The Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a: A Captured Komet

     The Messerschmitt Me 163 “Komet” was the world’s first operational rocket fighter, entering combat for the first time with the test unit Erprobungskommando 16 on May 13, 1944. Because of the highly limited endurance (7.5 minutes of powered flight), the Me 163 was deployed as a point defense fighter, flying from bases close to known Allied bomber flight paths. The high speed while under power meant interception of the Me 163 was difficult at best. The combat service of the Me 163, taken as a whole, was underwhelming. When Me 163 bases were discovered, bombers would simply fly around them, out of range of the Komet. The high speed, while giving defending escorts fits, meant the Me 163 pilot had mere seconds to line up a bomber, fire, and bank away to avoid collision. Only the most skilled pilots could achieve hits. Finally, once the fuel was used up, the Me 163 was no more than a glider and so the Allied fighters would attack Komet bases before the Me 163s could sortie or would simply wait until the Me 163s expended their fuel and would “bounce” them as they glided back to their base.

     This particular Komet, a Me 163B-1a (the type most deployed in combat), belonged to II.Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400) [II/JG 400]. It carried the Werk Nummer (Work Number) 191301 and was captured by the U.S. and given the Foreign Equipment (FE) number 500 (FE-500). The plane was sent to Freeman Field in the U.S. and while there, was refurbished to make it ready for flight testing. On April 12, 1946, FE-500 was air freighted in a Fairchild C-82 Packet to Muroc, CA (now Edwards Air Force Base). Once there, the FE number was replaced with a “T-2” number after the Technical Data Laboratory (which evaluated Axis aircraft) became part of the T-2 Intelligence section. Starting on May 3, 1946, T-2-500 underwent numerous unpowered gliding flights, being towed into the air by a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Nearly all of the flights were carried out by Gustav E. Lundquist (seen here in the cockpit). T-2-500, although the highly reactive fuels T-Stoff and C-Stoff were available, did not fly under power as it was discovered that the laminate on the wooden wings was failing and so T-2-500 was put into storage, ending up in Silver Hill in 1954. 

     The aircraft was put on public display in unrestored condition but in 1996, the aircraft was lent to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum who restored the Komet. In 2011, it was returned to the Smithsonian and is currently on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.