BOXART STORY
#8162
The last victim
The September morning of April 20, 1918, is still
shrouded in a foggy haze when the cough of an
engine, revved up for the morning engine warmup, cuts through the silence. Another hectic
day of the German spring offensive starts at
Cappy airfield for the JG I and its commanding
officer Manfred von Richthofen. At Val Heureux
airfield, just some 30 miles to the northwest,
members of No. 3 Squadron RAF, led by twentyfour-year-old Major Richard Raymond-Barker,
are carrying out similar procedures. In the
evening, these units will fight an air battle and
Manfred von Richthofen will achieve his last
two victories. One of his victims will be the
commander of the British unit...
Camels of No. 3 Sqn took off from Val Heureux
under the lead of Capt. Douglas Bell, C Flight
leader, although Raymond-Barker was also
on patrol. When the formation was less than
three miles behind the front line, it was spotted
by pilots from Jasta 11. The fight began with
a frontal attack by both formations and at 18:40,
just seconds after the rivals engaged each
other, the main fuel tank of Raymond-Barker´s
Camel exploded after a direct hit. The one who
fired the bullet was none other than the Red
Baron. Three minutes later, von Richthofen
was attacking another opponent. It was Camel
number B7393 . And here we start with our
story...
Lieutenant David Lewis notices his commander´s
plane explodes, but doesn´t have time to watch
his fate. He attacks one of the enemies, but
suddenly splinters fly off of one of his Camel´s
struts. He kicks the pedals, full throttle and
May 2023
sends his aircraft into a steep-bank turn. He
finds himself facing the red Dreidecker that fired
at him. He tries to escape with even more violent
maneuvering, and at one point manages to get
the red machine in his gunsight. He knows all
too well who he´s dealing with, and after some
of his bullets hit the fuselage of the opponent´s
aircraft, he wonders how great it would be if he,
a rookie who´s only been at the front for three
weeks, was the one to shoot down the famous
ace. But the fortunes are to change. The enemy
is an all-too-experienced pilot. He escapes and
within seconds the hunter is the prey. One of
Red Baron´s bullets shatters the compass,
another miraculously misses David´s head, hits
his aviation goggles and knocks them off. Just
as miraculously, another bullet gets through
his pant leg, but only grazes the pilot himself.
Then a few bullets hit the fuel tank. Even so, it´s
a stroke of luck anyway, as only a small reserve
tank is hit. Instead of a devastating explosion, it
“only” catches fire and Lewis immediately dives
his Camel. He plummets to the ground as flames
consume the fuselage´s canvas covering. It´s
a race against time to get to the ground before
the fire destroys the controls! A hard emergency
“landing” at around 60 mph rips the poor Camel
apart and the impact throws David out of the
cockpit. He briefly loses consciousness and
when he regains it, he lies motionless for
a moment. Perhaps he´s reluctant to believe
he´s alive. He gets up and is astonished to find
that, apart from minor burns, he is unharmed.
A miracle! Less than 50 yards away, the
wreckage of the Raymond-Barker´s Camel is
Text: Richard Plos
Illustration: Adam Tooby
burning. David runs towards it, but the heat of
the flames won´t let him near the wreckage.
The body of his CO is not inside and will never
be found ... Then a red Dr.I flies over the grim
scene and waves. Is Manfred von Richthofen
honoring his victims, or is he trying to attract
the attention of the nearby German soldiers
for future verification of his victories? We don´t
know. He himself cannot know that the man on
the ground was his last victim, nor would he
ever know that he was a barely twenty-year-old
David Greswolde “Tommy” Lewis from Southern
Rhodesia. A native of Bulawayo who, as soon
as his age allowed, made his way to the UK
and joined the ranks of the RFC. He graduated
from pilot school in April 1917, was promoted
to officer rank in June and served with
No. 78 (HD) Squadron before being transferred to
No. 3 Squadron at the end of March 1918. After
being shot down over enemy territory, he spent
the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp
at Graudenz (now Grudziądz, Poland) and then
returned to Southern Rhodesia. He farmed and
also worked in government administration and
died on August 10, 1978, outliving his conqueror,
who died the day after their duel, by more than
sixty years...
Adam Tooby´s boxart captures the moment after
Lewis´s Camel was hit. The young pilot turns his
burning machine into a steep dive as the Red
Baron watches his victim. The Dr. I of Werner
Steinhäuser, who also took part in the battle on
April 20, can be seen in the background hunting
another Camel. His Dreidecker is also part of
the markings offered in the box.
INFO Eduard
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