[Dan_San_Abbott]

Langdon:
It is obvious that several have used these reports in writing their books or articles. I did not know of there existence until last year or the year before when Jumpinjan sent me copies of what he received from the PRO. I wrote my article in "Over the Front, Vol.3, No.3, Autumn 1988." I used other sources in my article. I relied on MvR's letters, and Nowarra's Richthofen and Floyd Gibbons's "The Red Knight of Germany." He has a good number of the combat reports in it. Looking at the publication dates of "Richthofen" by.A.E. Ferko is 1995 and "The Fokker Triplane" by Alex Imrie is 1992. Both of these books refer to the MvR combat reports. I wonder when they first heard of them? I have mixed feelings about them. I don't use them as reference because of my doubts, nor do I selectively take information from them in anything that I write or quote. I have my convictions and I adhere to them.
MvR returned from leave on 16 February 1918. I believe whe he returned to operations he selected Fok.DR.I 152/17 and had it painted as had been described. From 16 February to 17 March 1918, there is nothing mentioned in "Jagd in Flandern Himmel"about MvR participating or leading any patrols until 18 March 1918. He had done some flying during this period when he used Fok.DR.I 161/17 to fly to Boistrancourt to visit Jasta 5. On 17 March 1918, he used Fok.DR.I 525/17 to visit Jasta 5 in the preparations for Operation Michael. I think these respectively were in Jasta 11 and Jasta 6 markings. (ref. "The Fokker Triplane", page 79.
Blue skies,
Dan-San