HEADLINE: Roy Brown himself hoped he hadn't killed the Red Baron
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
BYLINE: Dave Brown
The great debate about who shot down and killed Germany's Red Baron, the greatest fighter pilot ace of the First World War, is back in the news and that's good news. Once again attention is focused on that awful war that didn't end all wars.
The latest stirring of these old ashes comes from a Discovery Channel documentary aired Wednesday night and reported in the Citizen yesterday. In this latest version, computer models and light beams are used to make the claim the angles of fire made it impossible for credit for the kill to go to Roy Brown of Carleton Place. The makers of the film called their version proof. If that video could be viewed by Roy Brown he likely wouldn't argue with it. He never enjoyed the notoriety of his war experience and never tried to trade on it. He died in 1944.
In 1997, I interviewed his brother Howard Morton "Rusty" Brown, who was then 94 and still recognized as an authoritative historian. He died in January, 2001.
He told me the best solution to the saga of the death of the German ace was in the words of his brother Roy. When asked if he was the man who shot down the Red Baron, Roy Brown would clarify the question. "Are you asking if I killed him?" The questioners invariably confirmed that was it, and all got the same answer. "I hope not."
Despite the marvels of modern science, I still believe Roy Brown has to take the blame. He, too, was an ace. It took five air victories to earn that title and he had 10, but considered them kills and didn't boast about them. Manfred von Richthofen had 80. Using aircraft to kill each other was the world's newest blood sport and newspapers were the cheering sections. The baron was world-famous. Roy Brown didn't want to be.
Last year, an issue of Vanguard, ("Canada's premier security and defense magazine"), also drew what it considered the final conclusion to the Red Baron mystery. It was an article based on an interview with Eric Abraham, 104 and one of only 14 Australian veterans of that war still living. He was vital, alert and marched at the head of Remembrance Day services in Western Brisbane last year.
He was there that fatal day and watched the air battle and saw the red Fokker fighter come down. He was aware credit for the killing shot was claimed by an Australian sergeant on the ground. It was based on angles that made no sense, said the old soldier. The red aircraft was trying to evade and as it jigged, jagged and yawed it presented itself to chase aircraft at many angles.
Mr. Abraham said he often shot at low-flying aircraft and to hit one would be a fluke.
In his version, Brown said he took a long-range burst at the red aircraft. His intent was to distract the pilot who was closing in for a kill on a pilot from Brown's squadron, Wilfred "Wop" May. (He would survive the way and become a legendary Canadian bush pilot.) If he hit him, Brown said, it was a fluke.
The Australian trooper didn't see it that way. He saw the red aircraft closing in on the fleeing Sopwith Camel, but the chase plane had used a dive to pick up speed and pulled in on the German's tail with only the length of two airplanes between them.
In 1972, another Australian put what he thought would be an end to the groundfire claim. Capt. Austin "Fritz" Frauenfelder went on record at a British Defense Department historic reunion. He had been an instructor of Brown's and said together they studied the German's tactics and worked out a plan to bring him down.
Ordinarily a squadron had 18 aircraft but the baron's had 19. He was the odd number flying 2,000 feet above the formation ready to swoop down on British planes breaking away from the action. The solution, they decided, was to go 2,000 feet higher and play the same trick on the baron. While engrossed in his kill, the baron was vulnerable. That, he said, was exactly what happened.
Brown later saw his dead opponent laid out for burial and said it made him feel miserable. "He looked friendly. Delicate. There was a lump in my throat. I cursed the war."
Carleton Place has a proud war history. The honour roll in the town council chambers has more than 200 names on it. Fifty-one have stars. They were killed in the line of duty.
Few survivors of war were better examples of its horror and stupidity than Roy Brown, who cursed it.
by Editor on February 18, 2003 at 10:01 PM