Baron Manfred von Richthofen was the most famous
flying ace of World War I, a German fighter pilot who was known
to the English as "The Red Baron."
Von Richthofen joined the army in 1911 and was a lieutenant in
the German cavalry when the war broke out in 1914. He transferred
to the air service in 1915 and joined Jagdstaffel 2, a new squadron
of fighter pilots, in 1916. Within two months he had already
scored a dozen victories in the air, including a win over Britain's
leading ace, Major Lanoe Hawker. At the beginning of 1917 Richthofen
was made commander of Jagdstaffel 11, later known as the "Flying
Circus" for their brightly coloured aircraft. Richthofen,
who had painted his plane red, was known in Germany as "Der
Rote Kampfflieger" ("the red fighter pilot") and
he became a national hero for his derring-do in the skies. In
June of 1917 he was made commander of the first independent fighter
wing, Jagdgeshwader I, and was shot down two weeks later, shortly
after his fifty-seventh victory.
He recovered from a head wound quickly and returned to duty three
weeks later. Richthofen recorded a total of 80 victories before
being shot down and killed on 21 April 1918 over the Somme Canal
in France. Canadian pilot Captain Roy Brown was originally credited
with shooting down Richthofen, but some accounts credit Australian
forces on the ground.
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