
Mach Match:  Did an XP-86 Beat Yeager to the Punch? (1999) - lujim
http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/mach-match-361247/?no-ist
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basicplus2
The Luftwaffe test pilot Lothar Sieber (April 7, 1922 - March 1, 1945) may
have inadvertently became the first man to break the sound barrier on 1 March
1945. This occurred while he was piloting a Bachem Ba 349 "Natter" for the
first manned vertical takeoff of a rocket in history. In 55 seconds, he
traveled a total of 14 km (8.7 miles). Unfortunately, there was a crash and he
perished violently in this endeavor. Very little of his remains were found in
the 15 ft deep crater, but he did receive a funeral with full military
honors.[20]

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_barrier](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_barrier)

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cafard
I thought that the question was of Mach 1 in level flight, or at least not
diving. And as basicplus indicates, it's well to survive the test.

