FOKKER DR1 TRIPLANE LTN HANS WEISS DEATH OF THE RED BARON 1918 CORGI 38312 1/48

CORGI 38312 1/48 FOKKER DR1 TRIPLANE LUFTSTREITKRAFTE JG 1 FLYING CIRCUS, 545/17, HANS WEISS, CAPPY AERODROME, FRANCE, "DEATH OF THE RED BARON", APRIL 21ST 1918 - IN STOCK

At 10am on 21st April 1918, six Fokker Dr.I fighter aircraft of Jasta 11 took off from Cappy aerodrome to embark on an offensive patrol over the Somme Valley region. Led by their inspirational commander, Manfred von Richthofen, this was an elite unit where only the finest fighter pilots were invited to join the squadron - the "Best of the Best". Hans Weiss has joined Jasta 11 with a reputation as being something of a balloon specialist, but by this date, he was credited with an impressive ten combat victories.As the formation approached Le Hamel, they spotted a pair of Allied reconnaissance aircraft over the town and dived in to attack.

As the battle commenced, an unseen flight of Sopwith Camels joined the melee to protect the reconnaissance aircraft and just minutes later, the infamous reign of the Red Baron would be over. The distinctive white coloured Fokker Dr.I flown by Weiss had been hit by return fire from the British reconnaissance aircraft, severing one of his rudder cables and forcing an immediate return to Cappy. Nursing his damaged aircraft back to his home airfield, Weiss would live to fight another day, however, his Commanding Officer would not be quite so lucky.

Weiss would later command Jasta 11 himself, but only for a three week period, before he also fell in combat, the victim of Canadian ace Merrill Taylor.

Fokker Dr.I Triplane

Designed in response to the highly manoeuvrable Sopwith Triplane, the Fokker Dr.I was first flown in 1917 and was one of the most successful and recognizable combat aircraft of WWI, attributing much of its fame to the German WWI ace Manfred von Richthofen aka the iconic "Red Baron". Light weight, small size and three wings made the aircraft highly manoeuvrable and deadly in the hands of an expert pilot but very unforgiving of less experienced pilots. Common for airplanes of that era, a fixed crankshaft configuration allowed the entire engine to spin with the propeller, creating strong gyroscopic forces that adversely affected the airplane's handling under power.

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