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Gunner Robert Buie:
"I was manning one (Lewis) gun at the time and Digger
Evans the other. As they neared us, Evans opened fire, but the plane
came on.
I could not fire at the same
time as I did not have a clearance, but as soon as our plane was
out of the line of fire, I started firing direct at the German
pilot, through my peep sight. Fragments flew from the plane and
it lessened speed. It came down a few hundred yards away. When
the place was reached, Richthofen was dead. This was on the left
of Corbie, on the ridge overlooking the Somme, and the plane came
to earth near Vaux-sur-Somme. Richthofens plane did not
fall in a heap as some would suggest, it came down as if he was
bringing it down; although on landing, the wings and fuselage
were badly damaged."
Buie
vehemently stated that Brown's Camel was not
in the Vicinity when the Baron was downed: "No
planes pursued Richthofen. There was only Lt.
May chased by Richthofen. Two planes only! There was no third
plane in my line of vision when I saw the two planes crossing
the front lines two miles away."
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