Manfred von Richthofen and his dog Moritz, around 1916.
Manfred von Richthofen achieved widespread fame as a fighter ace during World War I. Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1915, where he became one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916.
He quickly made a name for himself as a fighter pilot, becoming commander of Jasta 11 in 1917 and later of the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (better known as the “Flying Circus”). By 1918, he was considered a national hero in Germany and was respected and admired even by his enemies.
Richthofen was a cool and precise fighter whose extravagance was reflected above all in his brightly painted aircraft, a Fokker DR-1 Dridecker. His success in the air earned him the nickname “Red Fighter” by the Germans, “Le Petit Rouge” by the French, and “Red Baron” by the British.
Richthofen was appointed commander of the Flying Circus in June 1917. The new unit, composed of Germany’s best fighter pilots, was highly mobile and could be quickly deployed to any part of the Western Front where it was most urgently needed. Richthofen and his pilots achieved immediate success in the air war over Ypres in August and September.
After 80 confirmed kills, Richthofen was finally shot down on April 21, 1918, while penetrating deep into the British lines in pursuit of Wilfrid May. Although the victory was officially credited to Canadian aviator Arthur “Roy” Brown, who came to May’s aid, there is some dispute over who actually shot Richthofen down. Other evidence suggests he was hit by a single bullet fired by Australian gunners in the trenches.
In any case, Manfred von Richthofen crashed in a field next to the road from Corbie to Bray. He was 25 years old. He left behind his brother Lothar, also a well-known flying ace.
A British pilot flew over the German Cappy airfield and dropped a message informing the Germans of Richthofen’s death. Richthofen’s body was buried by the British with full military honors in France, later exhumed and reinterred in the family cemetery in Wiesbaden.
