This Komet was formerly shown on the 'White 54' page. During its dismantling process at Freeman Field it was fitted with the tail of 'White 54', which led to predictable results. But after it was established that the tail of 'White 54' had also been fitted to 'White 42', suspicion rose about the identity of this aircraft. Soon it turned out it indeed was another Komet. The mottle camouflage was different, it had a pitot boom, it seemed to have MK 108 armament, and it had later type cooling slots in the rear fuselage. Unfortunately no information on the identity of this Komet is known; no Werknummer, Stammkennzeichen or code is known. Therefore it will be simply identified as the 'Freeman Field Komet'.

Germany, 1945

Thanks to David E. Brown of Experten Decals, we can now trace back the 'Freeman Field Komet' to Germany! It is seen here being loaded aboard a C-46 Commando, possibly for direct transportation to the USA. Note that the location appears to be the very same hangar apron as seen in the seven Komets on trucks photo. That would make Merseburg a likely location for this photo. Husum is another possibility.

Freeman Field

The following set of photos give a good impression of a late-series Komet, including its camouflage and markings. The disassembly took place at Freeman Field, where a number of German aircraft were collected and studied. A page dedicated to Freeman Army Air Field, part of James West's extensive Indiana Military Organization web site, shows a large number of photos of these aircraft.

Sources to be checked

Through James West of the extensive Indiana Military Organization web site, the following possible interesting sources were identified:

• 'Forgotten Fields' by Lou Thole (two volumes)

• a 22 minute VHS tape of the 1945 Air Show at Freeman exists, featuring the enemy aircraft

• the Freeman Museum has an extensive collection of photos

• (Note: there is hardly any written documentation of Freeman Field and enemy planes in 1946. Most all refer to day-to-day activities of a normal airbase)

Me 163B 'White 42'

A row of seven trucks loaded with Komets, somewhere in East Germany, possibly Merseburg. The two wartime hangars that now remain at Merseburg are of a different type though.

The first ('White 42'), third and fifth aircraft all have the same 13. or 14. Staffel badge. 'White 42' and the fifth Komet have the same nose ring, which appears to be yellow with a white edge. The fuselage camouflage of numbers 1, 4 and 5 is clearly the mottle type; the 6th one could be in a solid camouflage. All of them have mottled tails (the 6th can't be seen however). The third aircraft has a unique 'snake' mottling on its tail, never seen before on a Komet. The second aircraft appears to have a non-standard radio antenna: it's narrower, and perpendicular to the fuselage, instead of canted. It is however possible the aircraft is rolled to the right, which would also explain the squashed appearance of the canopy and fuselage. The trucks are GMC 2 1/2 tons 6x6 'Jimmies'.

Photograph kindly provided by Shamus Reddin of the Walter web site

http://www.sml.lr.tudelft.nl/~home/rob/me163/wh42-01.htm

 WILLI MESSERSCHMITT, who ought to know, says that his Me-163 was interesting only as an experiment. It could attain a speed, he says, of 625 miles per hour at any altitude up to its service ceiling of 50,000 feet but he admits that an operational range of not more than ten minutes limited its utility. Messerschmitt’s lukewarm appraisal is qualified by Goering’s statement that Professor Lippisch, designer of the plane, and Messerschmitt bickered constantly. Their personal differences retarded development of the 163 and a shortage of C Stoff (a solution of hydrazine hydrate in methanol) made it necessary to abandon production.

Like other unorthodox weapons to make their frantic appearance in late 1944 and early 1945, the Me-163, nicknamed the “Comet,” was conceived prior to the war.  Designed for the defense of specific targets, it could take off quickly in a short distance and climb to 30,000 feet in less than 3 minutes.  Like “Natter” it was powered by a Walter liquid-rocket unit which in addition to the critical C Stoff burned concentrated hydrogen peroxide, called T Stoff.

The Comet’s wooden, plywood-covered wings are of special swept-back design with a marked wash-out of incidence towards the tip. The fuselage is of metal construction. “Elevons” which serve both as elevators and ailerons are located outboard in the wings; there are no horizontal tail surfaces.

First reported as a flying wing, the Comet was presumably flown with the pilot in prone position. Examination of a captured model revealed that the cockpit, although narrow, was of conventional design.  Armor includes a nose cone constructed of 15-mm plate.

Laminated bullet-resisting glass gives the pilot added protection from frontal attack. Two triangular plates comprise the side cock­pit armor. No provision is made for defense against attack from the rear except the plane’s high speed.

In general, the 163 proved more dangerous to the Luftwaffe than to Allied bomber formations.  Five sorties was considered the maximum life expectancy of pilots assigned to Comet squadrons. Take-off was made in a manner similar to that employed on the Ar-234. The undercarriage is jettisoned and landing is made on retractable skids. Fields are said to have been marked off like a football gridiron; if a given RPM was not reached according to these markings, the pilot, knowing that he was certain to crash, climbed out on the wing and opened his parachute. Take-off casualties were high. As landings were frequently made after the 336-gallon fuel load was exhausted, pilots were given special glider training before taking on the 163. Like the Ar-234 it was equipped with a parachute tail brake and landing speeds were surprisingly slow.

Official top speed of the Comet, contrary to Messerschmitt’s statement, is 550 mph at 20,000 feet and above. Armament consists of two 30-mm cannon, one in each wing root, firing a total of 120 rounds. Normal flying weight of the 163 is 9,500 pounds; wing span is just over 30 feet, length, slightly under 20.

A slightly larger modification, designated the Me-163C, is equipped with an auxiliary cruising jet and pressurized cabin. it is faster by 40 mph, weighing 11,280 pounds and has a ceiling of 10 miles.