Usually when the landing gear fall off aircraft, it is a problem, a sign of impending doom. This one was designed to dump its wheels, thereby decreasing drag and boosting performance (Popular Mechanics, Nov. 1922):
The Me163 Komet of the early 1940s had a similar design–the product of necessity. While it took off on a sled that was left behind, the Me 263 had proper retractable landing gear.
