Manfred von Richthofen kept his Fokker low, pursuing the RAF Sopwith Camel over the treetops. He occasionally fired bursts from his 7.92mm machine guns, but his target continued to elude him. He was about to bring his guns to bear once more when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Another Camel, several hundred feet above, dove down in his direction. He pulled hard to starboard as bullets raked through the air. The RAF would have to do better than that! They didn’t call him Der Rote Kampfflieger for nothing! Satisfied that he’d shaken his attacker, he resumed his pursuit.

Manfred did not give chase for long. There was a sudden impact to his chest, and he looked down to see blood oozing from his flight jacket. With his last ounce of strength, he managed to land the Fokker in a nearby field.

Manfred was still alive when the Australians arrived. He became vaguely aware of people shouting at him in a foreign language. As the world dimmed around him, the Red Baron spoke one last word.

“Kaputt.”