All you Army Air force guys. Alright. Lou's tough Aerial History trivia time.?

Question

The actual person that killed Ricthofen, Brown or a ground gunner will never be known because the .303 was found by a guy at the autopsy and destroyed in what?

Answer 1

The medical orderly who prepared the Baron's body for autopsy was Cpl. E.J."Ted" McCarty.

"While the guards stood back, McCarty unbuttoned the Baron's outer fur-lined jacket. Then with the help of a guard, he slipped it down over the shoulders and arms of the corpse. He then undid the buttons of the Baron's inner flying jacket. As he struggled to slip that jacket over the shoulders and arms, he saw a large wallet tucked into a left breast pocket. McCarty quickly tugged the wallet out of the pocket, with a wink at the guard. When he did so, a spent bullet popped out with it and fell into the lining of the jacket. McCarty snatched up the slug and stuck it into his trouser pocket."

(Who Killed the Red Baron by P.J. Carisella pages 193-194)

McCarty also states in the same book that the bullet was lost in 1935 "when his mother died and he burned all sorts of papers and the bullet was lost in the debris".

Hope this helps.