23 April 1918
Source ID: 55
“War correspondent Scheuermann writes in the Tägliche Rundschau:
At the Richthofen fighter squadron, 23 April
On Sunday morning, Richthofen took off on a combat mission with four aircraft from his squadron. Two of these were piloted by experienced fighter pilots, Lieutenant Wolff and Sergeant Scholtz. The other two were flown by First Lieutenant Karjus, who, despite losing his right hand in 1914, had distinguished himself for years as an excellent observer and had begun to transition to combat flying, and Lieutenant von Richthofen, a young cousin of the cavalry captain. In the Hamel area, Lieutenant Wolff and First Lieutenant Karjus were engaged in a battle against seven English Sopwith Camels. These were joined by seven more Sopwith Camels, while at the same time a German Albatros squadron arrived from Sailly-le-Sec. Some of the English aircraft evaded the Albatrosses, which were in pursuit. Wolff and Karjus remained engaged in close combat with three or four Sopwith Camels when Richthofen’s red aircraft suddenly flew past and forced one of the enemies to the ground in a steep dive. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Wolff shot down one of the remaining opponents, his ninth, setting it on fire. As he watched him, he saw Richthofen pursuing his opponent, flying very low, towards the west, towards the Somme. The next moment, Lieutenant Wolff was engaged in a duel with a very skilful opponent. After several exchanges of fire, the latter apparently had a jam and a number of hits on his aircraft, so he withdrew. Then he was relieved to see that Richthofen’s aircraft had disappeared in the direction of Hamel.
On the way home, he and other German pilots were forced to pursue an English squadron they encountered. When they arrived at their home port, a number of consistent observations from aircraft and artillery observers had already been reported, indicating that Richthofen had shot down his opponent, whom he had pursued about eight kilometres behind enemy lines in a strong east wind, contrary to his usual habit, and that he had then attempted to bring his aircraft back up to altitude. However, the aircraft had immediately tilted again due to damage to the controls or an engine defect, and Richthofen had landed the aircraft intact on enemy territory in a smooth, albeit steep, glide. It was generally assumed that the Siegfried of the Air had fallen into English captivity unharmed, because a wounded man would not have been able to land the heavy triplane so safely. It was only the enemy radio message that brought the news of the hero’s death, which was received with great excitement and disbelief everywhere at the front. In the meantime, a rumour has spread, which is circulating everywhere here, without my naming the source, that the Australians, in whose division the aircraft crashed, killed Richthofen after he left his aircraft. The place where his glorious life came to an end is located north of Corbie on a flat hill in the area where the Ancre flows into the Somme. Richthofen had taken his papers with him, as he always did on his flights. This time, contrary to his habit, he was not wearing the Pour le mérite medal, which he usually pinned under his fur coat. But the enemy knew his triplane, which he had repainted completely red since the beginning of the great battle, as he had done before, and whose appearance always caused loud cheers among our infantry and columns, while filling the enemy with terror. The hero’s elderly father took the news with dignity and, from Flanders, where he held a local command, sent a telegram to the fighter squadron that continues to bear the name Richthofen, saying that he wished the spirit of his son to live on in his surviving comrades-in-arms.”
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