Final approach for the Red Baron

[buzz1941]

What was the condition and attitude of MvR's triplane just after he was shot down, when he landed mortally wounded, but before the Aussies started pulling the plane apart? The landing, by all accounts, was surprisingly good given the circumstances. My impression is that the gear were wiped off and the prop splintered and the engine and cowl unmounted, but the plane was otherwise intact. Anyone have a clue?

[Troy Raines]

The lower wing was probably damaged, in addition to what you said. That about covers everything I have read over the years. Tail high attitude, nose slightly buried in ground/dirt heap or something.

[CWatson]

Here is a link to one of Stephen's builds that looks how I always pictured the crash though I thought the lower wing he has damage may have been torn off the real aircraft.


http://www.wwimodeler.com/esc/dr1.html

Link fixed.

CW

[Fritz Kempf]

Cwatson
The link you posted is dead,would love to see the pic.

Thanks
Ed

[buzz1941]

Was the prop broken? Was it under power when hitting...

[CWatson]

I just glanced through Carsella's "Who killed the Red Baron". In the chapter "The Crash Scene" it states the prop was "snapped of at one end". Later one witness named Boxell-Chapman states "I examined the controls,the engine was off". I do not know where I got the idea the wing was broke off all the statements say the left lower wing was "damaged".

CW

[Roadhog]

Hello everybody. The triplane survived the impact or rough landing in amazingly good condition according to eye-witness accounts. The undercarriage was ruined and the prop broken but otherwise it survived balanced on its cowling. The lower wings could have sustained the observed damage when the undercarriage gave way.

It even survived a half-hearted German artillery barrage designed to destroy the plane or give its pilot time to set fire to his own aircraft.

MvR did not have his restraining straps buckled so his face impacted the butts of his guns at enough impact to have disfigured his corpse and knock several teeth out or loose. Hope this helps. Hey, April 21, is just around the corner isn't it? VR, Roadhog "Memento mori."

[Vin]

This is the image of the remains of von Richthofen’s dr 1 most think of. There’s more to it than souveniring, though



The crash occurred around 11 a.m. After a few adventurous souvenir runs, the Germans box-shelled the area surrounding the damaged triplane so recovery of both the body and the aircraft was not effected until after dark that night. The 3AFC Equipment Officer, Captain Ross, was ordered to bring back the body and the aircraft. After dark, Air Mechanic John Collins crawled out under enemy fire and hitched a cable to the body and later, with assistance from Air Mechanic Boxall-Chapman, back to the aircraft itself thus allowing the rest of the party to haul both aircraft and the body inside back into the shelter of a large trench. From there the remains were taken back to 3AFC’s aerodrome, around 8 miles away in a Crosley tender. The body was received its post mortem at aroudn 11.30 that night. The shelling, dragging the aircraft in from no mans land and the trip by Crosley tender all took their toll on the wreck.

[gipsymoth236k]

The photos of the top of MVR's rudder show typical 'flip over' damage, as if the Triplane had flipped over on its back during the crash landing. An eyewitness tape recording that I have listened to testifies to the physical evidence of the Triplane having flipped over upon landing:

http://www.anzacs.net/MvR-Eye-Witness.htm

This link seems no good anymore for the recordings, but a while back I had saved them all for those interested in listening to them.

Any comments?

Regards, Gary

[Vin]

http://www.anzacs.net/MvR-Landing.htm

If that doesn't link up, go to http://www.anzacs.net and follow the links