Me 163B 'White 42' / FE495

A row of seven trucks loaded with Komets at Merseburg. The first ('White 42'), third and fifth aircraft all have the same 13. or 14. Staffel badge. 'White 42' and the fifth Komet have the same nose ring, which appears to be yellow with a white edge. The fuselage camouflage of numbers 1, 4 and 5 is clearly the mottle type; the 6th one could be in a solid camouflage. All of them have mottled tails (the 6th can't be seen however). The third aircraft has a unique 'snake' mottling on its tail, never seen before on a Komet. The second aircraft appears to have a non-standard radio antenna: it's narrower, and perpendicular to the fuselage, instead of canted. It is however possible the aircraft is rolled to the right, which would also explain the squashed appearance of the canopy and fuselage. The trucks are GMC 2 1/2 tons 6x6 'Jimmies'.

Photograph kindly provided by Shamus Reddin of the Walter web site