Red Baron Shot Down: WWI's Greatest Ace Falls Over France

Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, died as he had fought: in the air, at low altitude, and surrounded by enemies. On April 21, 1918, the German ace pursued a Canadian Sopwith Camel piloted by Lieutenant Wilfrid May deep over Allied lines near Vaux-sur-Somme, France. A single .303 bullet struck Richthofen in the chest, passing through his heart and lungs. His iconic red Fokker Dr.I triplane glided to a rough landing in a field, and by the time Australian soldiers reached the cockpit, the 25-year-old pilot was dead. Who fired the fatal shot remains one of World War I's enduring mysteries. Canadian pilot Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown received official credit for the kill, but ballistic evidence and the bullet's trajectory strongly suggest it came from ground fire, most likely from Australian machine gunners of the 53rd Battery who were shooting at Richthofen as he flew low over their positions. The debate has never been definitively settled. Richthofen's record of 80 confirmed aerial victories made him the war's top-scoring ace on any side. He was methodical rather than reckless, preferring to attack from above with the sun behind him, and he enforced strict tactical discipline on his squadron. His unit, Jagdgeschwader 1, was known as the "Flying Circus" for its brightly painted aircraft, a psychological tactic designed to intimidate and to help pilots identify each other in the chaos of a dogfight. Richthofen painted his own plane red, earning the nickname that followed him into legend. The Allies buried him with full military honors at Bertangles, near Amiens. Six members of the Royal Air Force carried his coffin, a gesture of respect that reflected the peculiar chivalry of early aerial combat. His death shattered German morale more than any single loss in the air war. Richthofen had become a propaganda symbol of German superiority, and his absence left a void that no replacement could fill.