A blood red triplane skims the Somme and a nation’s legend closes in for another kill. But a calm Australian sergeant on a Vickers machine gun is waiting for his moment, he clears a friendly aircraft from the line of fire, and squeezes the trigger. What happened next reshaped world history.
We chart Manfred von Richthofen’s path from young cavalry cadet to becoming the Red Baron, Germany’s most feared ace and a potent symbol of wartime propaganda. You’ll hear the pivotal encounters, the April surge that cemented his reputation, and the head wound that shadowed his final year. From there we move groundward to the Australians braced along Morlancourt Ridge, where trajectories, medical findings, and rate-of-fire analysis converge on one name: Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin. His official statement, training background, and position relative to the flight path make a tight forensic case for the fatal burst coming from a Vickers pointing to treetop height.
Along the way, we keep the human scale in view. Popkin’s disciplined fire likely ended the Baron’s run; weeks later, shrapnel cost him his right leg and any hope of fanfare. Von Richthofen, only twenty-five, received full military honours from his enemies, a rare gesture that recognises skill and the strange chivalry of early aviation. The broader impact was immediate: a blow to German morale, a lift for Allied crews, and proof that even the brightest myth can be undone by patience and precision on the ground.
If you enjoy sharp storytelling, primary sources, and a myth-busting look at World War I aviation, hit follow, share this with a history-loving friend, and leave a review. What detail changed your view of the Red Baron’s last flight? We want to hear it.
Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com
Website
honourablementions.buzzsprout.com
Honourable Mentions
honourablementionspod
TikTok
honourable.mentionspod
