The Red Baron’s plane was eventually shot down and he was killed in combat. After his death, the aircraft was dismantled by souvenir hunters.
Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, was a famous German fighter pilot during World War I. He flew several different aircraft during his combat career, but he is most closely associated with the Fokker Dr.I triplane. On April 21, 1918, while flying his distinctive red Fokker Dr.I, Richthofen was involved in a dogfight over the Morlancourt Ridge, near the Somme River.
During this engagement, he was pursued by Canadian pilot Captain Arthur “Roy” Brown, and it is widely believed that Brown fired the shots that fatally wounded Richthofen. However, there is also a theory that the fatal shots may have come from Australian ground troops as Richthofen flew low over the battlefield.
After being hit, Richthofen managed to make a rough landing in a field on the Allied side of the front lines. By the time Australian troops reached him, he was dead or died shortly after from a single bullet wound to the chest.
Following his death, Richthofen’s Fokker Dr.I was quickly taken apart by souvenir hunters from the Australian forces who wanted a piece of the famous aircraft. Various parts of the plane were removed and kept as mementos, and as a result, the aircraft was essentially destroyed. Some parts of the plane and personal effects have since been recovered and are displayed in museums, but the majority of the Red Baron’s plane was lost to history due to the actions of souvenir hunters in the aftermath of his death.