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72-520: Manfred von Richthofen (1892 – 1918), known famously as the Red Baron , was a German fighter pilot during World War I. Red Baron may also refer to: Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen ( German: [ˈmanfreːt fɔn ˈʁɪçthoːfn̩] ; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron , was a fighter pilot with

144-497: A French Nieuport , shooting it down over Fort Douaumont —although he received no official credit. A week later, he decided to ignore more experienced pilots' advice against flying through a thunderstorm. He later noted that he had been "lucky to get through the weather" and vowed never again to fly in such conditions unless ordered to do so. Richthofen met Oswald Boelcke again in August 1916, after another spell flying two-seaters on

216-496: A Squadron consisting of two Mechanized Infantry Platoons, mounted on CV90's, one Armoured Platoon with Leopard 2's and a Combat Service Support Unit. Its soldiers were referred to as dragoons and consisted mostly of conscripted troops. Used as OPFOR in exercise operations with other parts of the Norwegian Army. Squadron ( szwadron ) was used exclusively for companies of cavalry and armoured cavalry before 1948. After 1948,

288-767: A blow to the morale of the German people. He refused to accept a ground job after his wound, stating that "every poor fellow in the trenches must do his duty" and that he would therefore continue to fly in combat. Certainly he had become part of a cult of officially encouraged hero-worship. German propaganda circulated various false rumours, including that the British had raised squadrons specially to hunt Richthofen and had offered large rewards and an automatic Victoria Cross to any Entente pilot who shot him down. Passages from his correspondence indicate he may have at least half-believed some of these stories himself. Richthofen received

360-401: A company-equivalent unit called kavalerieskadronen , or "the cavalry squadron". It serves as the main reconnaissance unit in the battalion. Like the mechanized infantry units, it wears the distinct khaki-coloured beret of the battalion instead of the normal black for cavalry units. The Armoured Battalion ( Panserbataljonen ) has the majority of its constituents labeled eskadroner . Including

432-490: A fatal wound just after 11:00 am on 21 April 1918 while flying over Morlancourt Ridge near the Somme River , 49°56′0.60″N 2°32′43.71″E  /  49.9335000°N 2.5454750°E  / 49.9335000; 2.5454750 . At the time, he had been pursuing, at very low altitude, a Sopwith Camel piloted by Canadian novice Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May of No. 209 Squadron , Royal Air Force. May had just fired on

504-584: A field on a hill near the Bray-Corbie road, just north of the village of Vaux-sur-Somme , in a sector defended by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The aircraft bounced heavily upon hitting the ground: the undercarriage collapsed and the fuel tank was smashed before the aircraft skidded to a stop. Several witnesses, including Gunner George Ridgway, reached the crashed plane and found Richthofen already dead, and his face slammed into

576-477: A friend and fellow pilot Georg Zeumer , who would later teach him to fly solo. In September 1915 on being transferred to Brieftauben Abteilung Ostende (B.A.O) on the Champagne front and assigned to Pilot Henning von Osterroth, he is believed to have shot down an attacking French Farman aircraft aboard an Albatros C.I with his observer's machine gun in a tense battle over French lines; he was not credited with

648-903: A further grandiose memorial ceremony at the site of the grave, erecting a massive new tombstone engraved with the single word: Richthofen. During the Cold War , the Invalidenfriedhof was on the boundary of the Soviet zone in Berlin , and the tombstone became damaged by bullets fired at attempted escapees from East Germany . In 1975, the body was moved to a Richthofen family grave plot at the Südfriedhof in Wiesbaden . For decades after World War I, some authors questioned whether Richthofen had achieved 80 victories, insisting that his record

720-428: A hurrah and a roar; it is very serious, very grim." An English translation by J. Ellis Barker was published in 1918 as The Red Battle Flyer . Although Richthofen died before a revised version could be prepared, he is on record as repudiating the book, stating that it was "too insolent" and that he was no longer that kind of person. By 1918, Richthofen had become such a legend that it was feared that his death would be

792-527: A national hero in Germany, and respected by his enemies. Richthofen was shot down and killed over France near Vaux-sur-Somme on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death. He remains one of the most widely known fighter pilots of all time, and has been the subject of many books, films, and other media . Richthofen never married and had no known children. Richthofen

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864-499: A plaque near his former home in Brooklyn . Buie died in 1964 and has never been officially recognised in any other way. Richthofen was a highly experienced and skilled fighter pilot—fully aware of the risk from ground fire. Further, he concurred with the rules of air fighting created by his late mentor Boelcke, who specifically advised pilots not to take unnecessary risks. In this context, Richthofen's judgement during his last combat

936-712: A school at Schweidnitz for a year before beginning cadet training at the Wahlstatt (now Legnickie Pole , Poland) military school when he was 11. After completing cadet training at the Groß-Lichterfelde Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt in 1909, he joined an Uhlan cavalry unit, the Ulanen-Regiment Kaiser Alexander der III. von Russland (1. Westpreußisches) Nr. 1 ("1st Emperor Alexander III of Russia Uhlan Regiment (1st West Prussian)") and

1008-418: A serious head wound on 6 July 1917, during combat near Wervik , Belgium against a formation of F.E.2d two-seat fighters of No. 20 Squadron RFC , causing instant disorientation and temporary partial blindness. He regained his vision in time to ease the aircraft out of a spin and execute a forced landing in a field in friendly territory. The injury required multiple operations to remove bone splinters from

1080-399: A squadron commander. His autobiography states: "For whatever reasons, one fine day I came upon the idea of having my crate painted glaring red. The result was that absolutely everyone could not help but notice my red bird. In fact, my opponents also seemed to be not entirely unaware [of it]". Thereafter he usually flew in red-painted aircraft, although not all of them were entirely red, nor was

1152-400: A temporary basis, even if he had not been formally promoted. In the German army, it was not unusual for a wartime officer to hold a lower rank than his duties implied; German officers were promoted according to a schedule and not by battlefield promotion. It was also the custom for a son not to hold a higher rank than his father, and Richthofen's father was a reserve major. Richthofen sustained

1224-527: A victory in the Albatros D.II on 9 March, but his Albatros D.III was grounded for the rest of the month so he switched again to a Halberstadt D.II. He returned to his Albatros D.III on 2 April 1917 and scored 22 victories in it before switching to the Albatros D.V in late June. Richthofen flew the celebrated Fokker Dr.I triplane from late August 1917, the distinctive three-winged aircraft with which he

1296-436: Is a suggestion that on the day of Richthofen's death, the prevailing wind was about 40 km/h (25 mph) easterly, rather than the usual 40 km/h (25 mph) westerly. This meant that Richthofen, heading generally westward at an airspeed of about 160 km/h (99 mph), was travelling over the ground at up to 200 km/h (120 mph) rather than the more typical ground speed of 120 km/h (75 mph). This

1368-556: Is most commonly associated—although he did not use the type exclusively until after it was reissued with strengthened wings in November. Only 19 of his 80 kills were made in this type of aircraft, despite the popular link between Richthofen and the Fokker Dr.I. It was his Albatros D.III Serial No. 789/16 that was first painted bright red, in late January 1917, and in which he first earned his name and reputation. Richthofen championed

1440-560: Is no point in me commenting, as the evidence is already out there." Many sources have suggested that Sergeant Cedric Popkin was the person most likely to have killed Richthofen, including a 1998 article by Geoffrey Miller, a physician, and historian of military medicine, and a 2002 edition of the British Channel 4 Secret History series. Popkin was an AA machine gunner with the Australian 24th Machine Gun Company, and he

1512-418: Is satisfied for a quarter of an hour. Therefore I do not succeed in shooting down two Englishmen in succession. If one of them comes down, I have the feeling of complete satisfaction. Only much later have I overcome my instinct and have become a butcher". In another passage, Richthofen wrote "I am in wretched spirits after every aerial combat. I believe that [the war] is not as the people at home imagine it, with

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1584-635: The Luftstreitkräfte . The German high command permitted this practice (in spite of obvious drawbacks from the point of view of intelligence ), and German propaganda made much of it by referring to Richthofen as Der Rote Kampfflieger —"the Red Fighter Pilot". During a visit to her home, the Baron's mother asked him why he risked his life every day, and he said: "For the man in the trenches. I want to ease his hard lot in life by keeping

1656-708: The British Army and many other Commonwealth armies, a squadron is the Royal Armoured Corps counterpart of an infantry company or artillery battery . A squadron is a sub-unit of a battalion-sized formation (usually a regiment), and is usually made up of two or more troops. The designation is also used for company-sized units in the Special Air Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , Honourable Artillery Company , Royal Engineers , Royal Corps of Signals , Royal Army Medical Corps ,

1728-467: The Fliegertruppe . The next month, Manfred joined Kampfgeschwader 2 ("No. 2 Fighter Squadron") flying a two-seater Albatros C.III . Initially, he appeared to be a below-average pilot. He struggled to control his aircraft, and he crashed during his first flight at the controls. Despite this poor start, he rapidly became attuned to his aircraft. He was over Verdun on 26 April 1916 and fired on

1800-553: The German Air Force during World War I . He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Originally a cavalryman , Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of fighter squadron Jagdstaffel 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became the leader of Jasta 11 . Later he led

1872-555: The Royal Air Force Regiment and Royal Logistic Corps and in the defunct Royal Corps of Transport . Squadrons are commonly designated using letters or numbers (e.g. No. 1 Squadron or A Squadron), sometimes with alphabetical names (Ajax, Badger, ...) They are also designated according to their role: "519 Signal Squadron", "Tank Delivery Squadron". In some British Army units it is a tradition for squadrons to also be named after an important historical battle in which

1944-524: The Secret History documentary dismiss this theory because of the angle from which Evans fired at Richthofen. Other sources have suggested that Gunner Robert Buie (also of the 53rd Battery) may have fired the fatal shot. There is little support for this theory. In 2007, Hornsby Shire Council , a municipal authority in Sydney, Australia, recognised Buie as the man who shot down Richthofen, placing

2016-477: The University of Texas . Richthofen's behaviour after his injury was noted as consistent with brain-injured patients, and such an injury could account for his perceived lack of judgment on his final flight: flying too low over enemy territory and suffering target fixation . Richthofen may have been suffering from cumulative combat stress , which made him fail to observe some of his usual precautions. One of

2088-633: The " Dicta Boelcke " to assure success for both the squadron and its pilots. He was not a spectacular or aerobatic pilot like his brother or Werner Voss , he was a noted tactician and squadron leader and a fine marksman. Typically, he would dive from above to attack with the advantage of the sun behind him, with other pilots of his squadron covering his rear and flanks. On 23 November 1916, Richthofen shot down his most famous adversary, British ace Major Lanoe Hawker VC, described by Richthofen as "the British Boelcke". The victory came while Richthofen

2160-451: The "mounted arms" a captain (three galons , or braids) in charge of an escadron is thus called a chef d'escadron (which is a title, not a rank). However, his superior in the hierarchy (four galons ) has the rank of chef d'escadrons (the equivalent rank in infantry units being chef de bataillon ). After 1815 (in fact around 1826), the army began to write chef d'escadrons with an s in cavalry units to reflect

2232-455: The "red" necessarily the brilliant scarlet beloved of model- and replica-builders. Other members of Jasta 11 soon took to painting parts of their aircraft red. Their official reason seems to have been to make their leader less conspicuous, to avoid having him singled out in a fight. In practice, red colouration became a unit identification. Other units soon adopted their own squadron colours, and decoration of fighters became general throughout

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2304-560: The 80 listed match recorded British losses. A study conducted by British historian Norman Franks with two colleagues, published in Under the Guns of the Red Baron in 1998, reached the same conclusion about the high degree of accuracy of Richthofen's claimed victories. There were also unconfirmed victories that would put his actual total as high as 100 or more. Squadron (cavalry) In

2376-764: The Cavalry Squadron, the Armoured Squadron and the Assault Squadrons. It also includes the battalion's Support element, the Combat Support Squadron. Its members are also referred to as dragoons, reflecting the nature of the unit. The Telemark Battalion also has a number of units labelled eskadroner . This includes the Armoured Squadron, the Cavalry Squadron and the Combat Support Squadron. Kampeskadronen ( Kampeskadronen ) (roughly translated to "The Battle Squadron"),

2448-511: The Eastern Front. Boelcke was visiting the east in search of candidates for his newly formed Jasta 2 , and he selected Richthofen to join this unit, one of the first German fighter squadrons. Boelcke was killed during a midair collision with a friendly aircraft on 28 October 1916, and Richthofen witnessed the event. Richthofen scored his first confirmed victory when he engaged Second Lieutenant Lionel Morris and his observer Tom Rees in

2520-569: The Red Baron's cousin, Lieutenant Wolfram von Richthofen . On seeing his cousin being attacked, Richthofen flew to his rescue and fired on May, causing him to pull away. Richthofen pursued May across the Somme. The Baron was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by May's school friend and flight commander, Canadian Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown . Brown had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting

2592-648: The Red Baron, but it is now generally agreed by historians, doctors, and ballistics experts that Richthofen was actually killed by an anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunner firing from the ground. A post mortem examination of the body showed the bullet that killed Richthofen penetrated from the right underarm and exited next to the left nipple. Brown's attack was probably from behind and above Richthofen's left. Even more conclusively, Richthofen could not have continued his pursuit of May for as long as he did (up to two minutes) had his wound come from Brown. Brown himself never spoke much about what happened that day, claiming, "There

2664-599: The butts of his machine guns, breaking his nose, fracturing his jaw and creating contusions on his face. No. 3 Squadron , Australian Flying Corps was the nearest Entente air unit and assumed responsibility for the Baron's remains. His Fokker Dr.I 425/17 was soon taken apart by souvenir hunters. In 2009, Richthofen's death certificate was found in the archives in Ostrów Wielkopolski , Poland. He had briefly been stationed in Ostrów before going to war, as it

2736-656: The development of the Fokker D.VII with suggestions to overcome the deficiencies of the then current German fighter aircraft. He never had an opportunity to fly the new type in combat, as he was killed before it entered service. Richthofen received the Pour le Mérite in January 1917 after his 16th confirmed kill, the highest military honour in Germany at the time and informally known as "The Blue Max". That same month, he assumed command of Jasta 11 , which ultimately included some of

2808-440: The elite German pilots, many of whom he trained himself, and several of whom later became leaders of their own squadrons. Ernst Udet belonged to Richthofen's group and later became Generaloberst Udet. When Lothar joined, the German high command appreciated the propaganda value of two Richthofens fighting together to defeat the enemy in the air. Richthofen took the flamboyant step of having his Albatros painted red when he became

2880-448: The enemy flyers away from him." Richthofen led his new unit to unparallelled success, peaking during " Bloody April " 1917. In that month alone, he shot down 22 British aircraft, including four in a single day, raising his official tally to 52. By June, he had become the commander of the first of the new larger "fighter wing" formations; these were highly mobile, combined tactical units that could move at short notice to different parts of

2952-487: The fact that this officer who used to be in charge of one squadron (several companies before 1815) was now in charge of several squadrons (i.e., companies). In other mounted branches (such as gendarmerie and artillerie ), chef d'escadron is still spelled without s . The Norwegian army operates with units called eskadroner (pl.), typically a company-equivalent unit, generally in armoured cavalry units although not always. The 2nd Battalion , Brigade Nord, has

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3024-416: The fatal shot as Richthofen flew straight at his position. In this respect, Popkin was incorrect; the bullet which caused the Baron's death came from the side (see above). A 2002 Discovery Channel documentary suggests that Gunner W. J. "Snowy" Evans, a Lewis machine gunner with the 53rd Battery, 14th Field Artillery Brigade, Royal Australian Artillery is likely to have killed von Richthofen. Miller and

3096-484: The front as required. Richthofen's new command, Jagdgeschwader 1 , was composed of fighter squadrons No. 4, 6, 10, and 11. J.G. 1 became widely known as "The Flying Circus" due to the unit's brightly coloured aircraft and its mobility, including the use of tents, trains, and caravans, where appropriate. Richthofen was a brilliant tactician, building on Boelcke's tactics. Unlike Boelcke, however, he led by example and force of will rather than by inspiration. He

3168-537: The graves of his father and his brother Lothar von Richthofen, who had been killed in a post-war air crash in 1922. The German Government requested that the body should instead be interred at the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in Berlin, where many German military heroes and past leaders were buried, and the family agreed. Richthofen's body received a state funeral . Later the Third Reich held

3240-513: The ground. Richthofen turned to avoid this attack, and then resumed his pursuit of May. It was almost certainly during this final stage in his pursuit of May that a single .303 bullet hit Richthofen through the chest, severely damaging his heart and lungs; it would have killed Richthofen in less than a minute. His aircraft stalled and went into a steep dive, hitting the ground at 49°55′56″N 2°32′16″E  /  49.9321076°N 2.5376701°E  / 49.9321076; 2.5376701 in

3312-532: The impact area. The Red Baron returned to active service against doctor's orders on 25 July, but took convalescent leave from 5 September to 23 October. His wound is thought to have caused lasting damage; he later often suffered from post-flight nausea and headaches, as well as a change in temperament. There is a theory (see below) linking this injury with his eventual death. During his convalescent leave, Richthofen completed an autobiographic sketch, Der rote Kampfflieger ( The Red Battle Flyer , 1917). Written on

3384-499: The instructions of the "Press and Intelligence" ( propaganda ) section of the Luftstreitkräfte (Air Force), it shows evidence of having been heavily censored and edited. There are, however, passages that are most unlikely to have been inserted by an official editor. Richthofen wrote: "My father discriminates between a sportsman and a butcher. The latter shoots for fun. When I have shot down an Englishman, my hunting passion

3456-412: The kill, since it fell behind Entente lines and therefore could not be confirmed. "I had been told the name of the place to which we were to fly and I was to direct the pilot. At first we flew straight ahead, then the pilot turned to the right, then left. I had lost all sense of direction over our own aerodrome! ... I didn't care a bit where I was, and when the pilot thought it was time to go down, I

3528-399: The larger fighter wing Jagdgeschwader I , better known as "The Flying Circus" or "Richthofen's Circus" because of the bright colours of its aircraft, and perhaps also because of the way the unit was transferred from one area of Entente air activity to another – moving like a travelling circus, and frequently setting up in tents on improvised airfields. By 1918, Richthofen was regarded as

3600-603: The last straw for Richthofen was an order to transfer to the army's supply branch. His interest in the Air Service had been aroused by his examination of a German military aircraft behind the lines, and he applied for a transfer to Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Army Air Service), later to be known as the Luftstreitkräfte . He was widely reported to have written in his application for transfer, "I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose." His request

3672-460: The leading British air aces, Major Edward "Mick" Mannock , was killed by ground fire on 26 July 1918 while crossing the lines at low level, an action he had always cautioned his younger pilots against. One of the most popular of the French air aces, Georges Guynemer , went missing on 11 September 1917, probably while attacking a two-seater without realizing several Fokkers were escorting it. There

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3744-622: The modern United States Army , a squadron is an armored cavalry , air cavalry, or other reconnaissance unit whose organizational role parallels that of a battalion and is commanded by a lieutenant colonel . Prior to the revisions in the US Army structure in the 1880s, US Cavalry regiments were divided into companies , and the battalion was an administrative designation used only in garrison . The reorganizations converted companies to troops and battalions to squadrons, and made squadrons tactical formations as well as administrative ones. In

3816-447: The observer first; until you have silenced the gun, don't bother about the pilot." Although Richthofen was now performing the duties of a lieutenant colonel (a wing commander in modern Royal Air Force terms), he was never promoted past the relatively junior rank of Rittmeister , equivalent to captain in the British army. The system in the British army was for an officer to hold the rank appropriate to his level of command, if only on

3888-716: The regiment has taken part. For example, the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment assigns trainees to " Waterloo " Squadron, named in honour of the significance the cavalry played in the Allied forces' victory over Napoleon. In some special cases, squadrons can also be named after a unique honour which has been bestowed on the unit. The modern French Army is composed of troupes à pied (foot soldiers including infantry and combat engineers) and troupes à cheval (mounted soldiers such as armored cavalry units, and transportation units). Nowadays,

3960-679: The skies over Cambrai , France, on 17 September 1916. His autobiography states, "I honoured the fallen enemy by placing a stone on his beautiful grave." He contacted a jeweller in Berlin and ordered a silver cup engraved with the date and the type of enemy aircraft. He continued to celebrate each of his victories in the same manner until he had 60 cups, by which time the dwindling supply of silver in blockaded Germany meant that silver cups could no longer be supplied. Richthofen discontinued his orders at this stage, rather than accept cups made from base metal. His brother Lothar (40 victories) used risky, aggressive tactics but Manfred observed maxims known as

4032-523: The spar of the aircraft's lower wing on 24 January, and he reverted to the Albatros D.II or Halberstadt D.II for the next five weeks. Richthofen was flying his Halberstadt on 6 March in combat with F.E.8s of 40 Squadron RFC when his aircraft was shot through the fuel tank, by Edwin Benbow , who was credited with a victory from this fight. Richthofen was able to make a forced landing near Hénin-Liétard without his aircraft catching fire. He then scored

4104-468: The term escadron (squadron) is used to describe a company ( compagnie ) of mounted soldiers but, for a long time, a cavalry escadron corresponded to an infantry battalion, both units grouping several companies (battalion and escadrons were tactical units while the companies were administrative units). The term compagnie has been discontinued and replaced by escadron in cavalry units since 1815 and in transportation units since 1968. In

4176-551: Was Major Albrecht Philipp Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen and his mother was Kunigunde von Schickfuss und Neudorff. He had an elder sister, Ilse, and two younger brothers. When he was four years old, Manfred moved with his family to nearby Schweidnitz (now Świdnica , Poland). He enjoyed riding horses and hunting. He also was fond of gymnastics; he excelled at parallel bars and won a number of awards at school. He and his brothers, Lothar and Bolko, hunted wild boar, elk, birds, and deer. After being educated at home, he attended

4248-453: Was a Freiherr (literally "Free Lord"), a title of nobility often translated as " baron ." That is not a given name or strictly a hereditary title since all male members of the family were entitled to it, even during the lifetime of their father. Richthofen painted his aircraft red, which, combined with his title, led to him being called the "Red Baron" ( "der Rote Baron" ), both inside and outside Germany. During his lifetime, he

4320-625: Was assigned to the regiment's 3. Eskadron ("No. 3 Squadron "). When World War I began, Richthofen served as a cavalry reconnaissance officer on both the Eastern and Western Fronts , seeing action in Russia, France, and Belgium; with the advent of trench warfare , which made traditional cavalry operations outdated and inefficient, Richthofen's regiment was dismounted, serving as dispatch runners and field telephone operators. Disappointed and bored at not being able to directly participate in combat,

4392-462: Was clearly unsound in several respects. Several theories have been proposed to account for his behaviour. In 1999, a German medical researcher, Henning Allmers, published an article in the British medical journal The Lancet , suggesting it was likely that brain damage from the head wound Richthofen suffered in July 1917 played a part in his death. This was supported by a 2004 paper by researchers at

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4464-736: Was considerably faster than normal and he could easily have strayed over enemy lines without realizing it. At the time of Richthofen's death, the front was in a highly fluid state, following the initial success of the German offensive of March–April 1918 . This was part of Germany's last opportunity to win the war. In the face of Entente air superiority, the German air service was having difficulty acquiring vital reconnaissance information, and could do little to prevent Entente squadrons from completing effective reconnaissance and close support of their armies. In common with most Entente air officers, No. 3 Squadron AFC's commanding officer Major David Blake , who

4536-583: Was disappointed. Already I was counting down the hours to the time we could start again." John Simpson, quoting Richthofen's own description of his first flying experience. Manfred von Richthofen had a chance meeting with German ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke which led him to enter training as a pilot in October 1915. In February 1916, Manfred "rescued" his brother Lothar from the boredom of training new troops in Luben and encouraged him to transfer to

4608-420: Was exaggerated for propaganda purposes. Some claimed that he took credit for aircraft downed by his squadron or wing. In fact, Richthofen's victories are unusually well documented. A full list of the aircraft the Red Baron was credited with shooting down was published as early as 1958 —with documented RFC/RAF squadron details, aircraft serial numbers, and the identities of Entente airmen killed or captured—73 of

4680-420: Was flying an Albatros D.II and Hawker was flying the older DH.2 . After a long dogfight, Hawker was shot in the back of the head as he attempted to escape back to his own lines. After this combat, Richthofen was convinced that he needed a fighter aircraft with more agility, even with a loss of speed. He switched to the Albatros D.III in January 1917, scoring two victories before suffering an in-flight crack in

4752-521: Was granted, and Richthofen joined the flying service at the end of May 1915 training as an aerial observer at Großenhain . From June to August 1915, Richthofen served as an observer on reconnaissance missions over the Eastern Front with Feldflieger Abteilung 69 ("No. 69 Flying Squadron "). In August 1915, he was transferred to a flying unit in Ostend , a coastal city in Belgium. There he flew with

4824-487: Was inscribed with the words, "To Our Gallant and Worthy Foe". In the early 1920s, the French authorities created a military cemetery at Fricourt , in which a large number of German war dead, including Richthofen, were reinterred. In 1925 von Richthofen's youngest brother, Bolko, recovered the body from Fricourt and took it to Germany. The family's intention was for it to be buried in the Schweidnitz cemetery next to

4896-467: Was more frequently described in German as Der Rote Kampfflieger . That was variously translated as "The Red Battle Flyer" or "The Red Fighter Pilot" and was the name used as the title of Richthofen's 1917 autobiography . Richthofen was born in Kleinburg , near Breslau, Lower Silesia (now part of the city of Wrocław , Poland), on 2 May 1892 into a prominent Prussian aristocratic family. His father

4968-410: Was often described as distant, unemotional, and rather humorless, though some colleagues contended otherwise. He was cordial to officers and enlisted men alike; indeed, he urged his pilots to remain on good terms with the mechanics who maintained their aircraft. He taught his pilots the basic rule which he wanted them to fight by: "Aim for the man and don't miss him. If you are fighting a two-seater, get

5040-426: Was part of Germany until the end of World War I. The document is a one-page, handwritten form in a 1918 registry book of deaths. It misspells Richthofen's name as "Richthoven" and simply states that he had "died 21 April 1918, from wounds sustained in combat". Controversy and contradictory hypotheses continue to surround who actually fired the shot that killed Richthofen. The RAF credited Brown with shooting down

5112-436: Was responsible for Richthofen's body, regarded the Red Baron with great respect, and he organised a full military funeral . The body was buried in the cemetery at the village of Bertangles , near Amiens , on 22 April 1918. Six of No. 3 Squadron's officers served as pallbearers , and a guard of honour from the squadron's other ranks fired a salute. Entente squadrons stationed nearby presented memorial wreaths, one of which

5184-468: Was using a Vickers gun . He fired at Richthofen's aircraft on two occasions: first as the Baron was heading straight at his position, and then at long range from the plane's right. Given the nature of Richthofen's wounds, Popkin was in a position to fire the fatal shot when the pilot passed him for a second time. Some confusion has been caused by a letter that Popkin wrote in 1935 to an Australian official historian. It stated Popkin's belief that he had fired

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