Posted on 09/21/2004 7:24:44 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John
A head wound suffered by the Red Baron the year before his death was the underlying reason he was eventually shot down, according to a study by neuroscientists.
There has been endless speculation over who killed the 25-year-old First World War flying ace but the new study suggests that more credit is due to the British airman who grazed his skull in 1917 than to the Australian gunner who eventually brought him down in 1918.
The killing machine feared by the Allies and revered by his countrymen suffered significant brain damage to his frontal lobes when a machinegun round fired by Second Lieutenant A E Woodbridge of the Royal Flying Corps splintered his skull.
Against the advice of doctors and despite suffering nausea, headaches and fatigue, the baron was driven by a sense of duty to resume command of his "Flying Circus".
The most successful pilot of the war was still unfit to fly - his head wound had not healed - when his red Fokker triplane was shot down nine months later, according to a study in a forthcoming issue of Human Factors and Aerospace Safety.
The authors, Prof Daniel Orme of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Dr Thomas Hyatt, a semi-retired neuropsychologist of Cincinnati's Veterans' Administration Medical Centre, were inspired to investigate by a television documentary on the death of Manfred von Richthofen.
Dr Hyatt came across an earlier review of the baron's medical record in the Lancet by Dr Henning Allmers, a German, who suggested that he may have been unfit to fly. Yesterday, the American team spelt out the consequences of his wound.
It made the baron "disinhibited", so he pulled childish and impulsive stunts that were out of character. He also showed target fixation, recklessly pursuing a fleeing British pilot over enemy lines. "The baron violated the basic principles set forth in the air combat operations manual he himself wrote," they said.
Had he been evaluated today, "he would have been given that pronouncement feared by all aviators, DNIF (Duties Not to Include Flying)," said Prof Orme.
Woodbridge inflicted the fateful wound on July 6, 1917, by which time the baron had been awarded the coveted Pour le Merite - the Blue Max - and had 57 victories.
He had attacked British biplanes and was nonplussed when Woodbridge opened fire from his FE2 bomber. The baron later recalled: "I calmly let him shoot, for even the best sharpshooter's marksmanship could not help at a distance of 300 metres. One just does not hit.
"Suddenly something struck me in the head. For a moment, my whole body was paralysed. My arms hung down limply beside me; my legs flopped loosely beyond my control. The worst was that a nerve leading to my eyes had been paralysed and I was completely blind."
Richthofen quickly regained power over his arms and legs and enough eyesight to land but then passed out. There was a 4in groove in his skull and his record refers to "severe concussion and even more probable, a cerebral haemorrhage".
Although he complained of head pains, dizziness and a buzzing in his ears, Richthofen was back in the air 40 days later and succeed in adding another kill to his record. But he experienced such nausea and weakness that, after a shaky landing, he had to be helped from his plane and put to bed by his batman. On the day he died, April 22, he chased a disarmed Sopwith Camel flown by a Canadian newcomer, Lt Wilfred May, down to treetop level and through enemy lines, while himself being pursued by a second fighter.
"There were bits and pieces of his aircraft flying off, but he persevered," said Dr Hyatt.
Richthofen was attacked by the Australian 24th machinegun battery along with the anti-aircraft batteries of the 53rd Australian Field Artillery. One of the gunners, Robert Buie, later wrote: "Had he not been so intent upon shooting down Lt May, he could have easily manoeuvred his machine."
This fixated behaviour is typical of damage to the frontal lobes, where "executive functioning" takes place, affecting reasoning, memory, and emotional control.
"The baron was a hunter, and this instinct became unbridled," said Dr Hyatt. "When he found himself in trouble he could not or would not break off the pursuit to save himself. This rigid behaviour is perseveration, associated with dysfunction involving the frontal lobes."
When one of the many gunners found his mark the baron's guns stopped abruptly, his goggles flew out of the plane and there was a change in the engine sounds. By the time allied soldiers reached the wrecked triplane, von Richthofen was dead.
Alan Bennett, a Canadian historian and co-author of The Red Baron's Last Flight, said that the injury may have affected von Richthofen's judgment but not his flying ability, pointing out that he had shot down two Sopwith Camels within a few minutes the day before.
Bennett points out that another critical factor was that the prevailing winds had reversed direction and clouds obscured the ground, so German pilots had inadvertently drifted into Allied territory. Dr Hyatt replied: "When you do an accident investigation, you usually find factors built upon each other. That is what happened with the Red Baron."
Y-you mean it w-w-wasn't Snoopy? :'(
Von Richthofen was quite an interesting guy. Very professional and well educated. One of the "Gentleman Soldiers" of the day. Interesting family also.
LOL
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Did injured brain betray Red Baron?
K.C.Star ^ | Tue, Sep. 21, 2004 | ALAN BAVLEY
Posted on 09/21/2004 6:24:41 AM PDT by bad company
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1222347/posts
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