Manfred von Richthofen

Richthofen wearing a
military decoration in 1917
for an official portrait

    Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, was the most famous World War I flying ace. The Baron shot down at least 80 confirmed aircraft and earned the title "ace-of-aces" of the Great War. He was a captain in the Luftstreitkrafte, the German Air Force.

    In his early military service, von Richtofen served as a cavalry officer in charge of reconnaissance. He was then taken off horseback when the Germans began to implement trench warfare, which made cavalry outdated and useless. Richthofen tried to get transferred into Die Fliegertruppen des Deutschen Kaiserreiches, which was the German Air Service. It was later shortened to Luftstreitkrafte. According to some sources, Richthofen's transfer letter into the Air Force included the phrase "I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose." Perhaps the executive officers were entertained by this, because von Richthofen was accepted.

    Manfred von Richthofen began pilot training in 1915. He joined a bomber squadron in March of 1916 and promptly crashed on his first flight. The same year, six months later, Manfred won his first aerial victory, shooting down the newly-promoted Captain Tom Rees. He ordered a silver cup engraved with the date and aircraft type. By the time that German silver was in low supply due to blockading, the Red Baron had 60 of these cups.

The Red Baron's Last Flight, John Young, 1918

    The Baron followed a strict set of aerial combat rules known as the Dicta Boelcke, which was developed by the flying ace Oswald Boelcke. These were eight rules, which included advice such as to fire only at close range, and with the enemy in one's sights. This code made von Richthofen the flying ace he was. Richthofen and his men, the "Flying Circus," became well-known on both sides of the war.

    Despite the Red Baron's excellent flying record, he wasn't able to get the best of everyone. At a little after 11am on April 21, 1918, Manfred von Richthofen was shot down near the Somme. He was able to land his plane, the Fokker Dr. I 425/17, shortly before his death. It is still uncertain who shot down the Baron.