design, a rocket-powered aircraft evolved into the distinctive swept-wing 'point interceptor' design that was as dangerous to its pilot as it was to American bombers. The clip below from the Dogfights 'Secret Weapons' programme recreates 1./JG400 rocket pilot Feldwebel Siegfried Schubert's two 'kill' sortie of 24 August 1944, following which General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland issued a memorandum declaring the Me 163 fully operational. Noted authorities Barrett Tillman and Colin Heaton analyse Schubert's sortie and discuss the evolution of the radical Komet design. Well worth viewing. Click once to watch here.
1./JG400 was established during March 1944. The highly volatile fuel mix and temperamental engines, combined with orders forbidding operational sorties put a brake on introduction of the type into 'service' until a move to Brandis in July 1944. Within weeks of the unit's arrival at Brandis 1./JG 400 was to be involved in six major combats against USAAF bomber fleets, the first taking place on 28 July 1944. The Komets were usually deployed singly or in pairs. Komets attacked at greater speeds than P-51s and P-47s could dive in an attempt to intercept them. A typical Me 163 tactic was to zoom climb through the bomber formations at 9,000 m (30,000 ft), level out at an altitude of 10,700–12,000 m (35,100–39,000 ft), then dive through the formation again. This approach afforded the pilot two brief chances to fire a few rounds from his cannon before gliding back to his airfield.
As the cockpit was unpressurized, the operational ceiling was limited by what the pilot could endure for several minutes while breathing oxygen from a mask, without losing consciousness. Pilots underwent altitude-chamber training to harden them against the rigors of operating in the thin air of the stratosphere without a pressure suit. Special low-fibre diets were prepared for pilots, as wind in the gastrointestinal tract would expand rapidly during ascent.
JG 400's mission was to provide additional protection for the Leuna synthetic fuel works which were raided particularly heavily and frequently as the USAAF moved away from city area bombing to targeting fuel production in mid-1944. A further Staffel was stationed at Stargard near Stettin to protect the large synthetic plant at Politz. Further defensive units of rocket fighters were planned for Berlin, the Ruhr and the German Bight.
The first actions involving the Me 163 occurred at the end of July, when two USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress were attacked without confirmed kills. Combat operations continued throug to early 1945. During this time, there were nine confirmed kills with 14 Me 163s lost. Feldwebel Siegfried Schubert was the most successful pilot, with three bombers to his credit.
Allied fighter pilots had soon noted the short duration of the powered flight -when the engine cut out the unpowered Komet was vulnerable. However, the Komet was extremely manoeuvrable and could pull out of a turn much later than any Allied fighter. Another Allied tactic was to attack the fields the Komets operated from and they were strafed after the Me 163s landed. Establishing a defensive perimeter with anti-aircraft guns ensured that Allied fighters avoided these bases. At the end of 1944, 91 aircraft had been delivered to JG 400 but a continuous lack of fuel had kept most of them grounded. It was clear that the original plan for a huge network of Me 163 bases was never going to happen. Up to that point, JG 400 had lost merely six aircraft due to the enemy actions. Nine were lost to other causes, remarkably low for such a revolutionary and technically advanced aircraft.
