TECHNICAL DETAILS

摘要

The variant that first entered combat was the Me 163B, known as the 'Berta,' according to the German phonetic alphabet, or by the nickname 'Kraftei' (powered egg) as applied by some pilots. The semi-monocoque fuselage was built mainly of light alloy with a stressed aluminium skin, but the wings were single-spar, made from wood with a plywood and fabric covering. To further save weight and avoid the need for a retractable undercarriage, the production model still got airborne using a jettisonable undercarriage dolly, though the tailwheel - a tailskid on earlier variants - was retractable, and when landing did so onto the extendable central fuselage skid. On the nose was mounted a small propeller, this driving a generator to provide the aircraft's electrical power.