Who Killed MvR

It was an Aussy named Seargant Pilford or something like that. Read Norman Frank's The Red Baron's Last Flight. All evidence presented, Brown did damage MvR's right wing struts, but he did not kill him. MvR flew on for 2 more minutes before crashing! With a bullet in his heart from Brown, that would be one hell of a trick.

Death is a fact that will happen. Planes were shot all the time pilots lived and died they were shot down. Were the pilots that shot these pilots down given extra points for killing the enemy. You know what I would bet, that Brown would care less about the score. From what I read it made him sad to think that war came down to this. Here is what I think and does not measure up to what the rest of you guys think, War is hell it takes men like Brown And MvR and forces them to kill or be killed there is nothing good are great about that. I think that ever pilot that flew in WW1 was special on both sides . They stuck their butts up there right in Gods front yard and said here I am lets dance. Thinks for your time GOD BLESS

I don't normally respond to the (seemingly inumerable) "WhoKilledMvR?" threads. However...

It might not be that unusual for a man with a mortal heart wound to continue to fly for two whole minutes. One of my reference books (on forensics) mentions a man who took part in a 15-minute running gunfight with US police and FBI agents, despite having incurred a mortal heart wound in the opening seconds of the fight. Fiction and film notwithstanding, the human body often takes some time to die.

Well, I bet the wounds sustained didn't stop that mans heart. It may have been a graze or something. Fact is if you stop the heart the body loses consciousness within seconds. No blood flow=death soon to follow. Or atleast a break off of the attack. MvR had the chance to turn around and go back towards his lines but instead he follow his prey deeper behind the lines. I guess he could have been thinking,"well, I'm a goner, might as well try to bag this last one before the shades are drawn" but I doubt it.

Vickers:
There's a difference between a mortal wound and a fatal wound. Obviously a fatal wound stops the heart immediately, and then death does indeed come within seconds. But not all heart wounds are immediately fatal, which was my point. It's entirely possible for someone to be shot in the heart and the damage be terminal without it being immediately terminal. And someone in this position wouldn't necessarily be aware (on any conscious level, at least) that he was mortally wounded.

[Richard_Schrader]

Michael;
I spent 20 years as a law enforcement officer. Believe me when a person is shot in the heart they go down like a sack of potatos.
Richard

[Billy_Bishop]

Heart, schmeart, who cares!!!

The problem is the person who did the "CURSORY" examination of MvR, didn't crack his chest open, he merely probed, saying MvR was shot through the heart is still LARGELY speculation. And at this late date, that's all we're ever going to have, is speculation.

And I hate to say it, but regarding some other "controversies", speculation is all were likely to ever have, as absolute positive evidence just don't exist anymore.

VBR,

Al Lowe
Un-Official Captain
" Billy Bishop Booster Bloc"