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Dan-San,
It is impossible to tell why MvR chose certain aircraft over others, I imagine there are a variety of reasons to do with maintenance and damage. Also the records we have are not records of each flight - as far as I know - they are records of success in combat and it is highly likely that there were many more unsuccessful flight than successful ones even for an ace of his standing.
I asked the question about the date the LeChelle photo was taken because, due to the markings it is almost certainly prior to the end of March. There is one plane we know with certainty that was painter all red with narrow white borders around its national markings and that was 425/17, we know this as the evidence survives today, we can speculate that 477/17 was also painted this way but I was under the impression that the combat reports you refer to describe the paint scheme differently to that of 425/17 which was described by MvR as being all red, his description of 477/17 being somewhat different.
You're view "I believe that during the period of 12 to 19 April 1918, Fok.DR.425/18 was acquired and was painted for MVR" seems an unlikely scenario. We know that this aircraft underwent two changes in Richthofen's personal colours (both all red) and it seems unlikely that the first of these would be carried out after the mandated change and yet be painted in the earlier markings, and then again be painted - and you believe, without him ever flying this aircraft - to the correct markings possibly even the day before his first recorded flight in it.
For whatever reason 425/17 was not his preferred mount - or at least he was unsuccessful on it - until the end of his career. Could it be the aircraft in the photos? Yes. Are there reasons why 477/17 was more likely to be photographed? Sure, but unless we can prove with certainly that 477/17 was painted all red then this debate can only be speculation and not "ALL THE PHOTOS ARE OF 477/17 and none of 425/17!!"
Langdon
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