April 21, 1918

On April 21, 1918, during World War I, German pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen, “the Red Baron”, was shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France. The Red Baron was considered the top ace of aerial combat during the first World War with a recorded 80 kills. A kill was any shooting down of another airplane, even if the pilot survived. The Baron’s record is considered superhuman, as at the time, 15 to 20 kills for any other pilot was exceptional. Richthofen was shot down by a Canadian pilot, Arthur Roy Brown and died in the wreckage. As the Red Baron’s plane went down, people at the site could here the Canadian shout, “Sorry, boot that, Baronsie!”

About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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