The Red Baron, WWI. Soldiers examine what remains of Manfred von Richthofen's aircraft after he was shot down, and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme, France, just days before his 26th birthday, but by then already an aviation legend.
Manfred von Richthofen, the highest scoring ace of the First World War, was brought down on April 21, 1918, most likely by Australian gunners. After the crash, MvR's body was removed and his famous all-red triplane, number 425/17, was immediately set upon by souvenir hunters. Many of those souvenirs still exist today. According to witnesses that morning, MvR was alive when he came down. His landing could actually be described as something between a very rough landing and a crash. Witnesses describe seeing Richthofen putting the aircraft into a sideslip as if to land but then bringing it down very hard at the last moment. It bounced back into the air and climbed a few feet before finally stalling and crashing. The undercarriage was then ripped off and the propeller and port side wings were smashed. According to Ernest Tycross, one of the first people on the scene, Richthofen was alive when he reached the aircraft and muttered something to the effect of "Alles kaput" before breathing his last breath. After the war,1st Air mechanic Boxall-Chapman later described what he saw: "The propeller was smashed. So was the three right-hand planes and undercarriage but the three left-hand planes were intact." (sic - Boxall-Chapman was describing the scene as he approached the triplane from the front. Therefore, the smashed right-hand planes that he referred to were actually the port side wings.)
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I found the grave of the legendary Red Baron today. I reaned just a few days ago that he was buried quite close to where I live, on the South cementary of Wiesbaden, just about 25 KM west of where I live. He is buried in the family grave of the Von Richthofen family.
The Grave plate reads:
"Rittmeister (military rank) Manfred
1918 04 20 The Red Baron Last Victory - Russell Smith
depicts the 80th and final victory of Manfred von Richthofen on April 20, 1918. The victim was 2Lt DG Lewis of 3Sq who was flying Sopwith Camel B7393. Richthofen himself died the next day, likely a victim of ground fire.