KITS 05/2023

425/17, Rtm. Manfred A. Freiherr von Richthofen, CO of JG 1, Cappy, France, April 1918

The Great War highest scoring ace and respected

commander of Jagdgeschwader 1 achieved

his last two victories flying this Dreidecker

No. 425/17 on April 20, 1918. The aircraft had already

the national insignias adjusted according to the

regulation issued by Luftstreitkräfte on March 18,

1918, calling for the adoption of the Balkenkreuz

instead of Iron Cross. The penultimate and last

victims of “Red Baron” were two Camels of

No. 3 Squadron RAF: Maj. R. Raymond-Baker as

79th victim and Capt. D. G. Lewis as 80th. Just

a day later, von Richthofen was in combat again.

As he was hunting the Camel flown by Lt. May of

No. 209 Squadron, Captain Arthur “Roy” Brown

came to the latter’s aid, while at the same time,

infantrymen opened machine gun fire on the red

triplane. It is not known who shot the fatal bullet

which hit the “Red Baron”. The autopsy conducted

by a field surgeon indicated the mortal bullet was

shot by ground machine gun because of the angle

of the hit in the chest of Manfred Richthofen. In

any case, on April 21, 1918, at 11.50, the final page

in the life of Manfred von Richthofen had been

written … The aircraft depicted here had the

crosses already changed, but on the bottom of the

lowest wing the paintjob was either not finished

or it was slovenly done. As red paint had to be

used for crosses adaption, it is likely the typical

scratches on the port side of the cockpit were

overpainted during the process.

577/17; Lt. Rudolf Klimke, Jasta 27, Halluin-Ost, France, May 1918

As a member of FFA 55, Rudolf Klimke got his

first kill on the Russian Front in 1916. In May 1917,

flying an Albatros C.VII with FA 19, along with his

observer, he conducted a lone night attack on

London. After being transferred to Kasta 13/KG

3, he was flying big Gotha bombers. A Sopwith

fighter was shot down by crew of Klimke, Leon

May 2023

and Reintrop over London on June 7, 1917. After

that, Klimke underwent training at Jastaschule

I and was assigned to Jasta 27 in September 1917.

There he gradually increased his kill count to

seventeen. On the same day he shot down his 17th

victim, September 21, 1918, he was also seriously

wounded by enemy fighter fire. Klimke managed

to land on the German side of the front but was

nearly killed during a bombing of the hospital,

where he was treated. He did not return to

a combat unit before the war ended.

INFO Eduard

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