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Re: Ofhr. Ruthart von Richthofen
Hi Frankie, thanks very much for looking this up for me.
Laurent, I am afraid I cannot add much more. A few years ago a Newsletter from an aviation group reported on this saying following a visit to the crash site local information was that Ruthart v Richthofen, the nephew of the Red Baron, was shot down by a P-51, baled out and was shot on landing by French civilians being buried near the crash site (unmarked grave?).
From the answers it is now established he was not a nephew, and that he has a known grave. The JG2 loss list I have just says gefallen by Argentan which as you say was still in German hands, one would have thought it unwise to kill a German pilot in these circumstances but such things did happen. The JG3 loss list I have has several pilots noted as 'am Boden ersschossen' following crash landings in the April to Oct 1944 period, I assume these being strafed from the air.
Ruthart may well have perished in the crash and the shooting story could just be a local myth, or he could have been strafed. I was hoping they may have been a definite answer to his fate,
Regards and thanks,
Brian Bines
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