The definitive Walter 109-509 motor is the "A-1". It differed only slightly from Walterwerke's prototype, having an all-welded combustion chamber, and burner jets screwed in from the outside, designed to improve servicing, and cure a previous source of leakage.

Main Features

• Single unit, box frame design
• Redesigned, single-stage fuel pump
• Mechanical linkage throttle control
• Mechanical regulator for steam generator
• C-Stoff combustion chamber cooling
• 3-Stage fuel flow
• Electrical Starter motor

The HWK 109-509.A-1 is described in minute detail in the Design page, where you can find links to the major components of the motor. Those pages have been taken from a number of papers which were written by scientists and engineers from the RAE after the war, and probably represent the most detailed description of the Walter motor outside Walterwerke's original design drawings.

Discussion.

A review of Messerschmitt Me.163 "Komet" literature, reveals a number of authors who state with authority that the HWK 109-509.A-2 motor was the main powerplant for Me.163 in service operations. I have two reasons for saying that I don't think this is true.

The first is that contemporary documents (e.g. Flt. Lt. A.P. Beeton, in his analysis of Walterwerke developments) indicate that the 109-509.A-2 was flight tested, its efficiency was proven, but its introduction to service was not concluded before the end of the war.

The second reason is the evidence of surviving Komets. Most existing airframes (certainly the ones resident in the UK) were captured at Hussum at the end of the war. They came from JG400, an active squadron. None of them have anything other than a Walter HWK 109-509.A-1 installed. In addition to the motors associated with airframes, there are a number of Walter 109-509 motors, surviving, but of all the "A-Series" motors existing, the vast majority are 109-509.A-1s. If the "A-2" was the most common service motor, where are they all?

The balance of evidence from the remaining Komets, is that the Walter HWK 109-509.A-1 was the service motor.

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