Saturday, November 9, 2013

Who Killed the Red Baron?

http://www.awm.gov.au/sites/default/files/a03158_1-small.JPG 

A posthumous photograph of Captain Baron Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron)


I came across a number of first and second hand accounts of the death of Baron von Richthofen whilst I was examining various Private Record Collections in the Memorial’s Research Centre. They made for interesting reading since the events of 21 April 1918 have long been the subject of many enthusiastic debates in the history of the First World War. I have reproduced below for interest some extracts of the letters, diaries and memoirs I read. They have all been written by Australian Flying Corps personnel and describe their recollections of what happened the day the Red Baron flew his last mission.

The material does not express the Memorial’s viewpoint but embodies the attitudes of the period in which it was created. The text remains as written.

2237 Air Mechanic 2nd Class John A R Alexander, No 3 Sqn AFC Private Record Collection PR86/133 (extract from personal diary)

6 comments:

  1. Everybody knows Snoopy got him.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pretty sure that Al Gore invented the helicopter so that Obama could rappel into the Barons secret lair and personally kill him.

    ReplyDelete
  3. First thing I thought of!
    Remember this?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh-J4GSPgAM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes and I had an emblem depicting Snoopy on his doghouse plane firing away attached to my Yamaha in Saigon, but someone stole it. :)

      Delete