1bf4
Baron Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen (May 2, 1892-April 21, 1918) was a German pilot and is still regarded today as the “ace of aces". He was a very successful fighter pilot, military leader and flying ace who won 80 air combats during World War I.
Richthofen was known as der rote Kampfflieger (Red Battle-Flyer) by the Germans, petit rouge (little Red) or le Diable Rouge (Red Devil) by the French, and the Red Knight or the Red Baron by the British.
Piloting career
Inspired by a chance meeting with the great air fighter Oswald Boelcke, he decided to become a pilot himself. Later, Boelcke selected von Richthofen to join his elite fighter Jagdstaffel (hunting group), JASTA 2 . Von Richthofen won his first aerial combat over Cambrai, France on September 17, 1916.
After his 18th kill, von Richthofen received the Pour le Merite, the highest military honor in Germany at the time. Earlier, on November 23, 1916 he had downed the British ace Lanoe Hawker, sometimes referred as “the British Boelcke", of course not yet aware of that. It happened when von Richthofen was still flying an Albatros D.II. However, after this engagement, he was convinced that he needed a fighter airplane with more agility, although this implied a loss of speed.
Unfortunately, the Albatros fighter was the mainstay aircraft of the German air service throughout 1917, and the Baron flew Albatros D.III and D.V models well into 1917. That September von Richthofen was flying the celebrated Fokker Dr.I triplane, the distinctive three-winged aircraft he is most commonly associated with.
The Flying Circus
In January of 1917 von Richthofen assumed command of Jasta 11 , which ultimately included some of the elite of Germany’s pilots, many of whom the Red Baron trained himself.
Jasta 11’s aircraft featured red markings, and some of Richthofen’s planes were entirely red. The squadron was usually quartered in tents, in order to get closer to the front and gain mobility to avoid Allied bombing. This way, the Jasta became “The Flying Circus” or “Richthofen’s Circus “.
Von Richthofen led his new unit to unparalleled success, peaking during “Bloody April” of 1917. In that month alone, he downed 20 British aircraft, raising his tally to 52. However, in July he sustained a head wound that grounded him for several weeks. Nevertheless, he returned to combat, leading Jagdgeschwader I composed of Jastas 4, 6, 10, and 11.
This head wound is thought to have caused lasting damage, as after the injury he suffered from post-flight nausea and headaches, a change in temperament, and his single minded pursuit that led to his death was uncharacteristic of his standard method of not becoming fixated on a single target to the exclusion of others.
Some say that, in 1918, Richthofen had become such a legend that it was feared that his death would be a blow to the morale of the German people. So, his superiors asked him to retire, but he refused considering there were still many troops in the trenches.
Death
On April 21, 1918, von Richthofen was shot down and killed over Morlancourt Ridge , near the Somme River. While pursuing a Sopwith Camel piloted by Lieutenant Wilfrid “Wop” May of Canada, and being chased by a plane piloted by another Canadian, Captain Arthur “Roy” Brown, the Red Baron turned to check the tail of his airplane, that is, in the direction of his hunter. He was then caught by a bullet, shot from behind and below, passing diagonally through his chest.
It is now considered most likely that von Richthofen was killed by an anti-aircraft machine gunner from the Australian Imperial Force, possibly Sergeant Cedric Popkin , but a letter from Sergeant Popkin states that he fired only at the front of the triplane, whereas the Red Baron was shot from behind and right side. However, Von Richthofen may have turned to check for Brown’s plane, exposing right back flank to Popkin, and many other Australian soldiers were also shooting at von Richthofen at the time, thusly one of them may well have fired the fatal shot.
The Royal Air Force gave official credit to Brown, who had a chance for a very long range shot, when Von Richthofen performed sharp evasive maneuvers after seeing the first tracers fly by. In the end, there are too many variables (in fact variables within variables) for a conclusion to be reached. The Baron’s plane came to rest near the Bray-Corbie road, behind Allied lines.
There was so much respect for von Richthofen in the eyes of his opponents that he was given a full military funeral by No. 3 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps.
The Red Baron in popular culture
The engine from von Richthofen’s aircraft is on display in the Imperial War Museum in London as part of the War in the Air Exhibit. It still bears the damage caused in that final crash.
Von Richthofen has been the subject of numerous films, both documentary and fictional, including the grossly inaccurate 1971 Roger Corman movie, Von Richthofen and Brown (alternately titled The Red Baron). An American frozen foods manufacturer has adopted his nickname on Red Baron Pizza[1] (accompanied by an image that looks nothing like him).
In addition, in the comic strip Peanuts, one of Snoopy’s favorite fantasies portrays him as a World War I flying ace who has a personal grudge against the Red Baron, but never can best him.
The Royal Guardsmen’s debut album was in 1966. Among other popular songs, they recorded the song Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron (in which Snoopy actually defeats the Ace) which made it to number 2 on request charts. The Royal Guardsmen recorded a few other songs featuring Snoopy and the Red Baron.
British comedian Adrian Edmondson portrayed the Baron in the fourth season of Blackadder in an episode entitled “Plan D: Private Plane". The humor of his sole scene was based upon the differences in British and German culture, Edmondson’s use of a cliched accent and mannerisms, and his quick, meaningless death at the hands of Lord Flashart (Rick Mayall).
Relatives of note
He was distant cousins with the German Field Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen, as well as Frieda von Richthofen (1879-1956), who married the English novelist D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) in July 1914. Though their last common ancestor was born in 1661, the Red Baron’s infamy nonetheless attached to Frieda’s reputation in England. Frieda’s sister Else von Richthofen was the first female social scientist in Germany.
His younger brother, Lothar von Richthofen (1894-1922), was also a flying ace, with 40 victories.
His great-nephew, Baron Dr. Hermann von Richthofen, was German Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1993, and his name made him a media favourite.
680