A Photographic Examination of the Me 163Bs sent to the USA

[Karoband]

no photograph

70. Baugher, Franks and Butler all mention Me 163Bs in the U.S.A. designated "FE502/T2-502" and "FE503/T2-503". While this is not scientific evidence, in my opinion, Americans love their cameras. The large number of photos of "White 54", "191301" and "White 42" taken in America substantiates that statement. For me, the lack of photos of the other two Komets leads me to the conclusion that they were never uncrated and reassembled. T2-502 was documented 17 May 1946 as being at Freeman Field and on 25 September 1946 to be "scrapped for spare parts", Franks, p. 19, and Butler, p.239.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1981

71. The origin and fate of "T2-503" is so far undocumented. In 1946, the Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, New York, was developing a rocket-powered aircraft, the XS-1, which was expected to surpass the speed of sound. Their chief test pilot was Jack Woolams, seen here with the second prototype. Woolams made nine glider flights in the XS-1 between 25 January and 15 March 1946 being dropped from a specially modified B-29. Bell Aircraft was very slow and meticulous in the testing and modification and the first powered flight was not scheduled until October 1946. Woolams would have wanted actual experience of powered rocket flight before then. Unfortunately, the delamination of the wings of "T2-500" at Muroc made that more difficult. Both Franks, p. 19, and Butler, p. 229, refer to documentation that on 1 August 1946, "T2-503" was to be made serviceable "pending transfer to the Bell Aircraft Corporation".
In testing the souped-up Bell P-39Q on 30 August 1946 in preparation for the National Air races in Cleveland the next day, Woolams was killed when he crashed into Lake Ontario. Butler reports: "it is probable that the Bell test programme of the Me 163 was cancelled. There is no further record of this Me 163."

On p. 239, Butler makes reference to a "W.Nr. 191190" being one of the Me 163s in the U.S.A.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1982

72. Finally, this is my speculation to date of the identities of the Me 163Bs on the trucks at Merseburg.

[edwest2]

I would be cautious with speculation even after labeling it as such. A large number of technical intelligence teams were in Germany prior to it being divided into East and West. Wright Field had issued a list of aircraft it wanted, which was shared with the British. Those aircraft were found at various dispersal points, some near the autobahn which was being used in the final days for takeoffs and landings. Also, all of these aircraft were under camouflage, whether it was tree branches or netting. Allied aerial reconnaissance missions were winding down.

I highly doubt anything was left uncrated. During the war, captured aircraft were being sent to Wright Field for evaluation. At the end of the war, captured documents and German personnel were sent there as well. I have a partial list of these documents. The authors were given as a first initial followed by a last name, such as A. Schwartz. Wright Field consisted of a number of departments of which no comprehensive published history exists. As Phil Butler pointed out in War Prizes, he had to go through a number of file cards which were unproductive along with those that were.

I stumbled across photos of the Lippisch DM-1 being removed from its shipping crate. These were held by NASA.

It would be wrong to assume that these aircraft were all exhibited at special events where Americans took pictures. Some were considered secret and kept from the prying eyes of the new enemy, the Soviet Union.

It is also wrong to assume everything is online. That is definitely not the case when it involves highly specialized subject matter. And in some cases, things are not findable using average search words or in some convenient form. A certain amount of patience is needed when searching through NARA in the U.S. for example. As Phil Butler noted, a lot of material needs to be gone through to get to the desired item. Some material from the war is still classified. This is further complicated by documents completing declassification review but being released in batches with less than descriptive headings. Example: Documents of the U.S. Naval Attache, January to December, 1943. My example may or may not contain any desired information but that requires going over two or more linear feet of documents. The U.S. Navy is often overlooked as a place where aircraft were tested and evaluated.