[Andy Saunders]

Whilst the Rippert story is suspect, so too must be the "suicide" theory. It is based on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence and even if the wreck went in vertically and Saint-Ex was depressed it hardly points towards suicide. Even although there apparently must be some doubt about the Rippert fighter claim I am afraid that failure to find "...traces of neither shooting nor aerial combat" in the wreckage cannot be given much credence, either. The wreckage was fragmented, corroded and incomplete. I have been involved in recovery of many many wrecks, the metal in far better condition, and where we KNOW combat has been the cause but have rarely found evidence that can be attributed to ordnance strikes. It seems we are dealing with a great deal of fantasy and very little fact.