Me-163 “Komet”

The Me-163 was an extremely daring weapon experiment. This Wunderwaffe was extremely dangerous to fly, in part because it was a flying rocket with a skid for landing gear rather than a true jet aircraft. The wheels would detach during takeoff, and landing would require the pilot to use a skid to land the plane on the runway.

The dangerous operation of this aircraft was exacerbated by the highly volatile rocket propellant known as "T-Stoff," which resulted in numerous mishaps, including the death of Oberleutnant and fighter ace Josef Pöhs.

Because the aircraft was rocket-powered, it could reach incredible speeds that were unheard of at the time. It was the first piloted aircraft to exceed 1,000 kilometers per hour, and its current record speed is 1,130 kilometers per hour (700mph). In comparison, the P51-Mustang, a very fast prop-driven aircraft, had a top speed of 440 miles per hour (708kph).

Only 370 Me-163s were ever built, and despite their revolutionary design and incredible speed, their performance was disappointing. Ten aircraft were lost in combat, whereas the Me-163 shot down between nine and eighteen Allied planes.