Red Baron History

The German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron", his real name was Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen died in April of 1918. During his lifetime he was more often described in German as Der Rote Kampfflieger, (variously translated as the The Red Battle Flyer or The Red Fighter Pilot) but his legend and persona would live on forever. born in Kleinburg now part of the city of Wroclaw, Poland, into a prominent Prussian family.Manfred moved with his family to nearby Schweidnitz when he was 9 years old. Manfred began military training when he was 11 after being both educated at home and attending a school. He joined an Uhlan cavalry unit in 1911 after completing cadet training. He served as a cavalry recon officer on both the Eastern and Western Fronts after WW1 started.

The Uhlans were used as infantry due to barbed wire and machine guns as traditional cavalry operations became impossible. From June to August 1915, Richthofen was an observer on reconnaissance missions over the Eastern Front with Fliegerabteilung 69 ("No. 69 Flying Squadron"). On being transferred to the Champagne front, he managed to shoot down an attacking French Farman aircraft with his observer's machine gun, but was not credited with the kill, since it fell behind Allied lines and could not be confirmed.

He met ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke in August 1916 while visiting to find candidates for his new fighter wing. He selected the Red Baron to join Jagdstaffel 2 Fighter Squadron.Richthofen won his first aerial combat with Jasta 2 over Cambrai, France, on September 17, 1916. Richthofen ordered a silver cup engraved with the date and the type of enemy machine from a jeweller in Berlin. He continued this until he had 60 cups, by which time the supply of silver in blockaded Germany was restricted.

He used less risky, aggresive tactics like other fighters who relied on skill and aerial acrobatics. He used strategy and tactics and relied for the most part on his amazing marksmanship. He would dive from above to attack with the advantage of the sun behind him, and with other Jasta pilots protecting the flanks.

November 23, 1916, Richthofen downed his most famous adversary, British ace Major Lanoe Hawker VC. The victory came while Richthofen was flying an Albatros D.II and Hawker was flying a D.H.2. After this combat, he was convinced he needed a fighter aircraft with more agility, even at a loss of speed. He changed to the Albatros D.III in January 1917, scoring two victories before suffering a crack in the spar of the aircraft's lower wing. Richthofen reverted to the Albatros D.II for the next five weeks. Richthofen scored a victory in the D.III on 9 March, but since his D.III was grounded for the rest of the month, he Richthofen switched to a Halberstadt D.II.

He returned to his Albatros D.III on April 2, 1917, and scored his 22 victories in it before switching to the Albatros D.V in late June. October, Richthofen was flying the celebrated Fokker Dr.I triplane, the distinctive three-winged aircraft with which he is most commonly associated. November. Despite the popular link between Richthofen and the Fokker Dr. I, only 20 of his 80 kills were made in this now-famous triplane.

In fact, it was his Albatros D.III that was first painted bright red and in which he first earned his name and reputation.

Richthofen was killed just after 11 a.m. on 21 April 1918, while flying over Morlancourt Ridge, near the Somme River the Baron had been in a low altitude pursuitof a Sopwith Camel piloted by Lieutenant Wilfrid "Wop" May; a novice Canadian pilot of No. 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force. In turn, the Baron was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by a school friend (and flight Commander) of May, Canadian Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown, who had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting the ground. Richthofen turned to avoid this attack, and then resumed his pursuit of May.
It was almost certainly during this final stage in Richthofen's pursuit of May that he was hit by a single .303 bullet, which caused such severe damage to his heart and lungs that it must have produced a very speedy death.[12] In the last seconds of his life, he managed to make a hasty but controlled landing in a field on a hill near the Bray-Corbie road, just north of the village of Vaux-sur-Somme.

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  Red Baron HISTORY