Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a, WNr. 191095
History
Werknummer 191095 was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400), the sole operational unit equipped with the Me 163.JG 400 was tasked with intercepting Allied bomber formations, and the Me 163 was deployed in combat missions starting in August 1944. The aircraft was captured at Husum, Germany, in May 1945, following the collapse of Nazi Germany. It was then shipped to the United Kingdom for evaluation by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) and designated as RAF AM 211.
After its evaluation in the UK, 191095 was shipped to Canada aboard the SS Manchester Commerce and arrived in Montreal in September 1945. The aircraft was reassembled at RCAF Station Rockcliffe and subsequently displayed at various locations, including RCAF Station St. Jean in Quebec. In 1964, it was transferred to the Canadian War Museum and later to the Canadian National Aviation Museum (now the Canada Aviation and Space Museum). During its restoration, it was discovered that French forced laborers had deliberately sabotaged the aircraft during its construction in Germany. Stones were found wedged between the rocket's fuel tanks and supporting straps, and contaminated glue was used in the wing assembly. Patriotic French inscriptions, such as "Manufacture Ferme" ("Plant Closed") and "Mon coeur est en chômage" ("My heart is unemployed"), were found inside the fuselage.
In 1999, the aircraft was acquired by the NMUSAF and placed on display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It is exhibited alongside examples of the Me 163's single-chamber rocket motor and the experimental twin-chamber Walter 509B rocket motor, providing visitors with a comprehensive understanding of the aircraft's design and capabilities.