The Truth About the "Original Red Comet": The Messerschmitt Me 163

This bright red aircraft is certainly flashy, but it was unpopular with its pilot, and the maintenance crew who painted it were scolded. Why did this happen? In this installment, we will talk about this small, red airplane.

◆ Incredible Speed! The Me 163 Komet

This aircraft has neither a propeller nor an air intake (a device for sucking in air). That's right, it is neither a piston-engine plane nor a jet. It is the world's first and only rocket-powered interceptor fighter developed by Germany.
Its name is Messerschmitt Me 163, commonly known as the Komet (meaning comet).
In a test in October 1941, it recorded a maximum speed of 1,011 km/h, which was more than 300 km/h faster than the average maximum speed of fighters at the time. It was on the verge of reaching the sound barrier!
The German Air Ministry was so amazed by its incredible high-speed performance that they decided to adopt it before even evaluating its practical utility.
The developer was Dr. Alexander Lippisch. It was like a parting gift from his time at the Messerschmitt company, but research and development for its practical use continued, and it finally entered combat on May 14, 1944. Incidentally, since it lacks a horizontal stabilizer, it is classified as a tailless aircraft. The design is surprisingly difficult. Aircraft that even lack a vertical stabilizer are called flying wings.
The unit was the 16th Test Unit, and the pilot was Captain Wolfgang Späte. It is said that it was painted when the Captain, who was also the commander, boarded it himself.

◆ The Truth About the "Red Comet"

On the day the Me 163B's first combat sortie was decided, this aircraft, which had only flown under its own power five times, was painted bright red.
You can understand it during experiments, but why was it painted red when it was time for the real thing?
It seems the maintenance crew of the test unit got carried away and decided, "Let's paint it bright red in honor of the great World War I ace, Richthofen." This was truly the birth of the red Komet, or "Red Comet."
Richthofen was an ace pilot who shot down 80 planes in World War I. He was an ace among aces, known by nicknames like "The Red Baron" and "The Red Devil" because he painted his aircraft a bright crimson.
It is said that Char Aznable's "Red Comet" from Gundam was also inspired by this.

The Red Baron motorcycle brand is also famous, isn't it?

In the past, the medieval knight-like intimidation of painting it bright red to strike fear into the enemy and show off one's presence to both friend and foe with a flashy appearance might have been effective.
However, this outdated, flashy paint job greatly displeased Captain Späte. His reasoning was that if it stood out this much, it would be an easy target when returning after running out of fuel! Since the paint used weighed 18 kg, it also caused unnecessary fuel consumption. It is said that he ordered it to be repainted to its original color as soon as he returned.

◆ The Rocket Plane Me 163B: More Dangerous to Friends Than Enemies

Now, a common story about this Komet is that the fuel is dangerous and that pilots who were bathed in the liquid in accidents would melt. It was also featured in Leiji Matsumoto's comic "The Cockpit."
In reality, the fuel and oxidizer were extremely explosive and corrosive, and the crew and maintenance staff were exposed to life-threatening dangers even when not in combat. It is said that test pilot Lieutenant Josef Pöhs was dissolved by the leaking T-Stoff fuel while he was unconscious from the impact of landing (;°皿°)

◆ The Comet's Combat and the Allure of High-Speed Aircraft

The reliability of the rocket engine was also low, and it is said that the rocket engine was prone to stopping due to the effects of acceleration during dogfights. Like the jet fighter Messerschmitt Me 262, it would enter a gliding state when preparing to land, making it easy prey for enemy fighters.
Also, emergency landings and crashes due to sudden explosions or malfunctions occurred frequently. Since landing was done using a skid like a belly landing, it is said that there were many accidents during that time as well. It was a rather unfortunate result where there were more casualties from accidents than actual combat results.
Its combat achievements were only a few planes. To avoid this interceptor, which only had an endurance of about 7 minutes, the U.S. military also adopted detour tactics, and it contributed almost nothing to air defense battles.

However, despite being such a dangerous fighter, the pilots were apparently captivated by the allure of the world's fastest high-speed performance, which was close to the speed of sound, and loved the aircraft, calling it the "allure of a femme fatale," which is quite something.
The U.S. military was the same. The U.S. military, which took note of this phenomenal high-speed performance, tracked down Dr. Lippisch, who designed the aircraft, and invited him through Operation Paperclip (the code name for a series of operations that brought excellent German scientists from Germany to the United States) to participate in the development of tailless aircraft.
Dr. Lippisch thus moved to the United States and joined the development of tailless aircraft at Convair. It is said that the results of this research became the foundation for developing Convair's F-106 Delta Dart and B-58 Hustler.
Even if it did not produce results, its technical prowess would contribute greatly to the post-war aircraft industry.

You can see valuable footage from that time here.