Ernie P.
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Joined: 9/29/2007
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From: Bealeton, VA, USA
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JohnnyS
From: http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/12/25/13258/202
According to this account, Manfred von Richtofen was attacking Wilfred ''Wop'' May because May had attacked Manfred's cousin Leutnant Wolfram von Richthofen. It's a complex fight, as described in the article.
I knew it wouldn't take you guys long to figure this one out, but the story is so interesting I wanted to highlight it.
You are correct, Sir. Interesting that so much of what happened that day has been lost, and so much more manufactured. Richthofen was noted for being particularly concerned for the welfare of his brother Lothar; and it is reasonable to think he would also be concerned about protecting his cousin. It is also interesting that it was confirmed by examination of the Baron's machine guns on the ground afterward that both guns were hopelessly jammed.
You are up, Sir. Thanks; Ernie P.
We all know the story; or at least one of several versions of the story. Lieutenant Wilfrid May was an inexperienced pilot. He had been ordered to stay above any dogfights and observe; or perhaps he had been told to make a single firing pass if he saw the opportunity and then dive for home.
May attacked a German aircraft, then dove away as instructed. But to his shock, he found himself pursued by another German aircraft. Unknown to him, his pursuer was none other than the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen. Captain Roy Brown, a personal friend of May, then attacked Richthofen in turn
From that point, what happened is still argued; although there is general belief that Richthofen was hit by gunfire from the ground. But…
Question: Why did Richthofen single out Lieutenant May for attack?
Clues:
(1) The Baron was leading his formation, just as Brown was leading his.
(2) Many theories have been advanced to explain why Richthofen pursued May so doggedly. This answer (Which, I must admit, I have never seen in print.) may explain why.
(3) Wilfrid May himself reported he had attacked a blue triplane, which he claimed as shot down (He didn’t, in fact shoot it down.). His guns jammed and he dove for home. A red triplane latched onto his tail and shot him up rather badly, but didn’t hit him personally.
(4) The Baron wasn’t the only Richthofen to fly for the German Air Force.
Answer: May had unknowingly attacked the Baron’s cousin, Wolfram von Richthofen. Wolfram was also an inexperienced pilot, and had also been given orders to stay above the fight and observe. When May attacked him, Wolfram turned into the dogfight. The Baron saw Wolfram in distress and attacked May. Brown then chased the Baron to protect his own charge.
Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May, OBE, DFC (April 20, 1896 – June 21, 1952), was a Canadian flying ace in the First World War and a leading post-war aviator. He was the final allied pilot to be pursued by Manfred von Richthofen before the German ace was shot down on the Western Front in 1918. After the war, May returned to Canada pioneering the role of a bush pilot while working for Canadian Airways in Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
May joined the Army in February 1916 during the First World War. He rose through the enlisted ranks to sergeant, and spent most of 1916 as a gunnery instructor. In 1917, his battalion, the 202nd battalion C.E.F. (Edmonton Sportsmen), was shipped to England, where he and his friend Ray Ross applied to join the Royal Flying Corps. His first flight resulted in the destruction of both his own and another aircraft; nevertheless, the RFC accepted his applications and May resigned from the Canadian Army. After initial training in London in October, he was moved to a fighter training squadron and graduated in February 1918.
On April 9, Lieutenant May was transferred to No. 209 Squadron of the newly-created Royal Air Force (the squadron being a unit of the Royal Naval Air Service until April 1, when the RAF was created). The squadron was commanded by another Canadian, May's former school friend Roy Brown, who had never lost a subordinate pilot. May spent most of April getting used to his Sopwith Camel.
On April 20, May fought his first aerial combat. The German Fokker Triplane crashed of its own accord during the brief fight.
The following day, April 21, saw 209 Squadron again on patrol. Due to his inexperience, Brown gave May similar instructions as before – he was to stay out of the fights and simply keep an eye out. Around 10 a.m. the squadron attacked a group of Triplanes. During the dogfighting, May circled above. But when he spotted another plane doing the same thing he decided to launch an attack.
May chased the aircraft which fled into the middle of the dogfight. But when his machine guns jammed, May quickly dived out of combat. Unknown to anyone, May's target was Wolfram von Richthofen, cousin of Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron". Wolfram had also been given orders to sit out above the fight and watch because he was a novice flyer, too.
On seeing his cousin being attacked, Manfred started to chase May as he turned to pull out of the dogfight with jammed guns. Roy Brown, who was flying above, also noticed the Red Baron peeling off to attack May. Diving in from behind, Brown intercepted von Richthofen's red Triplane. May noted in his combat report:
21/4/18 Camel D3326 90 minutes Engaged 15 to 20 triplanes - claimed one. Blue one. Several on my tail, came out with red triplane on my tail which followed me down to the ground and over the line on my tail all the time got several bursts into me but didn’t hit me. When we got across the lines he was shot down by Capt. Brown. I saw him crash into side of hill. Came back with Capt. We afterwards found out that the triplane (red) was the famous German airman Baron Richthofen. He was killed.
In point of fact, who actually shot down the Red Baron is a subject of much dispute.
May continued flying with 209 Squadron until the end of the war, and eventually claimed 1 and 1 shared aircraft captured, 6 and 1 shared destroyed, and 3 and 1 shared 'out of control'. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1918. He relinquished his RAF commission on 8 May 1919 with the rank of captain.
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RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz - 
