Although the German Me 163 Komet rocket fighter was created as a remedy for the mass air raids of the Allied air force on Germany, its origins date back to 1938. Alexander Lippisch then began work at the DFS factory on a tailless rocket-propelled aircraft, designated as DFS 194. At the beginnings of 1939, the project was handed over to the Messerschmitt factory and there it developed into the Me 163A. Two prototypes of this aircraft - V4 and V5 - were completed in 1941 and flown as gliders. Then the V4 received a Walter HWK R.II rocket engine with a thrust of 7.5 kN, and on October 2, 1941 H. Dittmar achieved a speed of 1003 km/h on mentioned plane. Thirteen Me 163As were built for training.

Following years of detailed research, this is the first volume in a new two-part work on the Luftwaffe's legendary Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered interceptor. The authors have unearthed incredible new documentary material and previously unpublished photographs and have received co-operation from many former pilots who flew this unique and daunting aircraft. This book focuses on the evolution, design and development of tailless and rocket powered aircraft during the years leading up to the Second World War as well the subsequent deployment of the Me 163 by the specialist test unit, Erprobungskommando 16. It also includes a detailed study of Me 163 production and an introduction to the operational use of the rocket fighter by JG 400 in the defense of the Reich. Accompanied by superb color artwork by leading aviation artist, Tom Tullis and many technical illustrations, this work will undoubtedly be recognized as the standard reference on the subject for years to come.

BAPTISM OF FIRE: THE WORLDS FIRST ROCKET-POWERED JET FIGHTER. The Messerschmitt 163 was developed and tested by the Germans in absolute secrecy. As World War II drew to a close and Allied bomber formations swept across the German countryside, the Luftwaffe high command pinned its last desperate hopes on this deadly new flying machine. Although the plane came too late for Germany, it forever altered the face of war. Mano Ziegler, one of the few men to survive the Me 163’s initiation in battle, tells the story of the brave pilots pushed to the limits of physical endurance men who, bound by duty and driven by courage, experienced high-altitude velocities and air pressures no human body had ever before endured. He also tells the story of the plane itself, which screwed across the sky at unheard of speeds to usher in the age of supersonic flight and of supersonic fighters.-Print ed.

Volume II covers Japanese prototypes and the later Me 263.

The Me163 'Komet' was the world's first operational rocket plane, a milestone in military aviation history. This book focuses mainly on the story of 6 American fighter pilots who each had a chance to achieve one victory over the fastest aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Author Bart Vandamme (b. 1964) has been nurturing a passion for speed records in aviation for several years. After The Fastest Man in the World, this is his second book on this extraordinary subject.