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Re: Von Richthofen - don't forget he also had a head wound that left him debilitated and probably unable to compete in the air the same way as he had previously...
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The head wound kept causing trouble right up till the end. It also ended his sense of invulnerability, if he had any left by July 1917. Nausea and headaches were his most frequent tormentors.
As for unable to compete in the air, well, I disagree. How many did MvR get after his headwound? A good 23. Admittedly his victories in the remainder of 1917 weren't numerous or impressive (6), but this was during his main period of convalescence. He didn't score between 30-11-17 and 12-3-18, but his first victory in the Michael Offensive heralded a return to form for the old master: in less than six weeks, from 12-3 to 21-4, MvR downed 17 adversaries!
It is of course possible that his head wound was a factor in his lapse of judgement, but it will never be certain. It is clear however, that his head wound did not impede his ability to down enemy opponents.
I know it's off topic, but I just looooove that WWI talk!
If you're interested, check out
www.theaerodrome.com, especially its forum. It has been the best WWI air war site since 1997-1998.
Kind regards,
Eichenlaub