by Larry A Brechner

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Messerschmitt ME-163 Komet

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The Messerschmitt ME-163 was Germany’s rocket fighter/interceptor plane and actually the only operational rocket powered fighter ever. The ME-163B went operational in mid 1944 armed with two 30mm canons and a powered flight time of only seven minutes. Positioned to intercept allied bombers, in its short combat life it was only responsible for nine victories with a loss of 14 aircraft. The ME-163B arrived at the museum in 1999. It was restored by the Canadian National Aviation Museum and during that process they discovered what appeared to have been sabotage apparently done by one of the French forced labors that would have eventually caused a fuel tank to rupture and the wing to fail in flight.

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