Fokker Triplane, none left...or is there?

[Tim A.]

Rather than spending precious off time working on a client's project I've been stuck on the computer for the last couple of days. It started when I was given a book- THE RED KNIGHT OF GERMANY as a Christmas gift. It's about the Red Baron. He was well known to the allies so when he was finally shot down in the enemies territory it did not take long for word to get around. The plane was stripped, everyone wanting a piece of the famous Baron's Tripe. This had me wandering whatever become of the pieces? There are photographs and even film footage of the RAF and Aussie ground troops posing with the plane and holding the machine guns removed from it. Where did they go? There are just a few parts of that plane on display today. As it turns out thats about all thats left of any original DR1. According to most sites I've visited there are no KNOWN original DR1's left. The word "known" sparked my interest. A little more searching revealed the last complete example was part of a museum collection in Berlin. It was one Richthofen flew and scored 3 victories in (serial#152/17). It as well as other artifacts were sent to "safe" places in Poland before the allied bombing began during WWII. After that nobody knows what became of it for sure. I did read one source interviewed a man who remembered as a boy seeing a red airframe and wings stored at a dance hall in Pomerania. He claimed he cut the wings up to use as firewood. Don't know if I'd actually admit to doing that knowing why your being asked about it and all...haha. Anyway seems there could be one more out there just waiting to be discovered again. To heck with my plans to go in search of Bigfoot..."gas up the car honey...we're going to Poland!" But first I'll check the nieghbors barn...ya never know. Aw crap...mabey i'd better just drag myself to the work room and get to sanding on a boring old clipper model :laugh:

Richthofen's DR1 (152/17) on display in Berlin,

Tim

 

[Gator]

Tim,

I know that one of Richthofen's planes that survived WWI and was kept at a Berlin museum was destroyed in an allied WWII bombing when the museum was hit.

Kenny

 

[Tim A.]

Hi Kenny, thats the one that some sources say was moved for safe keeping. Digging further I come across a site dedicated to identifing through photo's and records all 320 DR1's made. somewhere in the mess it stated that six were sent to England and the USA after the war. One of these still flying into the 30's but was crashed. So mabey looking in the next door nieghbor's barn wasn't that crazy after all.
:snoopy



Tim

 

[moon puppy]

Might want to look in a Russian bog, seems they have been pulling old tanks out of them for years.

Tim I guess I have read the same things you have.

 

[Gator]

Might want to look in a Russian bog, seems they have been pulling old tanks out of them for years.

Tim I guess I have read the same things you have.

I doubt it. In the biography I read, when the Russians drove through that part of Europe late in WWII, they had the towns people destroy all things German, including almost all of the possessions in the Richthofen family home.

 

[kryptosdaddy]

No wonder Germany tried to conquer Europe.
If anything like this is buried in a bog. it's gone- never pull it up. One day it may become petrified and then a fossil but trying to extract something like this from a bed of wet silt could be a waste of time. let 'em sit and call Wingnuts. lol CR



Anyone up for a fossilied 'modern' relic build? haha :fencing

 

[Tim A.]

Of course the bogs! :hmmm

That's another mystery about all this, the collection in the home. A quick search on google for Richthofen home brings up the same basic photogragh of his room as it was during the war but nothing recent. Funny, A buddy told me to look in Russia.

Tim

 

[moon puppy]

I should have used a smilie, that was a joke guys.

This is a reason we hold a great debt of gratitude to the likes of Peter Jackson (of LOTR fame) for his activity in The Vintage Aviator and our favorite Wingnut Wings kits.

The Vintage Aviator group are actually rebuilding these old birds (now approaching 100 years old) with the original blueprints, parts, even recreating machinery to build the parts per original specs.

I'm with you Tim, wonder what happened to all those souvenirs?

 

[Tim A.]

It is baffling that an important figure in warfare history's stuff could just get gone. Probably the most important pieces removed from Richthofen's crash was the Spandau's. I mean who wouldn't want to take one of those home? I haven't seen them mentioned as being in a collection anywhere.

Yep Bob, talking about drawings I did read that Fokker didn't have actual working drawings of the Tripe. When another manufacture was to start building the DR1 also He gave them one of the airframes to take the measurements from.

Tim

 

[Jeeves]

Speaking of recreating, not very far from here is the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome where they have a recreated DR1 that they used to fly around...got to see if shortly before they retired her.

 

[cb1]

Speaking of recreating, not very far from here is the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome where they have a recreated DR1 that they used to fly around...got to see if shortly before they retired her.

yup, I remember that! a great show!