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Happy 124th Birthday Perhaps the most widely known fighter pilot of all time, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen born May 2,1892 is also known as the Red Baron. When World War I began, Richthofen served as a cavalry reconnaissance officer on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, seeing action in Russia, France, and Belgium; with the advent of trench warfare making traditional cavalry operations outdated and inefficient, Richthofen's regiment were dismounted, serving as dispatch runners and field telephone operators. Disappointed and bored at not being able to directly participate in combat, the last straw for Richthofen was an order to transfer to the army's supply branch. His interest in the Air Service had been aroused by his examination of a German military aircraft behind the lines, and he applied for a transfer to Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Army Air Service), later to be known as the Luftstreitkräfte. He is supposed to have written in his application for transfer, "I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose." In spite of this unmilitary attitude, and to his own surprise, his request was granted, and he joined the flying service at the end of May 1915 After a chance meeting with the German ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke Richthofen entered training as a pilot in October 19,1915. Boelcke was killed during a midair collision with a friendly aircraft on 28 October 1916; Richthofen witnessed the event. Despite the popular link between Richthofen and the Fokker Dr. I, only 19 of his 80 kills were made in this type of aircraft. It was his Albatros D.III Serial No. 789/16 that was first painted bright red, in late January 1917, and in which he first earned his name and reputation. In January 1917, after his 16th confirmed kill, Richthofen received the Pour le Mérite (informally known as "The Blue Max", the highest military honor in Germany at the time. That same month, he assumed command of the fighter squadron Jasta 11, which ultimately included some of the elite German pilots, many of whom he trained himself. “The most beautiful being in all creation is the genuine Danish hound, my little lap-dog, my Moritz.” Said Manfred. Moritz was a brindle Great Dane with a slightly scruffy long haired coat that liked to chase the planes when taking off and landing. At the time of his death the Baron had been pursuing (at very low altitude) a Sopwith Camel piloted by a novice Canadian pilot, Lieutenant Wilfrid "Wop" May of No. 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force. In turn, the Baron was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by a school friend (and flight commander) of May's, Canadian Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown, who had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting the ground. Richthofen turned to avoid this attack, and then resumed his pursuit of May. It was almost certainly during this final stage in his pursuit of May that a single .303 bullet hit Richthofen, damaging his heart and lungs so severely that it must have caused a quick death. In the last seconds of his life, he managed to retain sufficient control to make a rough landing in a field on a hill near the Bray-Corbie road, just north of the village of Vaux-sur-Somme, in a sector controlled by the Australian Imperial Force. In common with most Allied air officers, Major Blake, who was responsible for Richthofen's remains, regarded the Red Baron with great respect, and he organized a full military funeral, to be conducted by the personnel of No. 3 Squadron AFC. Richthofen was buried in the cemetery at the village of Bertangles, near Amiens, on 22 April 1918. Six of No. 3 squadron's officers served as pallbearers, and a guard of honor from the squadron's other ranks fired a salute.[j] Accounts that the guard of honor were Australian infantry are apparently based on the fact that in photographs and film of the event they are wearing AIF uniforms, complete with slouch hats – this is simply because members of the AFC, which was part of the Australian army, wore normal army uniforms. Allied squadrons stationed nearby presented memorial wreaths, one of which was inscribed with the words, "To Our Gallant and Worthy Foe". The German government requested that the final resting place be the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in Berlin, where many German military heroes and past leaders were buried and the family agreed, Richthofen receiving a state funeral. Later the Nazi regime held a further grandiose memorial ceremony over this grave, erecting a massive new tombstone with the single word: "Richthofen". During the Cold War, the Invalidenfriedhof was on the boundary of the Soviet zone in Berlin, and the tombstone became pockmarked with bullets fired at attempted escapees to the west. In 1975, the remains were moved to a family plot at the Südfriedhof in Wiesbaden, where he is buried next to his brother Bolko, his sister Elisabeth, and her husband. |
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Thank you for researching and presenting the real story of the demise of the "Red Baron". He was certainly a very colorful character of World War 1.
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5/1/2016 10:23 pm |
Thank you for researching and presenting the real story of the demise of the "Red Baron". He was certainly a very colorful character of World War 1.
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5/2/2016 7:48 am |
Even better now that the pictures have been restored. Our childish fire/farts/troublemaker drops by to harass member with his bullshit copyright expertise but I keep al the blog pictures handy in a folder to repost...
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5/2/2016 7:56 am |
If I can keep an event cut down into a few minute read with just the highlight points coupled with relevant pictures from the era, most enjoy the mind jogging experience.
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Bret: Again a great historical reference. I had forgotten how cute he was. Thise deep blue eyes
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5/2/2016 1:32 pm |
Bret: Again a great historical reference. I had forgotten how cute he was. Thise deep blue eyes
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5/3/2016 1:08 am |
Moritz reminds me of Rosie.
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5/3/2016 7:59 pm |
Moritz reminds me of Rosie.
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5/3/2016 8:59 pm |
There's been quite an uproar ovr who downed him.... turns out he was hit with ground fire from a 303 Aussie machine gun. But Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown still received the credit for downing him.
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