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MvR wounded – Schröder’s version

Event ID: 778

Categories: 

The Red Baron, a history in pictures, Norman Franks, 2016, Pen & Sword Books

06 July 1917

50.770168436308694, 3.0411227634729854
Wervicq

Source ID: 32

The Red Baron, a history in pictures, Norman Franks, 2016, Pen & Sword Books p.  74 

ISBN: 9781473861220

“On the ground not far away was a German observation post, manned on this day by Leutnant Hans Schröder. After the war he wrote a book An Airman Remembers. A former soldier and airman observer, he used to seeing air battles over this sector and knew how to recognise friend and foe. He could recognise the Richthofen aircraft because of their red colouring, and on this day he was watching as they engaged in what he described as the famous ‘merry go round’ squadron. He also saw a red aeroplane hurtle down vertically but, about 200 metres from the ground, it levelled out, heading in his general direction. About one kilometre away it landed, saw the occupant climb out, stagger and fall to the ground.

Schröder and a corporal, the latter carrying bandages, ran to the spot, finding Richthofen lying with blood trickling from a head wound. His eyes were closed and he was as white as a sheet. With the help of his corporal he managed to bandage the injury, then Schröder sent his companion off to get an ambulance. Several soldiers had turned up by this time and, shortly afterwards, the
ambulance arrived. Schroder accompanied the Baron to Menin hospital, but Manfred refused to be helped, insisting that he be taken back to Marcke. The doctor turned away with an air of resignation and the two officers were quickly on their way to the chåteau. Here the Geschwader doctor administered to him,shaving off the hair around the wound while the chief surgeon probed the wound under anaesthetic. It had been a close thing.

Donald Cunnell, from Norwich, would never know that he and Woodbridge had probably downed the famed Red Baron, for he was killed six days later. On a patrol with another observer, a piece of shrapnel from an anti-aircraft shell exploding nearby, killed him, his observer just about managing to get the FE home and down. Woodbridge survived the war, later became a pilot, and served in the RAF post-war prior to his own premature death.

Richthofen never appeared to be the same man following his close encounter with death. He felt he had made a mistake by closing into a dangerous situation and paid the penalty. He made few major mistakes during his encounters in the air. He would only make one more — on 21 April 1918.”

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