Searching for an event occurred on July 17, 1917 in the skies near Revigny.

[PinkPanzer]

Kanonenfieber, a German band, has a song called "Der Ietzte Flug" in which they describe an event that occurred on July 17th of 1917. I am unsure if the event is fictional or not, but their other songs tell of real stories and I have not seen it noted anywhere that the events of this song are fictional. From what I have been able to gather, this is what occurred:

• Planes dived to bomb a deployment site at Revigny on July 17, 1917
• The mission was successful and the planes turned for home
• During the flight back, air defense fired at the planes
• A plane was shot down. The pilots of the plane wished to land in a forest, but crashed onto a field.
• The impact broke a Lieutenant's neck, killing him

Here is a link to the song's lyrics. The lyrics are German but they seem to have (pretty rough) translations into English: https://genius.com/Kanonenfieber-der-letzte-flug-lyrics

I am looking for answers to these questions:

• What is the name of the Lieutenant?
• Is there anywhere online (pdf of a book, news or other article, etc.) that I can read about the events?

Thanks for any help!

[Gunner 87]

5 minutes ago, PinkPanzer said:

Kanonenfieber, a German band, has a song called "Der Ietzte Flug" in which they describe an event that occurred on July 17th of 1917. I am unsure if the event is fictional or not, but their other songs tell of real stories and I have not seen it noted anywhere that the events of this song are fictional. From what I have been able to gather, this is what occurred:

• Planes dived to bomb a deployment site at Revigny on July 17, 1917
• The mission was successful and the planes turned for home
• During the flight back, air defense fired at the planes
• A plane was shot down. The pilots of the plane wished to land in a forest, but crashed onto a field.
• The impact broke a Lieutenant's neck, killing him

Here is a link to the song's lyrics. The lyrics are German but they seem to have (pretty rough) translations into English: https://genius.com/Kanonenfieber-der-letzte-flug-lyrics

I am looking for answers to these questions:

• What is the name of the Lieutenant?
• Is there anywhere online (pdf of a book, news or other article, etc.) that I can read about the events?

Thanks for any help!

Hello. There are two RFC officers listed with the CWGC killed on the Western Front 17th July 1917 as attached. Possibly one is your man. 

[Gunner 87]

Looking at both mens records the first, Hay, died as a POW but the second, Palmer, was killed in France on the 17th July 1917. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1143599

[Gunner 87]

This records facts regarding the death of the officer https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1054529/document/5642210.PDF

The report from the witness does appear to suggest he was found 'shot dead' but that his body was recovered and buried. A possibility...

Edited 30 March , 2023 by Gunner 87

[PinkPanzer]

I am unable to confirm that he is the one spoken of, but the information you have provided leads me to think he is. If you have any more information on this, it would be greatly appreciated. You are very smart about knowing where to look for info, thanks for your help!

[Gunner 87]

38 minutes ago, PinkPanzer said:

I am unable to confirm that he is the one spoken of, but the information you have provided leads me to think he is. If you have any more information on this, it would be greatly appreciated. You are very smart about knowing where to look for info, thanks for your help!

In hindsight, looking at where Percy is buried near Ypres, and the report from his fellow officer, it is too far, geographically from Revigny, or even Revigny Meuse which is nearer. I have also looked at the records of two other RFC officers killed on the 17th July 1917 but buried in the UK, both of which deaths were result of accidents. 

Maybe the song refers to a French pilot.

 

[Andr0]

Hi PinkPanzer I was making the same searching as you did and found the same amount of nothing as you, but i was curious where did you see the 17th day bc I can't find anything about the 17th of July 1917 maybe you found something that I could not find
And at the end of the music the lyrics say "So war es geschehen um den guten Fritz" or That's what happened with good Fritz maybe saying that the Lieutenant could be named: something Fritz, but again, I didn't find anything