Historical Figures Codexery

Manfred von Richthofen

German fighter pilot and ace-of-aces of World War I.

He was born on 2 May 1892 into a prominent Prussian aristocratic family in Kleinburg, near Breslau.[1] Manfred von Richthofen, a cavalry officer who became an airplane pilot, is considered the leading fighter ace of World War I with 80 official aerial victories.[2] Because he was a Freiherr (a title of nobility often translated as "baron") and painted his aircraft red, he was called the "Red Baron".[3][4]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen
Nickname
"The Red Baron"
Born
2 May 1892
Birthplace
Kleinburg near Breslau, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died
21 April 1918
Place of death
Vaux-sur-Somme, French Third Republic
Burial place
South Cemetery; Wiesbaden, Germany
Allegiance
Kingdom of Prussia; German Empire

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Richthofen joined an Uhlan cavalry unit as an officer candidate on 27 April 1911 and was commissioned in November 1912.[5] When World War I began, he served as a cavalry reconnaissance officer before transferring to the flying service in May 1915.[6][7] He scored his first confirmed victory on 17 September 1916 while flying an Albatros D.II for Jasta 2.[2] He received the Pour le Mérite in January 1917 after his 16th confirmed kill and assumed command of Jasta 11 that same month.[8]

Richthofen sustained a serious head wound on 6 July 1917 during combat near Wervik, Belgium.[9] During convalescent leave he completed his autobiography Der rote Kampfflieger.[10] He was killed on 21 April 1918 while pursuing a Sopwith Camel piloted by Wilfrid Reid May.[11] On 23 November 1916, Richthofen shot down Major Lanoe Hawker VC, who was described by Richthofen as "the British Boelcke"; during this combat, Richthofen fired over 900 rounds.[2][10]

What the cited sources add

The UPI article also states Richthofen was last mentioned in a German war office statement of April 8 announcing his 77th and 78th victories.[12] Swopes records that two postmortem examinations determined the fatal bullet entered Richthofen's chest from low on the right side.[2] According to the same source, Captain Rees kept shooting at Richthofen until the Baron's gunfire killed him.[2] A UPI article describes Richthofen as "the greatest of the German flight commanders" and notes his squadron was called "Richthofen's circus" by British airmen.[12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stars and Strips Forever: "Von Richthofen's mother, actress Fern Andra meet"; 14 November 1954 Kuningunde von Richthofen and Fern Andra Retrieved 17 November 20; Richthofen, K. (2001). Mother of eagles: The war diary of Baroness von Richthofen (S. Hayes Fischer, Trans.). Schiffer Publishing Ltd. (Original work published (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Swopes, "This Day in Aviation 17 September 1916", The Red Baron Archives, 17 September 2013. facts only, no text reused. thisdayinaviation.com
  3. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kilduff 1993, p. 6; "Freiherr" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kilduff 1993, p. 6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Preußen Kriegsministerium 1914, p. 400 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: von Richthofen 2007, p. 49-51 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: von Richthofen 1969, p. 24; McAllister 1982, p. 52; von Richthofen 2007, p. 49-51 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Blue Max." American History, Volume 38, No. 1, April 2003, p. 9. . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McAllister 1982, p. 59. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Burrows 1970, p. 36 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Manfred von Richthofen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McAllister 1982, p. 52 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. "Germany's 'Red Baron' dies", UPI. facts only, no text reused. upi.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Manfred von Richthofen (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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