Text: Richard Plos

Illustration: Adam Tooby

Cat. No. 8162

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 warm-up, 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 twenty-four-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 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 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.