Richthofen Claim of a Farman 2 Seater September 1915

[fellop]

Any Chum able to assist in identifying the Farman 2 Seater claimed by Richthofen September 1915.

I am working up a talk for my local WFA Branch later in the year.

In Peter Kilduff’s book [page 39] it mentions that Richthofen with von Osterroht as pilot flying an Aviatik C1 shot down a ‘Farman 2 Seater’ 5km within its own lines. Richthofen claims to have seen it crash into a shell hole and later was denied a claim as it fell over enemy lines.

David Baker in his booklet states much the same information.

The Red Fighter Pilot by MvR  [ I know    ] states much the same.

I have looked through Trevor Henshaw's excellent work TSTB [original and the updated version] and as far as I can see for the whole of September 1915 there are only three mentions of a Farman, all of them Shorthorns and all belonging to 16 Sqn RFC. All three returned home so don’t fit the claim by Richthofen.

Any help in identifying this Farman ?

Or two other options in my mind was that it was operated by a French Sqn and so perhaps does not come under the scope of either of Henshaw’s books, or it was mis-identified by Richthofen and was not a Farman

Regards

Peter

[Eaglesnest]

Richthofen was at the time part of Brieftauben Abteilung Ostende (B.A.O), a unit stationed at Ghistelles at the beginning of September 1915. But because of an offensive in the Champagne area, individual airplanes, and later on whole Staffeln (units) were sent to the airfield at Vouziers, only about 50 km away from the crash site of the French Maurice Farman 11 bis of Lt. Jean Lamasse and Lt. Victor Saulnier d'Anchald, who were shot down near Montfaucon-d´Argonne, north of Verdun, on the 12th of September. Both were killed. This is possibly von Richthofens and von Osterroths claim. No other German pilot can be reasonably connected to this Maurice Farman victory. Unfortunately we don’t have the exact date when Manfred and Henning von Osterroth (the pilot) made their claim.

Manfred later met Oswald Boelcke for the first time in Rethel ( a city also in the area) on the 4^th of October (since Boelcke noticed his arrival in Rethel in his dairy). So it was not on the 1^st of October as mentioned by M. von Richthofen in his memoirs.

 

Rex

[fellop]

Rex,

Apologies for the delay in reply, I am just playing ‘catch up’ with many things and have just read your interesting reply. Thanks.

Regards

Peter