World War I
Blake was commissioned as a career officer, in the Australian Army's Permanent Military Forces in January 1916, during World War I. In September 1916, as a Major, he became the first commanding officer (CO) of the newly formed No. 3 Squadron (3 Sqn) Australian Flying Corps (which was then part of the army). The squadron was deployed to Belgium and France in late 1917, performing a combined reconnaissance and offensive role.
From early 1918, 3 Sqn flew in a sector of the Somme Valley, facing German planes commanded by the "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen. When the baron was shot down and killed behind Allied lines on 21 April 1918, the disposal of his remains became Blake's responsibility. Blake initially reported that a 3 Sqn RE8 may have shot down Richthofen. However, following an autopsy, Blake became a strong proponent of the view that ground-based Australian machine-gunners had killed the baron. Blake remained 3 Sqn CO until October 1918. The following year, he was transferred to Australia.
Read more about this topic: David Blake (general)
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