Who shot down the Red Baron?

It was an australian lewis machine-gunner.

It was an australian lewis machine-gunner. he shot him from the ground as the baron came over a hill.

Franks and Bennett also point out that an Aussie squad was firing along with Popkin.
The fact that a single bullet hole in the right side of the fuselage was observed by a number of witnesses leads me to believe it may have been a singe rifleman . Popkin was firing a Vickers.One might think there would be a few more holes if Popkin hit him.No intent to besmirch Popkin...just a thought.
Respectfully,
Dan

[mike_baram]

A single bullet hole could just as well have come from a machine gun, one lucky hit out of the many bullets that missed a moving target. The damage to the fuselage could also have obliterated other holes in the fabric.
Unless you believe Al Gore's claim that he shot down the Red Baron, just before he served as the inpiration for "Love Story" and invented the internet.

[leo]

I thought George Bush (W) shot down MvR while he was a Flyer in the Texas Air National Guard.

We will never know for sure who got him for sure too many shooters to many variables and a lot of lost evidence. Really those at the site should have known they just witnessed a very historical event but did not handle it like one.

Richthofen is the most responsible for his death. When I play RB3D online and I find myself damaged or outmatched I dive and head for my lines. If my enemies are hungry for one more kill they may follow me down low...I give fair warning "Dont make the Baron's mistake gents" but a target fixated opponent is rarely listening to reason. Inevitably they are shot down 90% of the time by a higher flying friendly and the rest of the time by AA guns at the aerodrome.

He made a fatal error and paid the price.

[Billy_Bishop]

I think the confusion over who shot down the Red Baron, Brown or Bishop stems from some Canadian websites that will have an entry, supposedly for Bishop that goes like the following example:

William A. 'Billy' Bishop, VC, CB, DSO and Bar, MC, DFC
Yes, a Canuck shot down the Red Baron. But actually it was Capt. Roy Brown of Carleton Place, Ontario in April, 1918. Two Australian machine gun crews claimed the victory, but "...a very careful examination showed that the bullet must have come from the air." Knights of the Air, John N. Harris, 1958. The seat from the Red Baron's Fokker triplane is presently in the Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto. Hey there's more: While it's true that the RAF did give credit to Capt. A. Royal Brown for shooting down the Red Baron, to be completely honest, it is now known for sure who did it. Popular thought today is that some Australian machine gunners did it. Brown never really claimed to have shot down the baron, he simply filed a combat report stating that he fired on an all red triplane. MOST of the evidence points to ground fire as the cause of the Red Baron's death. This is one of those controversies that will probably never die.

The above came from the Canada Eh web site. But I've seen similar examples.

To get back to the basic question...No, Billy Bishop was not even in France when the Red Baron was killed, so unless he strapped some extra fuel tanks to his SE-5A (a suggestion we've talked about here) there's no way he could have fired the shot that killed Manfred von Richthofen.

VBR,

Al Lowe

Over the past few years I have read various pieces of information on the shooting down of VR. Most have been from members of the 44th Battalion AIF into whose camp VR crashed.

Most men of the 44th believed that one of their own members, Pte Sowerbutts a machinegunner shot him down.(I hope no one is childish enough to make fun of the name).

Though it seems for certain the Sowerbutts while he hit the plane did not kill VR as he kept on flying.
C.E.W.Bean the Official Australian historian did extensive research on this subject, went through the medical records and interviewed people on the scene concluded that Popkin did indeed fire the fatal shot. Though it could still be said that Buie can't be ruled out.

The only thing that is certain is that the fatal shot did not come from the air.

You guys might already know about them, but there are pictures of VR and his funeral on the Australian War Memorial website. Just go to the Photo Database and type in Manfred, or Von Richthofen etc.
http://www.awm.gov.au

[Billy_Bishop]

Andrew P. said...
"The only thing that is certain is that the fatal shot did not come from the air."

I got some news for you, even THAT is not certain. It's the most likely, based on what has been said, but it's definitely NOT totally certain.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Reinout]

Hi y'all,

Whom of you feels this thread was just an attempt to "troll"?

Kind regards,

Reinout