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The Red Baron

The Red Baron
Better known as The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen is an enduring symbol of daredevil adventure and the cavalier spirit. To this day regarded as the ‘ace of all aces’ Richthofen was the top scoring fighter pilot of WWI, and is still seen as a national hero in his native Germany. Born in Wrocław, or Breslau as it was then known, his family moved to their estate in Schweidnitz (Świdnica) in 1901 where the young Richthofen enjoyed hunting squirrels, riding horses and other snooty pastimes. Following Prussian tradition that the eldest son would follow a military career he was enrolled into a cadet academy at the age of 11, where by all accounts he was unimpressed by the spartan quarters and ropey food he had to endure. At the age of 17 he joined a senior cadet academy in Berlin-Lichterfede where he was to forge a close friendship with Prince Frederick Karl, the pair of them often sneaking into Berlin to roam the bars and cabarets in search of high times. The young Richthofen failed to excel academically, but was by all accounts a gifted athlete and gymnast, and on graduating from cadet academy elected to join the mounted cavalry, specifically the 1st Regiment of the Uhlans – a unit with something of a dashing reputation. In the months leading up to The Great War, Richthofen spent his off-duty days riding horses, twice breaking his collarbone during steeplechases, while the rest of his family tried to cope with the fallout of a social scandal that had enveloped them; Emma von Richthofen, a distant cousin of Manfred’s had left her husband and children to elope with a hitherto unknown writer named DH Lawrence. When war broke out Richthofen originally served as a cavalry scout, spending much of his time idling in dugouts frustrated as the war passed him by. Inspired by the sight of the solitary aircraft that would occasionally buzz over him he applied to join the Imperial Air Service. His first flight, over Cologne’s fearsome cathedral filled him with glorious ambition, and possibly for the first time ever he applied himself with a dedicated zeal to his military career. By Autumn 1915 he was judged to be ready for his first solo flight, and on Christmas Day he was awarded his pilot's certificate. Proving a name for himself hunting down British observation planes and their armed escorts, after his 16th confirmed kill he was awarded Germany’s highest military honour, the Pour le Merite, and was assigned command of Jasta 11 squadron. While most planes were camouflaged, Richthofen insisted on his squadron's planes being painted blood red, adding to the legend building around Germany’s new war hero. A brilliant tactician, his squadron became known as one of the elite units of the war, with an unparalleled hit rate. His 50th kill prompted a personal telegram from the Kaiser, as well as an invitation for a lunch reception, during which he was presented with a bronze and marble bust of the Kaiser’s likeness. A key figure in the propaganda campaign he was urged to retire several times, the fear being that his death would be a major blow to German morale. Although he was persuaded to visit striking factories in a bid to lift workers spirits he refused to abandon his military duties, and finally met his death on April 21, 1918, struck by a single bullet fired while he was flying over enemy lines near the Somme River. A definitive study released in 1998 credited Richthofen with 73 kills. To this day controversy reigns over the identity of who fired the bullet which killed him, with credit officially attributed to Canadian Captain Roy Brown. Recent evidence also suggests that brain damage sustained in an earlier dogfight may have contributed to his death, with eyewitness accounts noting that the Red Baron had strayed from several of his own rules of aerial engagement, possibly a sign of combat fatigue. Originally buried in Amiens, his body was transferred to Germany’s Invaliden Cemetery in 1925, where it rested until 1976. Lying just five feet from the Berlin Wall East German officals chose to move his remains to the family plot in Mainz, where he lies to this day.   

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