Profile – Me 163 Komet

The Incredible Me 163 Komet

Over Germany, at five minutes past six on April 10th, 1945, Flying Officer John Melville (Slops) Haslope, an Australian serving in 165 Squadron, RAF, peers down out of the cockpit of his Mustang Ill and sees a lone German rocket fighter firing at the bombers he is escorting. It then climbs up to position itself for another attack. Haslope the other three planes in his section, drops his external fuel tanks and goes down after,t. The German pilot sees him coming and rolls over into a dive, rapidly gaining speed, but the Australian follows, determined to score a kill

By 1945, the Allied air forces held overwhelming superiority in the skies over Europe. As a fighting force the Luftwaffe had all but ceased to be effective. In terms of conventional aircraft, the British and Americans enjoyed the technical edge and swamping numerical advantages.

However, in terms of unconventional aircraft, it was a different story. Using every resource to combat the Allies, German designers, technicians and engineers delved into the world of the future and explored the possibilities of the robot, rocket and jet. Their work brought forward such advanced machines as the pilotless V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket, the jet-propelled Messerschmitt Me 262 Sturmvogel and Arado Ar 234 Blitz, and the most revolutionary of them all – the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet which was unique in being history’s only operational rocket fighter.

This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.

Login

Become a Member

To continue reading the rest of this article, please login.

Username or Email

Password Forgot password?

Keep me signed in on this device.

If you check this box before you log in, you won’t have to log back into the website next time you return, even if you close your browser and come back later.

If you check the box above before you log in, you won’t have to log back into the website next time you return, even if you close your browser and come back later.

---

or

---

Login with a Passkey

To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today!
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.

PRINT

$49.95 for 1 year Become a Member

See benefits

• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website

MOST POPULAR

PRINT + DIGITAL

$99.95 for 1 year Become a Member

$179.95 for 2 years Become a Member

See benefits

• Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
• Access to the Australian Aviation app
• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
• Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
• Daily news updates via our email bulletin

DIGITAL

$5.99 Monthly Become a Member

$59.95 Annual Become a Member

See benefits

• Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
• Access to the Australian Aviation app
• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
• Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
• Daily news updates via our email bulletin

View more offers and details