He wasn't just shot down; he crashed into a single tree near Vaux-sur-Somme whil

1918 Event

Red Baron Shot Down: WWI's Greatest Ace Falls Over France

He wasn't just shot down; he crashed into a single tree near Vaux-sur-Somme while his Fokker Dr.I was painted a blinding, impossible crimson. A 23-year-old Australian machine-gunner named Cedric Popkin fired the fatal round that ended the war's most famous hunter in just minutes of chaos. The Germans buried him with full military honors, turning a battlefield death into a global legend overnight. And now, every time you see a red plane in a movie, you're looking at a boy who died before he ever learned to drive a car.

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April 21, 1918

108 years ago

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Red Baron Shot Down: WWI's Greatest Ace Falls Over France

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