X PLANES OF THE THIRD REICH SERIES An Illustrated Series on Germany's
Experimental Aircraft of World War II Into the arms of the angels went
pilots of the Me 163s, however the Alexander Lippisch-designed machine
wasn't quite finished even though it went into serial production. The
RLM called upon Heinrich Hertel of Junkers Flugzeugbau to give the aging
163 a complete make over and a make up for all the initial items it
lacked - that is a cruising HWK 509 bi-fuel liquid rocket engine with a
dual combustion chamber, tricycle landing gear, C and T-Stoff fuel tanks
in the wings to provide longer flight duration, and so on. Although
Hertel's machine was not flight tested under power prior to war's end
the new and improved version now known as the Me 263 was test flown post
war in the USSR. David Myhra has assembled previously unpublished
photos, state-of-the art digital images, and photos of a 263 scale model
to make this book on the 263 a one of a kind photographic reference.