Who Killed The Red Baron's Death Essay

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Officially credited with 80 air combat victories, 26 year old Manfred von Richthofen (“The Red Baron”) was not only Germany’s greatest Ace, but the greatest Ace of World War 2. Despite the fact that he was killed nearly 100 years ago on 21 April 1918, the question still remains: Who killed Manfred von Richthofen? While the kill was credited to be the work of Captain Roy Brown, a Canadian pilot, there are reasons to believe that the Baron was killed at the hands of a different soldier. Sergeant Cedric Popkin, of the 24th Australian Machine Gun Company is the man who was most likely to have shot his plane down. Not only was Cedric within the range the bullet was shot from, but bullet trajectory and evidence from the official autopsy comes …show more content…

The autopsy also revealed the bullet was travelling in an upward motion. Knowing this, it is obvious that it was not Roy Brown who killed the Red Baron, as he was shooting at von Richthofen from above, behind and to the left. Popkin was an “experienced AA gunner… and was the only machine gunner from the right.” This information makes it obvious that the soldier who killed the Red Baron was shooting from the ground, and from the right-the exact position Sergeant Popkin was in while he was firing rounds at von Richthofen’s …show more content…

With controversy surrounding his death, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who killed him. However, seeing as how the spent bullet was discovered inside the clothing he was wearing at the time of death- meaning the bullet was shot from a long range shot, the path the bullet travelled, and that von Richthofen actually had time to land his plane, it is safe to say that Sergeant Cedric Popkin was in fact the man who killed Manfred von

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