Pilot Horst Rippert claimed Saint Exupéry : 31 July 1944 / 15 March 2008 !

[Jan Bobek]

Originally Posted by Andy Saunders

Rippert? Ritterkreuztrager??

No, do not worry. He had "only" German Cross in Gold.

By thw way the "true" story with Saint-Ex. is rolling over Czech media today. Oh my God, it is like flood.

[B.F.M. Droog]

I've just read that pieces of Saint-Ex.'s plane are since 2004 on exhibition in the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget. Has anyone been there? Have they bullet holes?

Regards,

Bart

[yogybär]

Here is a german movie about the kill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WKK1RQoewM

It all seems like a media offensive for some reason or the other... incl. a nice movie

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Micozeman

Hello.
Sorry to ask a dumb question for this first post but I'm not accustomed with this kind of thing, this Saint-Ex story just amaze me and make me curious...
So are those records you are mentioning are available to public? Are they online?

Thanks and good luck for your research!

It's all available to the public but only on paper and microfilm, at the UK National Archives. Anyone can visit, you just need some i/d (like a passport) to register as a reader and be issued with a ticket.

[Zemper]

Some additional information that may be of interest....

Here is an article from 2004 where Luc Vanrell, the diver who found Saint-Ex's wreck believes that he committed suicide. According to the article, Saint-Ex suffered from depression, his plane was far of it's planned route and the wreck shows evidence of a vertical crash. http://www.cdnn.info/industry/i040807/i040807.html

The following is taken from Wikipedia about Saint Ex:
"In 2000, a diver named Luc Vanrell found a Lockheed P-38 Lightning crashed in the seabed off the coast of Marseille. Extraction followed in October of 2003. On April 7, 2004, investigators from the French Underwater Archaeological Department confirmed that the plane was, indeed, Saint Exupéry's. The wreckage showed traces of neither shooting nor aerial combat. In June, 2004, fragments were given in June 2004 to the Museum of Air and Space in Le Bourget, France."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exupéry

-Eric Zemper

[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.

[RolandF]

Nothing of the nonsense written in the international press (the usual "Nazi pilot" sensational stories etc.) especially the obvious crap written in the otherwise good informed French "Figaro" appears in the German press of today. In his younger days Horst Rippert has been a reasonable and reliable sport´s jounalist working for the German TV channel ZDF, being one of the first reporters being employed when the channel started to work in the 60s. I hope he has not lost his credibility and his wits due to his high age...

Anyway, I understand the story as follows: German TV journalists from the otherwise very reliable public channel "ZDF" were researching for a known German historical documentary series "Tauchfahrt in die Vergangenheit" about archeological sites on the sea bottom like any kind of ship wrecks.
As one of the topics Saint-Exupery´s Lockheed F-5 reconaissance wreck was chosen. To spread some light on the puzzle they researched the adresses of former JGr 200 pilots being still alive and having been stationed in Southern France during the crucial time in 1944.

Horst Reinert´s name appeared on this list so they contacted their former colleague. When the journalists started to interview Reinert about his opinions about Saint-Exupery´s death (the story of his brother Hans-Rolf aka "Ivan Rebroff" has nothing to do with WW2, here the "Figaro" is writing utter nonsense), he said: "You can refrain from further search - it was me..."

I´m still sceptical because of his 64-year-long silence but ZDF announces a TV report with the final proofs. So let´s see...

Regards

Fran

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Andy Saunders

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.

I know it's less dramatic but why are they so keen that a missing aircraft must have been shot down? My impression of flying at that time is that it was quite dangerous enough, without anyone shooting at you.

[Andy Saunders]

I suppose, Nick, that to "produce" an explanation as to Saint-Ex's loss, put a name to the supposed victor AND to have said victor still alive might help put a little gloss on things for the publicity people and attract a media circus. The plan seems to be working well so far!! I cannot imagine how many books it has already sold. On the other hand, Saint-Ex's wreckage found, no explanation, possible suicide etc etc would not have grabbed world headlines. The "New York Times" has screamed a headline "I WAS NAZI PILOT WHO KILLED SAINT-EXUPERY". I kind of doubt that the story: "Saint-Ex may have committed suicide" would have made even two lines on the back page of "L'Etoille de Marseille", or whatever the local rag is!

[RT]

L'étoile de Marseille ?, sorry to make you disappointed, but this newspaper exist nomore, if it had existed, in Marseille there is unique Newspaper called La Provence, saying the good "parole", no other music sound there, so no DOUBT THAT THIS STORY HV BEEN FABRICATED nd relayed by every good looking media, like ZDF..

rémi