A photo i'd not seen of Manfred

[UK_Widowmaker]

(alledgedly) taken on that fateful last morning...but no proof 

 

 

 

[Hauksbee]

Jim Miller would be the one to ask about this.

[+Olham]

There are photos of that last morning, where the other flyers "played" with big Moritz -

they had tied some tin cans to his tail.

MvR was usually not amused, when they played such dirty tricks on the big dog,

but this morning he was overlooking it and laughing with them.

 

Maybe JFM comes round here - he may have such pics with Moritz.

 

Here is one more...

 

 

 

 

 

[JFM]

That top photo is actually an often published shot of Manfred and Moritz. I don't know for sure when it was taken--I too have seen claims it was on 21 April--but the background is certainly barren and bleak enough to have been Cappy. Then again, it very easily could have been Roucourt or Lechelle, etc. It's too cropped. Even the versions I have that aren't so cropped are impossible for ID location.

 

That shot above that Olham posted is often associated with 21 April. What Moritz had tied to his tail was a wheel chock, said to be in the foreground of that picture, which was taken after MvR removed it. Many contend the photo could not have been taken at Cappy because of the insignia in the background has not been changed to the Balkenkreuz, but such changes didn't happen overnight. But beyond that, I've compared that photo to aerial photos of Cappy and it looks like Cappy to me.

 

Here are some more Moritz photos, since we're on the subject. BTW, I've no proof of this, but I've "heard" that after MvR was KiA, Krefft assumed ownership of Moritz. After the war he went home with him and lived a full life.

 

Moritz by MvR's pranged Fokker EIII, at Mont, June 1916. He's still puppy-looking in this photo:

Few shots of MvR and Moritz on/near the steps of Castle de Bethune, Marckebeke, Belgium:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manfred and Moritiz in a tent hangar, near a Fokker Dr.I. There was also a photo of MvR and LvR taken at the same location, probably just before or after this photo.

 

[+Olham]

Ha, I KNEW you had more pics witj Moritz, Jim - thanks for sharing!

[Hauksbee]

Indeed, thanks, Jim. I was sure you could throw some additional light on the subject. ('Just purchased MvR, vol. 2. 'Will bring it to Dayton for a signing)

[33LIMA]

The original pic above is in the Harleyford book 'von Richthofen and the Flying Circus'  by Heinz Nowarra and Kimbrough S Brown, dating from 1958.

 

The caption reads:  'von Richthofen and Moritz. After von Richthofen was killed, Moritz was looked after by Leutnant Gerstenberg on whose farm he died years afterwards of old age.'

[JFM]

That's great, 33Lima! Thanks for that. I have that book but didn't remember that was in there.