Victory 60
Event ID: 427
Categories:
01 September 1917
Source ID: 58
“On 1 September, the Rittmeister climbs into one of the new triplanes for the first time for aerial combat. (Paragraph II of the army order of 12 August does not concern him, totally forgotten and overlooked).
At 7.50 in the morning he shoots down his 60th opponent near Zonnebeeke. The fight was short.
“Flying the triplane for the first time, I attacked a very cheeky flying English artillery plane with 4 men from Squadron 11. I flew down to 50 metres, fired 20 shots, whereupon the opponent crashed without a shot and was wrecked near Zonnebeeke on this side.
Apparently the enemy mistook me for an English triplane, as the observer stood in the aircraft without making any sign of reaching for his machine gun.‘’
source: Inside the victories of Manfred von richthofen – Volume 2, James F. Miller, Aeronaut Books, 2016
F.I 102/17 had a short service life. Arriving at JG late August 1917, Richthofen flew it just over a week before departing on leave 6 September. Ultimately Jasta 11 Staffelführer Ltn. Kurt Wolff assumed ownership and flew it from 11 September until he was shot down and killed inthe machine four days later.