[arbor_day]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_163_Komet

O.o

"""

[M]any pilots were killed during testing and training, at least in part due to the highly volatile and corrosive nature of the rocket propellant used in later models of the aircraft. This includes one pilot, Oberleutnant Josef Pöhs, who was *dissolved* by the rocket fuel following an incident that resulted in a ruptured fuel line.

"""

[hnbad]

My grandfather was drafted to work as an engineer in the Luftwaffe in WW2. During his lifetime all I was able to gather from him was that he worked on experimental planes.

Only after his death did I learn what the bulk of his work had been and why he refused to fly on planes: sitting in the belly of bomber planes and manually operating the mechanism for releasing the bombs while suspended over an open port looking down on a barrage of AA fire like in a scene out of Doctor Strangelove. Apparently the mechanism had to be operated manually to be even remotely reliable.

[gerdesj]

I lived in West Germany for a while, back in the day. On one of our postings, my dad (British Army Officer) ran a depot near Paderborn and one of his employees was a former Prussian Cavalry Lancier (or something similar). Herr Masker (I think). I have a lovely photo of us lot sitting on a sledge being pulled by horses.

Later on, we were stationed in Bielefeld. We also were stationed in Rheindahlen too (twice)

The thing is, this is from years back. I was a British brat living in a foreign country and enjoying myself. Germany in the '80s-2000 was streets ahead of the UK in many areas apart from their sewers which were ... crap.

When we lived in Monchengladbach for a while (twice, this was the first time) (a tour/posting is roughly 18 months) we became lifelong friends with a family called the Wurms (Dragons). That was in about 1978ish.

Herr Wurm was a Luftwaffe sergeant back in the day (conscription post WW2) and then did other things - a storming Scouter. He introduced us to the Weine probe thing on the Mosel and much more.

@hnbad: we are both Europeans (OK I'm a Brit but I partially grew up in Germany and W Germany at that - I was able to visit E Germany through Checkpoint "Charlie" back in the day , roughly 1979) That was quite odd: I remember watching a hedgehog from the other side of the Brandenburg Gate wandering across the grass. We also saw what East Germany was like back then. ... It's better now and of course it's reunited with the West.

[jcun4128]

The propellant/rocket on this is cool it's a "cold rocket"