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The REAL RED BARON

amazing footage-

sent to me by a friend - just posted recently

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So this is what the famous Red Baron looked like. This film is 100 yrs. old. In good condition for the age.
1917 - 100 year old footage of the Red Baron during WWI
Notice them squirting oil … on the valve I would guess, prior to spinning the prop.
The following is a very rare piece of film, 100 years old. It shows Baron Von Richthofen, doing an external prior to a mission, as well as his putting on a flying suit prior to flight in cold weather.
The Baron was shot down on 21 April 1918 by Roy Brown of the Royal Navy Air Services, a prelude of the R.A.F.. The Aussies also claim that one of their machine gunners on the ground shot the Baron down. UK & Aussie Doctors, after the autopsy stated that the fatal bullet was shot from above.
The author of this has been very involved as a Director of the Roy Brown Museum in Carleton Place, the home town of Roy. Many letters have been written over the past 3-4 years and finally Roy Brown was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame on 4 June 2015…
To think this film is almost 100 years old! If you''re interested in history or aviation, you cannot miss this footage. It was just posted online, and I've never seen anything like it.
It's from 1917, and it's an up-close and personal look at the most legendary combat pilot who ever lived, the infamous Red Baron, Manfred Von Richthofen.
Watch the extremely rare, extremely old footage and re-live history. ULTRA-RARE footage of the most famous fighter pilot ever

https://shar.es/12Ag7e

probably not squirting oil but priming with petrol . .

At the end they appear to be examining a British plane that was forced down and then joking with the British pilot. It would be interesting to discover who he was and what became of him.

'the Baron was shot down on 21 April 1918 by Roy Brown of the Royal Naval Air Services, a prelude of the RAF'
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the RAF formed on 1 April 1918?

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Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the RAF formed on 1 April 1918?

Buggah.

Buggah, buggah.

Buggah, buggah, buggah.

Is that Goering in the middle of the group standing along side the aircraft?

It's generally accepted that the fatal shot came from the ground.

Great find CONSO thanks for posting it.

The two guys holding the tail down while he did his engine run-up were apparently Scottish POWs - when he was ready to take-off he would shout 'Jocks away'.;)

Megan, I think you might be right. About 2:45 in. The facial structure looks like him.

Fascinating. I reckon that's Goering on the left about 3.11 in.

Also the first known film of German Squippers assisting an aircrew member to don his flying clothing (AEA)

Probable Goering at 2:19, far left, as well.

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The two guys holding the tail down while he did his engine run-up were apparently Scottish POWs - when he was ready to take-off he would shout 'Jocks away'

Here, I'll pass you your coat, Crab. :)

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Originally Posted by Genstabler (Post 9914576)

At the end they appear to be examining a British plane that was forced down and then joking with the British pilot. It would be interesting to discover who he was and what became of him.

Lt Algernon Frederick Bird, 46 Sqn.

From 'Under the Guns of the Red Baron', p159 which has the matching still.

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Originally Posted by Cazalet33 (Post 9914717)

Buggah.

Buggah, buggah.

Buggah, buggah, buggah.

You sound like Hettie in 'NCIS Los Angeles'.

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Originally Posted by Genstabler (Post 9914576)

At the end they appear to be examining a British plane that was forced down and then joking with the British pilot. It would be interesting to discover who he was and what became of him.

Might not be that hard to find out.
There is a list of The Red Baron's victories on Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...von_Richthofen)

Also the shot-down aircraft looks like a sopwith 1 1/2 strutter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_1%C2%BD_Strutter)

Captions say filmed in 1917
so a bit of digging and a few leaps of faith might get someone onto the right lines.

And I agree it would be interesting to find out more about him and what happened to him. :ok:

That bell at the start is way over modelled, at least by WW2 miniaturization had set in :)

Post edited as realised I'd posted Bird's squadron as 43 instead of 46.

Thanks GeeRam, sorry I did not see your post for some strange reason.

The Red Baron list then has him in there as being shot-down 3 Sept 1917 (Sopwith Pup and not the 1 1/2 strutter I thought)(close but no ceeeeegarrr)

The autopsy report that I've seen says that the fatal shot entered below his right armpit and exited next to the left nipple, passing through his heart on the way. That being the case it would have been impossible for him to continue controlled flight between being fired at by Brown and subsequently by the Australian machine gunners. The conclusion is that he was hit by a machine gun fired from the ground at which point the aircraft "wobbled" then spiralled into the ground.

He didn't 'spiral into the ground', he was able to land his machine behind the Allied lines, his last words as recorded by the first troops to reach him were something like 'is kaput'. No small achievement given the nature of his wound.
Souvenir hunters subsequently stripped him and his aircraft of everything until there was only a heap of wreckage and his naked body left. There are a number of items in museums in Australia I believe such as his flying boots. What was left was recovered by the RAF to Bertangles airfield. Richthofen was buried in the churchyard there with full military honours but removed after the armistice at the request of the locals to the German cemetery at, I think, Fricourts. He was later moved again back to Germany, to Berlin, before finally being laid to rest in his family plot in East Prussia.
As to exactly who shot him down the truth will never be known but Brown was closer than the gunner on the ground & had twin machine guns so I would give the kill to the RAF over the army!!