title: Famous head injuries of the first aerial war: deaths of the "Knights of the Air".
abstract: World War I advanced the development of aviation from the concept of flight to the use of aircraft on the battlefield. Fighter planes advanced technologically as the war progressed. Fighter pilot aces Francesco Baracca and Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) were two of the most famous pilots of this time period. These courageous fighter aces skillfully maneuvered their SPAD and Albatros planes, respectively, while battling enemies and scoring aerial victories that contributed to the course of the war. The media thrilled the public with their depictions of the heroic feats of fighter pilots such as Baracca and the Red Baron. Despite their aerial prowess, both pilots would eventually be shot down in combat. Although the accounts of their deaths are debated, it is undeniable that both were victims of traumatic head injury.
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.
authors.forename: Prateeka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koul
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mau
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Sabourin
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.|Radiology, and.|Neurology and Neuroscience, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Chirag D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.|Radiology, and.|Neurology and Neuroscience, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Prestigiacomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005858:Germany; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D014857:Warfare; D047828:World War I
keywords: Francesco Baracca; Manfred von Richthofen; Red Baron; World War I; aerial combat-related head injury; neurosurgical history