as a young glider pilot at Dornier works flying club Oberpfaffenhofen (Bavaria close to Munich) in the early 1980ies i had the pleasure to have an ex. Messerschmitt 163 Comet pilot as an instructor. An enthusiastic instructor with sparkeling blue eyes stiill. His says allwaywas " Take the sun between your knees, boy!" He survived this madnes with good spirit. And i still feel to be honored to have had one of these crazy Comet pilots as my flight instructor.
That is an amazing story. I get goose bumps wondering what would have happened if Hitler had given another 12 to 24 months before launching Barbarossa. Likely due to the industrial capacity of the US, the war would still have ended with a German defeat but it would have been much harder to achieve and costs thousands more lives. Unless the Nazi's working on the A-Bomb had made one operational before we did. Thank you for putting this footage and historical detail into it. I am still amazed by what the Germans achieved in technology in the early 1940's. My grandfather was in the US Navy and did not survive the war. He is at rest at the US National Cemetery Presidio overlooking San Francisco bay. Lets not forget so we don't repeat the same mistake in Ukraine.
they had a lot of enthusiasm for a plane whose power made it "far too fast for its weapons"--** to be truly useful for maximum hits and destruction. good for future technology development. and cool TH-cam Videos -- i bet they got lots of german Pussy ! **** ( yes i am a Misogynistic Pig. *** Which is the best pig Species.)
I have had a PC game "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe", which was then a guite good air combat simulator. In SWOTL's aircraft collection was Me 163 Komet too. Difficulties by high speed flying was evident, as in this video. My popular "Kiste" was Bf 109 G, against P-47 "Trunkenbold" (and P-51). I succeeded to develop some tactics to get rid with those red nosed 7-ton brutes. In my opinion SWOTL was very good, I enjoyed greatly with it. P-51 B with "seven mile boots" was a great solution by US, according to "Schutzbegleitjäger" problem. Me 262 with its cannon arsenal against the "Viermots", yes. I liked Gotha Go-229, although it was hypotethical to be true. Great times, with Jagdgeschwadern! Halsundbeinbruch, and thanks of your vids. Best wishes from "Hauptmann Linke".
@@brunothepug8807 hitler and germany should have gone to goebbels total war footing and war produvction mentality on 1 October 1939. then even greater acceleration after june 15, 1940 and hitler should have thought of a possible slowing of advance and his Heer Could have had winter gear in hand on 1 OCTOBER 1941.
Maybe the rock paper cissors concept emboldened them. Believing in superior technology that obsoletes the defense of the enemy with extraordinary speed probably motivated them to engage overwhelming numbers.
I was at a cocktail party in Williamsburg, VA in the early 90’s when I had a conversation with a retired USAF general. He was 90yrs old, but totally charming and funny. He flew P-47s in WWII and had one kill in air-to-air combat before the war ended. “The first jet I ever saw I shot it down.” It was a ME-163. Apologies, but I can’t remember the general’s name, but I think he retired as a three-star. I wish I had spent more time with him- could listen to his stories for hours.
@@kommentarepostenwill lol, it wasn’t Chuck Yeager. I’ve heard Chuck Yeager at a USAF Dinning-In when I was flying F-4Es. Chuck wasn’t half as funny or interesting as the general I was talking with in Williamsburg. Anyone who’s heard Yeager speak will agree. American hero, absolutely, but a boring story teller.
Great job. Years ago, I read up on the 163 Comet, and the Wikipedia article claimed that no bombers were ever shot down by the Comets. I am grateful for your research.
Actually not. Add up what the program cost in money and lives, consider what was coming their way, and you might realise that it was one of the stupidest military decisions ever made. Unless you're a wehraboo, then you'd not see it.
ON HINDSIGHT majority of the effort put into these wunderwaffe weapons was wasted. It would've been WAY more efficient to keep on producing bf 109's and FW 190's...
@@dougerrohmer Development started already in 1938 before the war even started. And a fast, small and cheap interceptor was exactly what Germany would have needed later. Only an idiot would not have continued this production.
@@janp5880 Frank Whittle, the actual inventor of the turbojet engine, sent his concept to the Air Ministry in 1929. Even with more support that the German government gave their boffins on the subject, it still took a very long time to get a working prototype. 1939 was too late. But for the sake of the discussion, if in early in 1943 Germany had 1000 ME262's and 2000 trained pilots, as well as enough fuel and also replacement aircraft and pilots coming through, it might have delayed the strategic bombing campaign (until the Allies got the Meteor up), which may have delayed the end of the war. But Germany couldn't do it - they didn't have the capacity, and their decisions were being made by a bunch of yes men sucking up to an infantry lance corporal.
a better result than most speak of. plus i didnt know they could restart the engines. lucky they were never deployed en masse. must have been an amazing sight to even see one in flight. great video thankyou!
EXCELLENT video, as usual. The graphics and the real time video, all these elements add veracity to this historical event. Keep on paying tribute to aviation history and the airmen who fought for their respecive countries. THANKS. Greetings from Mexico City (an Airline Pilot - Ret.)
I posted this comment under your previous Me-163 video. It still holds true... *_"Of all the advanced weapons Germany developed during World War II, the_** Komet **_has always amazed me the most."_*
Amazing, yes. Exceptionallhy dangerous to its pilots and ground crews, doubly so. In some respects it was also almost too fast for its own good, with very limited endurance and a pair of slow-firing heavy cannon - it took an expert shot to get many hits with that armament. One intriguing innovation, which is of special interest, is a set of upward firing unguided rockets mounted in the centre section, that were fired by a light-sensitive cell trigger. When the Komet passed under the 'Fat Dog' (Luftwaffe slang for US bomber), the shadow of the bigger bomber triggered the cell trigger and the volley of rockets fired oliquely upwards - at least one US bomber was destroyed using this innovative method but it was never tried en masse.
@@xj900ukNot en masse but the methode wasn't that exceptional also. The Luftwaffe used it with the Schrage-musik a 20-30mm cannon with the same conception. If I may say.
Thank you for these videos. I wasn't aware the Me163 had much successes at all! Another interesting thing I noted was the apparent ability to shut down the rocket motor, glide and restart, fuel permitting. I always thought that once ignited the motor ran until fuel was exhausted? Also, I wasn't aware that early series 163s were armed with 20mm cannon. Those chemicals, C-Stoff and S-Stoff were so volatile that a few ground crew and pilots were killed due to mishandling accidents. Still, I dare say the Apollo missions have these sacrifices to thank for the progress of rocket technologies.
Thank you for the comment! I have to say that I also used to think the rocket motor would work until out of fuel. But in multiple cases, pilots describe shutting the engines when they had enough energy and then reigniting them later.
Yes. The Allies would have won regardless, thanks to the Bomb, but if Germany hadn't wasted so much wealth and capacity on the V-2, it's scary to think what kind of air defense they might have been able to mount. Apparently more was spent on the V-2 program than on the Bomb, Radar, or the B-29.
@@lqr824 Galland always said that the Nazis poured far too much money into developing the V2 and a lot of it was wasted. If they had set aside 10% of what they squandered on the V2 and instead used it to develop the Me262, the 'plane would have been operational in early '44 to counter the 'Big Week' operation, and the Luftwaffe could have maintained some degree of Air Superiority and also kept more experienced pilots available to fly the Me262's. In all about 1400 were built, but only some 200 deployed operationally. The few that did see combat, however, were very, very successful and made every other fighter on the planet obsolete.
@@xj900uk Not just that. Hitler insisted on turning the Me262 into a bomber for way too long. He was obsessed with the idea of hitting England with a bomber that is so fast it can't be intercepted. But it turned out that the needed fuel was so heavy that there was not enough room for a decent payload. Finally they could convince him that it was a bad idea anyway and that they need the Me262 as a fighter, because, if you get air superiority, you can bomb whatever you want and therefore win on the ground as well. But they already lost too many months and by the time the Me262 was combat ready it was too little too late and most of them were destroyed on the ground because the airfields were under attack and in bad condition already and - which is the saddest part - they lacked the fuel to take off.
The Comet flew so fast that comet pilots often missed their shot. Gradually they came up with new tactics. One was to fly up under the bomber and attack it there and then climb high above the B17s dive down and attack it on the way down and repeat thus attack a few times till their fuel ran out. The Comet was very venerable then just gliding down so another tactic was developed. The Comet pilot would put him Comet in a very high speed dive straight down to his airfield. Allied pilots couldn't catch it in these dives. It would closely circle the airfield which was loaded with flak guns and often Fw190 fighters circling the airfield to shoot down anyone that tried to get one that was landing.
If they slowed down or cut out the engine that made them possible targets for the US gunners or figher escorts; conversely, if they lit the engine and sped up, their speed made it very difficult to score any shots with the slow-firing MK108 cannons
Thank goodness there was preserved gun camera footage to weave into this. Added so much. Too bad the rest of the Grrman gun camera footage got lost in the firebombing of Dresden. So much lost history. Another excellent reenactment.
Very cool video- the re-creations are excellent as is using real footage. One correction though: it's not "Mark 108" cannon, it's "MK 108"- 'Mk' is Mark, and it's a British and sometimes American term, while the German weapon is the 3cm Machinen-Kanone (MK) 108. It's a common mistake- just like calling various Panzers 'Mark' III, or IV (for example), when it's not at all a correct term.
Thank you. You are right about the MK thing, it did sound strange for a moment but for some reason, I didn't investigate it. That was probably my intuition (which I'll have to learn to trust more) 😁
Salut Jeanne. La 3ème partie sera diffusée dans 2 semaines. Il m'a dit qu'il pouvait faire une 4ème partie.,( question de volonté). La 1ère partie Ta152H à atteindre 350.000 vues.👍👍
@@dominiqueroudier9401 Le TA 152H est une réussite. Il y a un peu près 16 victoires aériennes avec le ME-163, si il veut toutes les faire, il y a encore du boulot. Dans un autre genre il y a l'ARADO 234 dans des missions de bombardement ou le DORNIER 335 PFEIL mais là, je ne connais pas ses faits de guerre.
@@jeannezehner9450 Pour Arado234, il a fait sa 1ere mission reconnaissance sur plages du débarquement pour étendue de l'avancée alliée. En 45 mission bombardement Pont de Remagen. Je crois que Clostermann en parle. Pour le Pfeil, pas trop de infos. A 11h rdv docteur : cervicales douloureuse et suspicion tendinite. Faut rdv pour ostéopathe aussi 😤
Thankyou this bloody brilliant, really gives you a sense of what these guys were experiencing. I myself had a Uncle who flew with Coastal Command from 1940, He survived the war and lived to 2002
I think the contrails in that simulation are WAY too dense. Is there a user setting to adjust that? Also, it would be nice if you gave details on casualties and survivors of the B-17s shot down.
I agree 100 percent. I don't think there's any way to adjust that. Other than putting everything on a much lower altitude (which would be another kind of unrealistic)
The Me163 Comet could climb 29,500 feet in 2.6 minutes and 3.35 minutes to 39,370 feet was truly staggering in its era. However the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle can can climb to 30,000 feet in around 60 seconds. So the F15 with its twin, Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 engines, with afterburners, can climb faster…and is much safer to operate.
Good question. No. The YF-12 is the fastest-climbing combat aircraft at over 2,000 miles per hour and 80,000 feet in altitude. It is armed with AIM-47 Falcon air-to-air heat-seeking missiles and will have no problem downing the ME-163 in a pinch. The ME-163's only defence is that it can reduce its heat signature by gliding and getting lucky while in the proximity of other hotter aircraft. It is common practice for Luftwaffe pilots to carry a lucky charm in consideration of the risks involved while flying the ME-163.
Thank you for the feedback! As for the B-17s, there are G models but there's a certain challenge as their default liveries are silver. Historically, the airframes involved in these incidents seem to have had olive green liveries. In War Thunder, changing skins on AI controlled aircraft is quite complicated and sometimes, it simply doesn't work. So, I made a compromise and used E models as their liveries were probably more accurate.
@@showtime112 Had to laugh - I was working on a film and a renown historian made the claim that, "Nothing is accurate in (aircraft) markings!" Indeed, OD B-17s and natural-finish B-17s were flying side by side in 1944. Nevertheless, your production is really great! You have an eye for editing and 'storytelling' - I hope you continue and receive greater audiences!
Another good video ! Being small and lightweight the Me-163 did not offer much protection for the pilot as well as having very volatile fuel. The plane probably killed more pilots than the enemy gunners. Looking forward to Part 3.
Leica cameras. People still pay crazy money for the older traditional film Leica's as collectors items. Even thought format is now hobbyist, prices still maintain their levels.
Glad you liked it! So far, I've done a 'Five things you didn't know about Me-262' but I'll cover it's combat record too someday. There's material for a lot more than one video though 😁
Really nice having the gun camera footage in the video 👌 Could it be that the B-17 attacked by Schubert in the gun camera clip made it back to base? There is a photo of a damaged 17 that went back to base, serial number 42-102609 that has very consistent damage with the gun camera hits, on both wings and the right horizontal stabilizer and tail gunner position.
At least one source claims the gun camera film shows that Schubert hit two B-17s in that one pass, and the other was Laverdiere's B-17 - on which Ryll had already made one pass. To me the film is inconclusive. And since Ryll was KIA in a crash landing minutes later, we will probably never know.
@@showtime112 in many books about Me163 in combat use one can find the informations that the only effect of Me163 combat use were some damages of B17 but not as serious to destroy it. Here in your film I can see that it was not truth. Btw, I live in Poland not far from where Me163 planes were stationed during World War II. Thank you once more.
The Me163 Komet was probably the most lethal plane ever devised or put into operational service. But mainly lethal for its pilots and especially its hapless ground crews and refuellers. The problem was its fuels, C-Stoff & T-Stoff, which were notoriously volatile, difficult to handle and tended to explode if they came into contact ith anything organic. This included the pilot (who wore special protective flying suit), the refuelling ground crews (who only got a pair of protective gloves), a passing bee, anything in the air. Several Komets blew up when being refuelled, or taxiing out for take-off, or for no known reason.
Incredibly thorough research, backed with competent graphics, really bringing these encounters to life. Thank you! (and illustrating how the wunderwaffel weren't so wunder. Downing three out of 600 bombers in a flight? Not exactly a momentum-changing record)
I am always amazed at how much detail you put into your videos - and how much detail the Luftwaffe and USAAF kept about their engagements. We pale in comparison to them in the world of today.
Thank you very much for your positive feedback! I try to focus on details although the videos could still be better if I had more time to produce them :)
@@showtime112 😂 Well, I was refering to the aiming difficulties that those German pilots had at such high flying speed and at only 2-3 attempts... But, you're not wrong! 😂😉🙋🏼♂️ Edit: oh, I see now... Silly me! 🤭
I fly an RC scale model of this plane and what it does defies belief. It's very short and stubby but cuts through the air better than any sleek design. When you see it your mind cannot take it in.
That seem to be B-17E. The E only had a very short operational lifespan (approx 2-4 weeks) in 1942 and was soon superseded by the F-model. Both types were a no mix because the E was a good bit slower then the F and so it was not possible to build formations containing Es and Fs without making the Fs flying slow and unnecessarily endanger them over enemy territory. In 1944 all of the remaining Es had been deducted to training duties or were serving as assembly ships. Seeing them flying in formation over Germany was highly unlikely in that year. More appropriate in 1944 was the G-model that was used until the end of the war.
True, in fact these B-17s were the G model. However, the E was chosen as a compromise since in WT the G has silver default skin. AI skins are quite hard to change and sometimes, it just doesn't work. The specific B-17s that were attacked by Me-163s all seemed to have the older olive camouflage. So, the E model with such a skin seemed more accurate, despite the differences in turrets and such.
Kada je Komet polijetao, odbacio je kotače. I oni su se znali odbiti od tla i udariti u sam Komet. Problem je što je Komet imao cijevi za gorivo na trbuhu.
US gyro gun sight couldnt calibrate accurately for deflection only guess wing span of komet other e/a measure wing span from downed examples over friendly territory.
Excellent job on this recreation with digitized format as well as original gun camera. Then again this why we watch Showtime 112! ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇸🏁🇮🇱🇺🇦🔱🌻🌸🏵️🌼💮🏴☠️🏹
This pilots were Absolutely Insane, but very,very Brave Young Men. Nazis or not,all my respect to them just to put themselfes in such almost suicidal mission.
What an amazing aircraft the Me-163 is, I think it is the most outstanding aircraft of WW2. In the video it is shown to fire its rocket on take-off, gain height and swoop down on the bombers then level off and fire the rocket again to gain height. I think it only made the initial firing for take-off and that was it. The rest of the flight was in gliding mode, including gaining altitude after the first swoop and any attacks. It used potential energy to gain very high speed. The only limitations were the ammo capacity, otherwise this aircraft could go on making high speed swoops - essentially making rings round the bomber formations. And the fighters could not chase it because of its high speed. The gunners on the bombers would have scanned the skies seeing nothing, and the next moment their bomber would have disintegrated. Such would have been the potancy of this aircraft.....or glider. A swan, a swallow or a swift.🐞
To relight the rocket engine was a potentially hazardous maneuver, the throttle had to be advanced slowly from idle. There was no cruise setting on the "B" model, it was either full power or off. Air bubbles in the fuel system could cause it to shut down. Negative G from a pushover at height could also cause a flameout, a re-light not always being successful. Hitting a target with the slow firing cannon was problematic, you had to be a good marksman. High speed dives under power were avoided, the limiting Mach number of about 560 mph would cause control reversal, this was not understood at the time.
as a young glider pilot at Dornier works flying club Oberpfaffenhofen (Bavaria close to Munich) in the early 1980ies i had the pleasure to have an ex. Messerschmitt 163 Comet pilot as an instructor. An enthusiastic instructor with sparkeling blue eyes stiill. His says allwaywas " Take the sun between your knees, boy!" He survived this madnes with good spirit. And i still feel to be honored to have had one of these crazy Comet pilots as my flight instructor.
That is an amazing story. I get goose bumps wondering what would have happened if Hitler had given another 12 to 24 months before launching Barbarossa. Likely due to the industrial capacity of the US, the war would still have ended with a German defeat but it would have been much harder to achieve and costs thousands more lives. Unless the Nazi's working on the A-Bomb had made one operational before we did. Thank you for putting this footage and historical detail into it. I am still amazed by what the Germans achieved in technology in the early 1940's. My grandfather was in the US Navy and did not survive the war. He is at rest at the US National Cemetery Presidio overlooking San Francisco bay. Lets not forget so we don't repeat the same mistake in Ukraine.
they had a lot of enthusiasm for a plane whose power made it "far too fast for its weapons"--** to be truly useful for maximum hits and destruction. good for future technology development. and cool TH-cam Videos -- i bet they got lots of german Pussy ! **** ( yes i am a Misogynistic Pig. *** Which is the best pig Species.)
I have had a PC game "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe", which was then a guite good air combat simulator. In SWOTL's aircraft collection was Me 163 Komet too. Difficulties by high speed flying was evident, as in this video.
My popular "Kiste" was Bf 109 G, against P-47 "Trunkenbold" (and P-51). I succeeded to develop some tactics to get rid with those red nosed 7-ton brutes.
In my opinion SWOTL was very good, I enjoyed greatly with it. P-51 B with "seven mile boots" was a great solution by US, according to "Schutzbegleitjäger" problem.
Me 262 with its cannon arsenal against the "Viermots", yes. I liked Gotha Go-229, although it was hypotethical to be true.
Great times, with Jagdgeschwadern! Halsundbeinbruch, and thanks of your vids. Best wishes from "Hauptmann Linke".
@@brunothepug8807 hitler and germany should have gone to goebbels total war footing and war produvction mentality on 1 October 1939. then even greater acceleration after june 15, 1940 and hitler should have thought of a possible slowing of advance and his Heer Could have had winter gear in hand on 1 OCTOBER 1941.
As a real world pilot, I am so impressed by the bravery of the comet pilots in the face of overwhelming enemy.
The odds were very much against them. Thank you for the comment!
the plane was quite risky to fly too
Maybe the rock paper cissors concept emboldened them. Believing in superior technology that obsoletes the defense of the enemy with extraordinary speed probably motivated them to engage overwhelming numbers.
@ZhihengCao Screw them the Nazi bastards.
Thank you for weaving the gun camera footage into the presentation.
When you find something like that, you just have to include it. Thank you for the feedback!
@@showtime112 real 163 gun cam wow!
I was at a cocktail party in Williamsburg, VA in the early 90’s when I had a conversation with a retired USAF general. He was 90yrs old, but totally charming and funny. He flew P-47s in WWII and had one kill in air-to-air combat before the war ended. “The first jet I ever saw I shot it down.” It was a ME-163. Apologies, but I can’t remember the general’s name, but I think he retired as a three-star. I wish I had spent more time with him- could listen to his stories for hours.
Not a jet, a rocket.
Maybe Charles Elwood „Chuck“ Yeager?
@@kommentarepostenwill lol, it wasn’t Chuck Yeager. I’ve heard Chuck Yeager at a USAF Dinning-In when I was flying F-4Es. Chuck wasn’t half as funny or interesting as the general I was talking with in Williamsburg. Anyone who’s heard Yeager speak will agree. American hero, absolutely, but a boring story teller.
@@LanceRomanceF4E :D
A Komet was not a jet, it was a rocket-plane
8 of you flying into 2000 bombers plus 600 fighter escorts ? Dang . balls of steel...
Very well spoken! But you fight for your country!
You need to get a brain!!
If it wasn't for the
Allied Bomber Offensive against
Nazi Germany, you wouldn't be here now, spouting such bullshit!!!
🇬🇧
Bailing out and surviving a flaming Komet must be a pretty rare occurrence
i was thinking the chemicals would liquify you before you gota chance to jump
@@jw451 Fuel was probably expended , or mostly expended.
Never happened.
That's true
@@jw451>>> I was thinking the same thing.
Thanks for all the efforts in making, editing and researching these videos. Much appreciated. =)
I'm happy to hear it!
Thanks for an excellent presentation!
The graphics were really good, illustrating the various maneuvers.
Thank you for the positive comment!
I met Heinz Schubert, an ex-Luftwaffe Me163 pilot in Windhoek in the mid 1970s
Did he tell you about his experience?
In Windhoek? cool, must be impressing to listen their version of the war
Excellent recreation, as usual. Thank you for leaving the fun camera footage silent.
Thank you for the positive comment! Yes, adding sound to historic gun camera wouldn't feel right.
Great job. Years ago, I read up on the 163 Comet, and the Wikipedia article claimed that no bombers were ever shot down by the Comets. I am grateful for your research.
Thank you very much! Wiki can be a bit superficial sometimes :)
Considering the odds against them, I think they achieved phenomenal success.
Tough Germans. They are not into BS.
Actually not. Add up what the program cost in money and lives, consider what was coming their way, and you might realise that it was one of the stupidest military decisions ever made. Unless you're a wehraboo, then you'd not see it.
ON HINDSIGHT majority of the effort put into these wunderwaffe weapons was wasted. It would've been WAY more efficient to keep on producing bf 109's and FW 190's...
@@dougerrohmer Development started already in 1938 before the war even started. And a fast, small and cheap interceptor was exactly what Germany would have needed later. Only an idiot would not have continued this production.
@@janp5880 Frank Whittle, the actual inventor of the turbojet engine, sent his concept to the Air Ministry in 1929. Even with more support that the German government gave their boffins on the subject, it still took a very long time to get a working prototype. 1939 was too late. But for the sake of the discussion, if in early in 1943 Germany had 1000 ME262's and 2000 trained pilots, as well as enough fuel and also replacement aircraft and pilots coming through, it might have delayed the strategic bombing campaign (until the Allies got the Meteor up), which may have delayed the end of the war. But Germany couldn't do it - they didn't have the capacity, and their decisions were being made by a bunch of yes men sucking up to an infantry lance corporal.
Well Done Showtime 112. As Always you do an Excellent Presentation, Sir.
I'm glad you liked it, thanks!
Hans Bott lived in Argentina and pass away on 2011
Estaré atento al próximo video.
Ha sido brutal!
Me ha encantado.
Muchas gracias!!!!
I'm happy to hear it, thank you very much!
This was a wonderful treatment of the topic. Thanks!
I'm happy to hear it, thank you!
a better result than most speak of. plus i didnt know they could restart the engines. lucky they were never deployed en masse. must have been an amazing sight to even see one in flight. great video thankyou!
Thank you very much for the comment! You are right, Allied aircrews seemed quite impressed.
EXCELLENT video, as usual. The graphics and the real time video, all these elements add veracity to this historical event. Keep on paying tribute to aviation history and the airmen who fought for their respecive countries. THANKS. Greetings from Mexico City (an Airline Pilot - Ret.)
Always great hearing from you! Thanks for the continuous support!
"Balls of Steel", the Me-163 pilot's story.
Generally speaking all of them, allied and german!
I posted this comment under your previous Me-163 video. It still holds true...
*_"Of all the advanced weapons Germany developed during World War II, the_** Komet **_has always amazed me the most."_*
Thank you for the comment! What I find quite fascinating is that it was so different from anything we know as a fighter, before it or after.
No you didnt..
Amazing, yes. Exceptionallhy dangerous to its pilots and ground crews, doubly so. In some respects it was also almost too fast for its own good, with very limited endurance and a pair of slow-firing heavy cannon - it took an expert shot to get many hits with that armament. One intriguing innovation, which is of special interest, is a set of upward firing unguided rockets mounted in the centre section, that were fired by a light-sensitive cell trigger. When the Komet passed under the 'Fat Dog' (Luftwaffe slang for US bomber), the shadow of the bigger bomber triggered the cell trigger and the volley of rockets fired oliquely upwards - at least one US bomber was destroyed using this innovative method but it was never tried en masse.
@@xj900ukNot en masse but the methode wasn't that exceptional also. The Luftwaffe used it with the Schrage-musik a 20-30mm cannon with the same conception. If I may say.
Thank you for the accuracy in the aircraft markings.
Actually, most of them are not that accurate :)
I think he meant keeping the swaz on the tail....where it belongs,for historical accuracy @@showtime112
Schubert also shot down an RAF Mosquito during a brief dog fight
And lost the war ! Dirk weed
Derr@@robertwoodroffe123
@@peterrobbins2862 Surely not Schubert responsibility. Imagine how those trolls, so acid on winning WW2, would be on losing WW3!
@@robertwoodroffe123 immediate mutt cope
The Komet is a strangely attractive kite.
It sure is strange 😁
You do an amazing job with these recreations!
Thanl you very much!
I didn't realize the ME-163 proved to be this lethal in combat. Excellent video.
Thank you for your positive feedback!
Hey - Awesome Video! Which simulator is used for the video ?
Thanks! It's War Thunder.
Thank you for these videos. I wasn't aware the Me163 had much successes at all! Another interesting thing I noted was the apparent ability to shut down the rocket motor, glide and restart, fuel permitting. I always thought that once ignited the motor ran until fuel was exhausted? Also, I wasn't aware that early series 163s were armed with 20mm cannon. Those chemicals, C-Stoff and S-Stoff were so volatile that a few ground crew and pilots were killed due to mishandling accidents. Still, I dare say the Apollo missions have these sacrifices to thank for the progress of rocket technologies.
Thank you for the comment! I have to say that I also used to think the rocket motor would work until out of fuel. But in multiple cases, pilots describe shutting the engines when they had enough energy and then reigniting them later.
Excellent film, enthralling, calm, well-paced, thankyou. The gun cam footage cut in hee and there really brings it home
Thank you very much, I'm glad you appreciated it!
One can only imagine what would have happened if there were swarms of the rocket fighters. Another excellent video. Keep up the good work!
They could have prolonged the war long enough to get nuked?
Yes. The Allies would have won regardless, thanks to the Bomb, but if Germany hadn't wasted so much wealth and capacity on the V-2, it's scary to think what kind of air defense they might have been able to mount. Apparently more was spent on the V-2 program than on the Bomb, Radar, or the B-29.
@@lqr824 Galland always said that the Nazis poured far too much money into developing the V2 and a lot of it was wasted. If they had set aside 10% of what they squandered on the V2 and instead used it to develop the Me262, the 'plane would have been operational in early '44 to counter the 'Big Week' operation, and the Luftwaffe could have maintained some degree of Air Superiority and also kept more experienced pilots available to fly the Me262's. In all about 1400 were built, but only some 200 deployed operationally. The few that did see combat, however, were very, very successful and made every other fighter on the planet obsolete.
As Hptm. Späte said: "Too few, too late..."
@@xj900uk Not just that. Hitler insisted on turning the Me262 into a bomber for way too long. He was obsessed with the idea of hitting England with a bomber that is so fast it can't be intercepted. But it turned out that the needed fuel was so heavy that there was not enough room for a decent payload. Finally they could convince him that it was a bad idea anyway and that they need the Me262 as a fighter, because, if you get air superiority, you can bomb whatever you want and therefore win on the ground as well. But they already lost too many months and by the time the Me262 was combat ready it was too little too late and most of them were destroyed on the ground because the airfields were under attack and in bad condition already and - which is the saddest part - they lacked the fuel to take off.
Another awesome video! Can you make a video on the Me 262 jet ?
Thank you! Technically, it is possible. I'll definitely cover some of that in the future.
Fascinating as always mdear...thanks 😊
Thank you very much!
Another excellent video! Thanks!
Thank you for appreciating the content!
Excellent video presentation. Very well done.
Glad you liked it!
The Comet flew so fast that comet pilots often missed their shot. Gradually they came up with new tactics. One was to fly up under the bomber and attack it there and then climb high above the B17s dive down and attack it on the way down and repeat thus attack a few times till their fuel ran out.
The Comet was very venerable then just gliding down so another tactic was developed. The Comet pilot would put him Comet in a very high speed dive straight down to his airfield. Allied pilots couldn't catch it in these dives. It would closely circle the airfield which was loaded with flak guns and often Fw190 fighters circling the airfield to shoot down anyone that tried to get one that was landing.
If they slowed down or cut out the engine that made them possible targets for the US gunners or figher escorts; conversely, if they lit the engine and sped up, their speed made it very difficult to score any shots with the slow-firing MK108 cannons
Excellent presentation. Thankyou.👍
Thank you for appreciating it!
What simulation software were you using? It's spectacular!
War Thunder
Thank goodness there was preserved gun camera footage to weave into this. Added so much.
Too bad the rest of the Grrman gun camera footage got lost in the firebombing of Dresden. So much lost history.
Another excellent reenactment.
Thanks once again. Sadly, most such historical evidence is lost, leaving us to guess about plenty of details.
I have a signed copy of a Me-163 in action by ace Rudy Opitz. Anybody have info on this pilot?
Very cool video- the re-creations are excellent as is using real footage. One correction though: it's not "Mark 108" cannon, it's "MK 108"- 'Mk' is Mark, and it's a British and sometimes American term, while the German weapon is the 3cm Machinen-Kanone (MK) 108. It's a common mistake- just like calling various Panzers 'Mark' III, or IV (for example), when it's not at all a correct term.
Thank you. You are right about the MK thing, it did sound strange for a moment but for some reason, I didn't investigate it. That was probably my intuition (which I'll have to learn to trust more) 😁
@@showtime112yes it s True, and mk108 better than 103
Oh, and also: Germans rarely flied in feet, but rather meters or kilometers. 😁😉
I could be wrong, though.🤷🏼
Excellent PART TWO. You must have courage for piloting a such dangerous plane.
Thanks again! Yes, every takeoff was a gamble with life.
Salut Jeanne. La 3ème partie sera diffusée dans 2 semaines. Il m'a dit qu'il pouvait faire une 4ème partie.,( question de volonté).
La 1ère partie Ta152H à atteindre 350.000 vues.👍👍
@@dominiqueroudier9401
Le TA 152H est une réussite.
Il y a un peu près 16 victoires aériennes avec le ME-163, si il veut toutes les faire, il y a encore du boulot.
Dans un autre genre il y a l'ARADO 234 dans des missions de bombardement ou le DORNIER 335 PFEIL mais là, je ne connais pas ses faits de guerre.
@@jeannezehner9450
Pour Arado234, il a fait sa 1ere mission reconnaissance sur plages du débarquement pour étendue de l'avancée alliée. En 45 mission bombardement Pont de Remagen. Je crois que Clostermann en parle.
Pour le Pfeil, pas trop de infos.
A 11h rdv docteur : cervicales douloureuse et suspicion tendinite. Faut rdv pour ostéopathe aussi 😤
@@dominiqueroudier9401
Le pont de Remagen, c'est une opération intéressante.
Sur le Pfeil pas trop d'infos non plus.
Bonne visite chez le docteur.
Outstandig video, great continuation of the story
Thank you and stick around for the final chapter!
@@showtime112 I eont miss it
Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪,,, very interesting way to bring history to life,subscribed
Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy other videos too.
Thankyou this bloody brilliant, really gives you a sense of what these guys were experiencing. I myself had a Uncle who flew with Coastal Command from 1940, He survived the war and lived to 2002
Thank you for appreciating the video!
I think the contrails in that simulation are WAY too dense. Is there a user setting to adjust that? Also, it would be nice if you gave details on casualties and survivors of the B-17s shot down.
War Thunder has no contrail setting
I agree 100 percent. I don't think there's any way to adjust that. Other than putting everything on a much lower altitude (which would be another kind of unrealistic)
@@TheJackHood The same with IL-2 Sturmovik. My best flight sim.
Astounding what the engineers were able to accomplish. The aircraft was not a mission success but it was a learning success.
Showtime112 thanks, seriously thanks. Bravery doesn't have a nation, courage doesn't have an ideolog.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Great work. Thanks!
Thank you for watching!
Question: Is the ME-163 still the all time fastest climbing combat aircraft?
Good question
Don’t forget the Bachem Ba 349 Natter.
The Me163 Comet could climb 29,500 feet in 2.6 minutes and 3.35 minutes to 39,370 feet was truly staggering in its era.
However the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle can can climb to 30,000 feet in around 60 seconds.
So the F15 with its twin, Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 engines, with afterburners, can climb faster…and is much safer to operate.
Good question. No. The YF-12 is the fastest-climbing combat aircraft at over 2,000 miles per hour and 80,000 feet in altitude. It is armed with AIM-47 Falcon air-to-air heat-seeking missiles and will have no problem downing the ME-163 in a pinch. The ME-163's only defence is that it can reduce its heat signature by gliding and getting lucky while in the proximity of other hotter aircraft. It is common practice for Luftwaffe pilots to carry a lucky charm in consideration of the risks involved while flying the ME-163.
Nicely done! Your research into the moments is especially valued - thank you!! Curious - were there no B-17G models in the software?
Thank you for the feedback! As for the B-17s, there are G models but there's a certain challenge as their default liveries are silver. Historically, the airframes involved in these incidents seem to have had olive green liveries. In War Thunder, changing skins on AI controlled aircraft is quite complicated and sometimes, it simply doesn't work. So, I made a compromise and used E models as their liveries were probably more accurate.
@@showtime112 Had to laugh - I was working on a film and a renown historian made the claim that, "Nothing is accurate in (aircraft) markings!" Indeed, OD B-17s and natural-finish B-17s were flying side by side in 1944.
Nevertheless, your production is really great! You have an eye for editing and 'storytelling' - I hope you continue and receive greater audiences!
Another good video ! Being small and lightweight the Me-163 did not offer much protection for the pilot as well as having very volatile fuel. The plane probably killed more pilots than the enemy gunners. Looking forward to Part 3.
The Komet's only protection was its speed and small size.
Thank you! Third part coming out early next month.
Difference in Allied and German gun camera footage quality is telling
Leica cameras. People still pay crazy money for the older traditional film Leica's as collectors items. Even thought format is now hobbyist, prices still maintain their levels.
Excellent black and white guncam footage👌 waiting now 3rd part.
Watching guncam on TV fullHD is impressive👍
Thanks! Third part will come out in 2 weeks. There's even material for a fourth video but I'll see if I'll do that one.
@@showtime112 Ta152H. 345.000views. Only Rudel did better 400k or more
Another great Vid.
Thank you for the feedback!
great video mate superb
I'm happy that you liked it!
Nice work! Thanks!
Thank you very much!
That weaving of real footage from the event you're recreating (chefs kiss)
Thank you for the feedback!
i'm addicted to these vids man
Sorry to hear about your addiction but good news is that there are plenty of them to watch 😁
Great video…how about one on the ME262 jet 👍
Glad you liked it! So far, I've done a 'Five things you didn't know about Me-262' but I'll cover it's combat record too someday. There's material for a lot more than one video though 😁
*Wonderful channel! Top notch and really magnificent. This is history presentation and preservation as it should be.*
I really appreciate your support!
Really nice having the gun camera footage in the video 👌 Could it be that the B-17 attacked by Schubert in the gun camera clip made it back to base? There is a photo of a damaged 17 that went back to base, serial number 42-102609 that has very consistent damage with the gun camera hits, on both wings and the right horizontal stabilizer and tail gunner position.
It's not impossible. We have reports from these battles but due to their complexity, putting all the pieces of the puzzle together is hard.
@@showtime112 Yeah, between the reports and the fog of war it's a huge challenge
At least one source claims the gun camera film shows that Schubert hit two B-17s in that one pass, and the other was Laverdiere's B-17 - on which Ryll had already made one pass. To me the film is inconclusive. And since Ryll was KIA in a crash landing minutes later, we will probably never know.
Amazing job showtime 112!!!!
Happy to hear it, thank you!
I'm glad you think so, thank you!
Very cool video!! Thanks WT and Showtime112!!
Thank you very much!
Wonderful production! I love productions that tell both sides of the story.
Thanks! I try to compare the sources when they are available.
Sehr gut gemacht!
I'm glad you liked it, thanks!
And he can pronounce German names correctly too!
Well done. Thumb is up. Subscribed.
I'm glad you appreciate the content, thank you!
Nice video!
Thanks!
Thank you.
Thank you for watching!
@@showtime112 in many books about Me163 in combat use one can find the informations that the only effect of Me163 combat use were some damages of B17 but not as serious to destroy it. Here in your film I can see that it was not truth. Btw, I live in Poland not far from where Me163 planes were stationed during World War II. Thank you once more.
Great stuff but how do you dive from 6 o'clock?
6 o' clock high maybe?
Brilliant . . ❤
Great compliment, thank you!
very well produced document
I'm happy to hear you liked it, thank you!
The Me163 Komet was probably the most lethal plane ever devised or put into operational service. But mainly lethal for its pilots and especially its hapless ground crews and refuellers. The problem was its fuels, C-Stoff & T-Stoff, which were notoriously volatile, difficult to handle and tended to explode if they came into contact ith anything organic. This included the pilot (who wore special protective flying suit), the refuelling ground crews (who only got a pair of protective gloves), a passing bee, anything in the air. Several Komets blew up when being refuelled, or taxiing out for take-off, or for no known reason.
My, what dedication!
Attacking bombers on an egg filled up with highly corrosive stuff...
I like the oxygen mask breathing sound effect it really adds to the realism
That's a sound mod. I was able to finish all the video capture right before a major update which broke it.
Do you know If the Komet saw action on the Eastern front?
I think it didn't. It was primarily used against large bomber formations, Russians didn't really have much of that.
@@showtime112 Wondering how would have done at low alt against fighters and soviet Sturmovicks.
Russia didn't have long range heavy bombers.
Incredibly thorough research, backed with competent graphics, really bringing these encounters to life. Thank you! (and illustrating how the wunderwaffel weren't so wunder. Downing three out of 600 bombers in a flight? Not exactly a momentum-changing record)
I appreciate your positive comment! True, these German efforts seem like a bunch of insects trying to attack an elephant.
I am always amazed at how much detail you put into your videos - and how much detail the Luftwaffe and USAAF kept about their engagements. We pale in comparison to them in the world of today.
Thank you very much for your positive feedback! I try to focus on details although the videos could still be better if I had more time to produce them :)
Really good
I appreciate the comment!
Komet was vulnerable guild mode.
True, it lost its main advantage - speed.
The P-51s were still sporting invasion stripes??
Some units still had stripes as late as December 1944.
Hit or miss...
I guess they rarely hit, huh? 😉
The lengths some people go, just to anihilate others!...
Great video, buddy! 👍🏻👏🏻💪🏻🍻🍻🙋🏼♂️
Plenty of artists released 'greatest hits' compilations with one or two actual hits so I thought I might name the video that way 😁
@@showtime112 😂
Well, I was refering to the aiming difficulties that those German pilots had at such high flying speed and at only 2-3 attempts... But, you're not wrong!
😂😉🙋🏼♂️
Edit: oh, I see now... Silly me! 🤭
Fascinating!!!
Thank you for commenting!
Me 163 very small if larger a/c with larger fuel tanks would seem good idea better endurance how much bigger any opinions.
I fly an RC scale model of this plane and what it does defies belief. It's very short and stubby but cuts through the air better than any sleek design. When you see it your mind cannot take it in.
Looks can sometimes deceive you 😁
Showtime 112 kicking a** and taking names.
👍 Thanks a bunch!
That seem to be B-17E. The E only had a very short operational lifespan (approx 2-4 weeks) in 1942 and was soon superseded by the F-model. Both types were a no mix because the E was a good bit slower then the F and so it was not possible to build formations containing Es and Fs without making the Fs flying slow and unnecessarily endanger them over enemy territory.
In 1944 all of the remaining Es had been deducted to training duties or were serving as assembly ships. Seeing them flying in formation over Germany was highly unlikely in that year.
More appropriate in 1944 was the G-model that was used until the end of the war.
True, in fact these B-17s were the G model. However, the E was chosen as a compromise since in WT the G has silver default skin. AI skins are quite hard to change and sometimes, it just doesn't work. The specific B-17s that were attacked by Me-163s all seemed to have the older olive camouflage. So, the E model with such a skin seemed more accurate, despite the differences in turrets and such.
neat! great video!
Thank you very much!
Can't believe I'm watching this exactly 80 years after its first interception
Was that P51 gun camera footage real? Excellent video by the way!
Thank you very much! Yes, gun camera footage in this video is all original.
@ incredible, thanks so much for sharing!
Kada je Komet polijetao, odbacio je kotače. I oni su se znali odbiti od tla i udariti u sam Komet.
Problem je što je Komet imao cijevi za gorivo na trbuhu.
Da, i to se događalo. Vjerojatno jedinstven slučaj u cijeloj povijesti avijacije 😁
Thumbs up for the title^^
I'm trying to hide the fact that this is part two of the series. YT algorithm absolutely hates sequels 😁
Allies are lucky they couldn't have made these in large number's. I can only imagine being swarmed by 50 of these would be terrifying.
US gyro gun sight couldnt calibrate accurately for deflection only guess wing span of komet other e/a measure wing span from downed examples over friendly territory.
Un error: el Komet rojo que muestras combatiendo nunca combatió pues era un prototipo sin armamento
Well, Wolfgang Spate himself says he was flying a red painted Me-163 when he was trying to intercept a P-47. But maybe you know better .
Excellent job on this recreation with digitized format as well as original gun camera. Then again this why we watch Showtime 112! ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇸🏁🇮🇱🇺🇦🔱🌻🌸🏵️🌼💮🏴☠️🏹
Always great reading your comments!
This pilots were Absolutely Insane,
but very,very Brave Young Men.
Nazis or not,all my respect to them just to put themselfes in such almost suicidal mission.
What an amazing aircraft the Me-163 is, I think it is the most outstanding aircraft of WW2.
In the video it is shown to fire its rocket on take-off, gain height and swoop down on the bombers then level off and fire the rocket again to gain height. I think it only made the initial firing for take-off and that was it. The rest of the flight was in gliding mode, including gaining altitude after the first swoop and any attacks. It used potential energy to gain very high speed. The only limitations were the ammo capacity, otherwise this aircraft could go on making high speed swoops - essentially making rings round the bomber formations. And the fighters could not chase it because of its high speed. The gunners on the bombers would have scanned the skies seeing nothing, and the next moment their bomber would have disintegrated. Such would have been the potancy of this aircraft.....or glider. A swan, a swallow or a swift.🐞
To relight the rocket engine was a potentially hazardous maneuver, the throttle had to be advanced slowly from idle. There was no cruise setting on the "B" model, it was either full power or off. Air bubbles in the fuel system could cause it to shut down. Negative G from a pushover at height could also cause a flameout, a re-light not always being successful. Hitting a target with the slow firing cannon was problematic, you had to be a good marksman. High speed dives under power were avoided, the limiting Mach number of about 560 mph would cause control reversal, this was not understood at the time.
Wonderful story telling and illustration. Luckily Nazi Germany did not have the Me-163 in great numbers.
Thank you for the comment!
@@showtime112 And thank you for doing these videos.
The mk8 30 mm cannons were devastating on any aircraft a couple of hits was enough to cause significant damage
He didn't know the smell but it was hydrogen peroxide lol ty👍
Hydrazine hydrate was the really awful stuff too.
Ltn. Hans Bolt was credited with HSS so, severe damage to bomber, not Abschuss in area of Leipzig.