Many of our Airmen in Schweidnitz had encountered him.............
The famous Red Baron- Baron Manfred von Richthofen born 1892 came from the town of Schweidnitz in East Silesia. Coincidentally he came from the same town as our men's famous POW camp. Baron Manfred von Richthofen was well known for deliberately marking himself in the air and with his painted bright red tri-winged plane. The plane which struck such fear with the allied flyers was an Albatross D111.
This skillful and deadly fighter is credited with 80 Allied aircraft being shot down.
“March proved to be a very successful month for von Richthofen with ten aircraft brought down, but it was to become far worse for the British during April. In this month (known as 'Bloody April') the number of losses suffered by the RFC were the highest of the war, the British lost 245 aircraft with 211 aircrew killed or missing. The average life expectancy of a new subaltern on the front line dropped to just eleven days. The Red Baron was to take full part in this; he was to shoot down 21 British aircraft in April 1917. It is incredible to think that just one pilot could bring down nearly 9 percent of British losses in April.”
The Baron is killed
But his terror reign ended in 1918, aged 25 years, when he was shot down after over France on 21 April 1918 and he crashed near Australian lines. He has been immortalized in history and in song even being celebrated by the character Snoopy of the cartoon fame.
It is said that the Red Baron was shot down by Canadian Captain Arthur Roy Brown DSC while he was chasing an Australian, Lieutenant May of Melbourne. The Red Baron was effectively thwarted trying to chase his 81st victim. It is said he made an almost perfect three-point landing and it was thought that he might have survived the crash. As word went around that the Red Baron had been shot down over Australia lines, Australian Sgt A J Porter 3rd Australian Flying Corps was detailed to recover the red machine and the body of Richthofen.
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| Captain Arthur Roy Brown DSC |
The conclusion was that he was dead before he hit the ground. It appears that Roy Brown had made the fateful shot as it was concluded that the Red Baron was shot from the right. However, there is considerable controversy over this as the Australian Lewis Gunners from below had peppered the plane with shots.
Meanwhile within 24 hours many Aussies had souvenired parts of the red bird leaving only its frame. Porter took the boots worn on his last mission from Richthofen’s body and kept them as a memento. The regulation German aviation pattern, high topped boots were patched and worn probably made of leather and fur.
The famous aviator was to receive the highest accolades when his body was laid to rest by the 3rd Australian Flying Corps. He was revered and respected. The Red Baron was known to be a keen but clean flyer. Australian troops lined the area on route to the cemetery bowing their heads and saluting. His 6 pallbearers were said to be Australian Air Force members of the Third Squadron AFC. British Aircraft circled overhead.
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| The Baron's first resting place at Bertangles, France. Buried with full military honours |
His boots are returned to Schweidnitz
After 15 years of owning the treasured boots of Richthofen, Porter decided to return them to his mother in Schweidnitz. He had received a letter from the Baron’s mother stating she would be glad to receive the boots and place them in her dead son‘s room . A museum dedicated to his memory is the house where he was born. It had opened sometime after 1933. Many exhibits in the museum are personal relics and belongings.
Encounters with the Red Baron
I know the tales of encounters with the red Baron would’ve been talk of the Schweidnitz POW camp. Schweidnitz POWs- Oscar Greig and Lt John Maclennon were his 18th victory. Oscar and his fellow flyer were photographing from the air when they encountered the Baron on the 24th January 1917. Greig and MacLennan were shot and wounded by the man.
Details of Greig’s and MacLennan’s encounter in the air are found in Bloody April: Slaughter in the Skies over Arras in 1917. Greig was shot through both legs during the crash landing but came out of it a bit better than Richthofen whose Albatross D111 cracked forcing him to make an emergency landing with his ace machine overturning when it crashed.
Even Richthofen's comment about the conflict is included.
Controversy over who killed the Baron......
The controversy over who brought down the Baron on that fateful day still abounds. Was it the Lewis gunners from the ground or was it Canadian Roy Brown? Surely ballistic forensics and physics could solve this problem today. Overall, this is one of the stories of war which will be remembered for all sorts of reasons .
“A valiant but worthy foe”
Lyrics of the Red Baron Song
After the turn of the century
In the clear blue skies over Germany
Came a roar and a thunder man has never heard
Like the screaming sound of a big war bird
Up in the sky, a man in a plane
Baron von Richthofen was his name
Eighty men tried and eighty men died
Now where buried together on the country side
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty
or more
The bloody Red Baron was running up the score
Eighty men died trying to end that spree
Of the bloody Red Baron of Germany
In the nick of time, a hero arose
A funny looking dog with a big black nose
He flew into the sky to seek revenge
But the Baron shot him down
"Curses, foiled again!"
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty
or more
The bloody Red Baron was running up the score
Eighty men died trying to end that spree
Of the bloody Red Baron of Germany
Now, Snoopy swore that he'd get
that man
So he had to think Broccoli off the new battle plan
He challenged the German to a real dog fight
While the Baron was laughing, he got him in his sight
The bloody Red Baron was in a fix
He tried everything but he run out of tricks
Snoopy fired once and he fired twice
And the bloody Red Baron went spinnin' out of sight
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty
or more
The bloody Red Baron was running up the score
Eighty men died trying to end that spree
Of the bloody Red Baron of Germany
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty
or more
The bloody Red Baron was running up the score
Eighty men died trying to end that spree
Of the bloody Red Baron of Germany
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Dick Holler / Phil Gernhard
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