The first Allied report of an attempted Me 163 interception came on 29 May 1944. Oblt Rudi ‘Pitz’ Opitz flew two missions that day and, during the second, he got to within 2km of a Spitfire. This Spitfire was from No 542 Squadron, flown by Flt Lt Geoff Crakanthorp DFC. It had taken off from RAF Benson Oxfordshire at 10.35hrs to take photographs in the Bremen Hamburg-Wilhelmshaven area, landing back home at 14.15hrs. The No 542 Squadron operations record book said Crakanthorp, “was intercepted by an Me 163, the first we believe to have been seen operating. It was climbing he believes at 3,000ft per minute and ground speed 350mph but it gave up the chase at 30,000ft.”
Opitz was another pre-war test pilot and instructor with the DFS. He was the pilot of a DFS 230 glider in the assault on the Belgian fort at Eben-Emael on 10 May 1940, after which he became a glider instructor. In August 1941 he went to Peenemünde to help Heini Dittmar as a test pilot, joining EKdo 16 when it was formed nine months later.
Bad Zwischenahn suffered an air attack on 30 May 1944, which resulted in one Me 163 being destroyed and five receiving varying degrees of damage. Training transferred to Brieg, but no furth…
