This is coolbert: Of all the weapon systems developed during World War Two, the German Me-163 rocket plane in my mind stands out for several reasons.

This German rocket plane combined the latest and most advanced at-the-time rocket technology with a low-level manner of flying, to create an aircraft that while being an expedient solution to a problem, produced some impressive results.

The Me-163 was designed as an interceptor aircraft specifically to combat the massed formations of American B-17 bombers that were devastating the cities and industry of Germany. In this role it had only limited success, but impressed with capability far ahead for it's time. Please click here to see a site about the Me-163. Note in the photos the tailless plane and swept back wings. Very advanced for it's day!!

A combat equipped Me-163 was armed with 30 mm cannon and powered by a rocket engine that was both potent and dangerous at the same time. During development, one test pilot was dissolved by the caustic fluids used in the rocket engine!!! The 30 mm cannon I believe is the same cannon used in the German night fighters. The cannon used in nightfighters that shot upwards as the night fighter made a pass under the enemy [British] bomber. A very potent weapon. Called "schrage musica" by the Germans [slanted music].

Some very fascinating and interesting observations can be inferred from the manner with which the Me-163 was employed.

The Me-163 must have been designed with pilots in mind who were proficient in the flying of gliders. Keep in mind that Germany, prior to World War Two [WW2], was not allowed by the Versailles Treaty to possess a conventional airforce. To get around this restriction, the Germans in the years prior to WW2, trained scores of pilots in gliders. Before proceeding to powered planes, German pilots were already proficient in aerial flight.

The techniques of take-off, mid-air flight, and landing of a glider can be seen as incorporated into the design of the Me-163 from the start. These incorporations allowed for the fielding of a plane much quicker, cheaper, and with less development and design than would be for a conventional aircraft.

A single combat sortie of the Me-163 would proceed as follows:


Take-off. The Me-163 did not possess landing gear [a glider has at best only a single wheel on the bottom of the fuselage and a metal skid on the nose]. Take-off without landing gear was accomplished by mounting the rocket plane on a dolly. The pilot of the rocket plane, gunning the rocket engine, would proceed down the runway until take-off speed was reached, whereupon the pilot would pull back on the stick, lift-off, and leave the dolly behind, probably still rolling down the runway from it's own forward motion. [A glider pilot being towed would balance his glider on that single wheel until enough speed had been built up for lift-off]. Taking off a Me-163 in this manner, using a dolly, would have been easy for a glider-trained pilot. The Me-163 had the very favorable advantage of being able to operate out of unimproved airfields. Most any flat grassy strip of land would do for take-offs and landings!

Mid-air flight. The Me-163 pilot, after lift off, would then throttle the rocket plane engine to full thrust and put the plane into an almost vertical climb. It was at this point that a most extraordinary thing would occur. The Me-163, in near vertical climb, on each and every take-off, would break the then existing world speed record!!! This would be in excess of 550 MPH!!! This near vertical climb is reminiscent of the very steep climb a winch towed glider pilot would assume. Being brought aloft in a glider by winch tow required a steep climb in excess of sixty degrees. Not nearly vertical, but still very steep. For a glider pilot experienced in flight by winch towing, climbing in the manner of a Me-163 take-off would be almost second nature.

Attack. Once the Me-163 pilot had reached an altitude ahead of and above an incoming bomber stream of B-17's [35,000 feet if the bomber stream was at say 30,000 feet], the pilot would then cut the engine off, push the stick forward and place the rocket plane into a steep dive, gaining momentum and speed all the way. The idea was to make a single pass at the incoming bomber stream [a column of bomber aircraft on it's way to the target was referred to as a "stream"], raking the bombers with 30 mm cannon fire. Several hits from this cannon had the capability of bringing a bomber. This attack would be made in what is called "dead-stick" mode [no power]. Flying without power, as the Me-163 pilot was doing at this moment would not be difficult for a pilot trained on gliders as the very essence of glider flight is flight without power. And in a steep dive considerable speed could be attained.

Landing. After making the attack on the bomber stream, the now powerless "dead-stick" Me-163 would return by gliding to the same base it had took off from just moments earlier. And the return flight would be made without power, relying upon the forward momentum of the rocket plane to keep up air speed for lift. This is how a glider flies. Keep the nose forward and down to keep up air speed, sustaining lift [air moving over the wings creates lift]. Landing would be done without landing gear, as has been said earlier, the rocket plane did not have landing gear. The pilot would land on the skid on the nose of the plane and brake to a stop, just as a glider pilot would do!


Mission accomplished.

It should be realized that the Me-163 did not have a great impact in combating the Allied bomber offensive against Germany. Just too few numbers of the defenders to combat the overwhelming numbers of the Allied bombers at the stage of the war when the Me-163 had it's combat introduction. But it was again, looked upon as an expedient means of combating the bomber streams, and nothing more. Just a small part of the whole. But impressive in design and development in pushing the envelope of technology. Was the shape of things to come in the future!


coolbert.