The Red Baron
by Krysta CardinaleManfred von Richthofen
There were many brave aces on both sides during the World War I, but the greatest hunter of the skies was a charming and humorous Prussian, known by his admiring foes simply as the “Red Baron.” The best fighter pilots on both sides of the war were far from immune from the pressure of the war. Before they died, and most of them did die, many were exhausted from too many hours in the air. Many drove themselves beyond human limits. “Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the heart.” – Manfred von Richthofen.
The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen was born on May 2, 1892 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany. He moved to Schweidnitz with his family when he was nine years old. In 1911, he joined a Prussian cavalry unit. Once World War I had begun, Manfred von Richthofen performed duties as a cavalry scout on the eastern and western fronts. After becoming bored of this position, he requested to be transferred to air service.
In May of 1915, the Red Baron was transferred from the Prussian Cavalry to the air service. He flew as an observer and a bomber pilot in the East, and he was chosen by Boelcke to join his Jasta corps in France. The Jasta was an elite fighter squadron. Manfred von Richthofen won his first aerial battle on September 17, 1916 over Cambrai, France. He was not considered an ace for his natural pilot abilities or aerial maneuvers. However, Richthofen saw his plan as a platform for his weapons. With this mindset, and perfected aerial marksmanship he was often referred to as the ace of aces.
In January of 1917, the Red Baron was given the “Pour Le Merite,” which at this time was the highest military honor in Germany. Eventually, he was given command of Jasta 11, the elite unit of German pilots. The unit adopted the red color for their planes and had individual markings on each plane. The British soon christened the unit, “Richthofen’s Flying Circus.” Richthofen reached the height of his career during “Bloody April” in 1917. During that month, he alone took down twenty-two British aircrafts, bringing up his overall total to fifty-two.
Manfred von Richthofen survived a head-wound during a “dogfight” in July the same year. He was pressured by his superiors to withdraw from combat. The high command had reason to be concerned about their heroic ace. The young Baron was so beloved by the German people that the Kaiser felt that his death would be a crushing blow to German morale. In spite of this concern, during the 1918 "Spring offensive,” he climbed back into the cockpit to lead his men into battle.
On April 21, 1918 the Red Baron’s luck ran out. He was shot through the heart, while pursuing a British fighter plane flying low behind Allied lines. Whether he was shot by an Australian machine gun or Canadian Roy Brown is still debated. His bright red tri-plane came down behind the British lines. Richthofen’s body was removed from the cockpit and buried with full military honors by the enemy he terrorized. His final victory total was eighty Allied aircrafts destroyed. No other pilot would reach that total until World War II. No non-German has come close to that total even today.
