Death of the Red Baron

[Gil Boyd]

Harlan,
No ramblings there mate, just sound opinion. I am half German, so have a vested interest in the Baron's history.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

I'm also from German descent Gil. My grandparents were from Germany, so I sometimes look at both sides. I try to look at things from the other side about other Axis countries.

My grandparents spoke English well without much if any accent and they almost never spoke 'Deutch' around us, but sometimes they'd let loose some German and I thought it sounded neat. They mostly never spoke German around us kids which is sad because I could have picked up some German when I was a kid and it's easy to learn a second language when you're young. They rarely spoke German, but sometimes blurted out some German when they were angry. I remember one time when my grandfather took too wide of a swath with his riding lawnmower and he ran into my grandmother's garden, wiping several of her mature squash plants. I had no idea what she was yelling, but I was sure it wasn't "You're doing a good job on the lawn"

Because of family interest, I took all the German language classes offered in high school and college. I seldom ever had a chance to converse in German through life, so I've lost most of what I learned. I should have taken Spanish. I also took many college classes on History. They offered a large section on WWII and even had a sub-section of German military history! The German military classes were taught by a little WWII buff who thought he was a reincarnated German or something! I bet today they probably don't offer any college classes at all covering WWII. They only mention WWII briefly in high school History classes these days.

[browningautorifle]

If you read the book I was talking about Gil, you'll have less conjecture about "bullet wounds on his chin" and the one that killed him. It's not opinion on a page, there's evidence to back it and source for the evidence.

The Red Barons Last Flight: A Mystery Investigated: Norman Franks, Alan Bennett: 9780817640835: Books - Amazon.ca

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Yes Thanks I have read it, which then following a viewing of other photos taken immediately after his landing and death by Aussie photographers not in the book, some shrapnel and entry wound marks on his face didn't correspond to that recorded, because they were taken from a different angle.
Entry and Exit wounds are what I base fact on when it comes to round strikes and from whence they were shot, as we did on numerous occasions with RMP in Northern Ireland on SPG duties and photograph detail angle of entry and exit wounds causing death. The rod system works 100% and a real shame it wasn't thought of back in WW1. It would have shed the definitive answer to whose bullet did actually kill the Baron.

[browningautorifle]

The rod system

I thought he was probed...at the time. Words to the effect of a Dr. using a piece of wire...I'll have to go back and look to see where I got that idea.

[boomer656]

Normally I don't revive old threads, but it seemed appropriate to bring this one back on the 100th anniversary of the death of the Red Barron. Besides, there's a lot of good reading and interesting contributions. If you haven't read through it, it's good stuff.

[Gil Boyd]

Boomer,
Thanks for that, totally agree. He is one of my all time favourites a brave and gallant Officer and Flyer. He often spared the lives of British flyers when they were clearly in trouble............a real gent in combat!
I know there have been umpteen documentaries made about his death, and I always fall back to the simple one, of a lone riflemen loosing off, and just got very very lucky!

[browningautorifle]

I'll have to get the book out again and have a look again. Wonder what the Nazi air power would have been like if he'd survived and handled things instead of Goering?

I always fall back to the simple one, of a lone riflemen loosing off, and just got very very lucky!

The book shows pretty convincing evidence...but we've already discussed all that to death...

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Isn't history strange. His application under Hitler to invading Britain would have been so different to Goerring. For one he would have left more meat on the table for everyone else........vot a fat B***** he was. The slimmest thing on him was his baton he always waved about!!

[browningautorifle]

The slimmest thing on him was his baton he always waved about

Aristocracy, a rich boy...but he was a Jager and wrote many hunting laws that still stand today. He was a conservationist and loved a good hunt, and was a gun guy... He loved the good life and fine food, thus the profile he had in 1945... The profile incarceration rendered down. Anywayzzz...the Red Baron meets Buzz Beurling over Malta...both flying their countries latest...