Richthofen, Manfred Freiherr von ‘The Red Baron”.

Richthofen, Manfred Freiherr von “The Red Baron”, born 02-05-1892 in Schweidnitz, Germany, the oldest of three brothers and sons of Major Albrecht Philipp Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen,

     He was originally a cavalry officer in the German Army, but transferred to the German Army Air Service in May 1915. Initially an observer on reconnaissance flights over the Eastern Front, he became a fighter pilot on the Western Front in August 1916. He served under Oswald Boelcke, who crashed age 25, on 12-01-1916 and quickly became his star pupil. By January 1917, Richthofen had shot down fifteen aircraft had been appointed commander of his own unit.  Major Albrecht Philipp Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen, visits his wounded son, , the more famous Manfred von Richthofen, wounded by gunner second Lieutenant A.E. Woodbridge  on 06-07-1917 in a fight with an FE2b  of 20 Squadron. He painted the fuselage of his Albatros D-III a bright red  and was nicknamed the Red Baron.

On 10-11-1918, after the death of his son Manfred, von Richthofen handed in his resignation, which was accepted. He died on 28-11-1939 on his Barzdorf estate in Silesia, aged 84. As he had no children and he wished to keep his estate in the family, he legally adopted his nephew Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen,

  later a Generalfeldmarschall of the Luftwaffe  21-04-1918 After the death of Oswald Boelcke

  and Max Immelmann, Immelmann crashed , age 26, in 18-06-1916, Boelcke crashed age 25, on 28-10-1916, both over the Somme in France, Richthofen became the most famous war ace in Germany. Richthofen was also well-known in Britain and became a hate-figure after Allied propaganda portrayed him as a man who enjoyed killing. In June 1917, Richthofen was appointed commander of the German Flying Circus.  Made up of Germany’s top fighter pilots, this new unit was highly mobile and could be quickly sent to any part of the Western Front where it was most needed. Richthofen and his pilots achieved immediate success during the air war over Ypres during August and September. He also held strong opinions on aircraft design and was involved with the Dutch designer Anton Fokker   in the production of the Fokker D-VII.

Death and burial ground of Richthofen, Manfred Freiherr von “The Red Baron”.

   Manfred von Richthofen was killed when he was was brought down by ground fire on 21-04-1918, age 25.

 Richthofen had been responsible for shooting down 80 allied aircraft, the highest score of any fighter pilot during the First World War. Hermann Göring  took over the command of his Squadron. Von Richthofen was buried in a fieldgrave in Sailly le Sec, Somme, reburied on the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin and later buried next to his brother Lothar    on the Nordfriedhof of Wiesbaden

, Close by the graves of the Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur 170^th Infanterie Division, Franz Bentivegni, Generalleutnant der Flieger, Kommandeur Luftwaffe Transport, Oskar Bertram, General der Infanterie, Kommandeur der LXIII Heeresgruppe, Ernst Dehner, Generalleutnant der Kavallerie, Jurist Reichs Kriegsgericht, Friedrich Eberhardt, Generalleutant der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 172^nd Division,  Kurt Fischer, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Commander of POW’s in area Wehrmacht Commander Eastern Territories, Victor Gaissert, Generalmajor der Artillerie, Kommandeur der Raketten Artillerie Truppen, Ernst Graewe,  Generalleutnant der Flieger, Kommandeur Luftwaffe Versorgung, Friedrich Hanesse, Generalmajor der Flieger, Kommandeur der 4^th Fallschirmjägerluftflotte, Battle for Stalingrad, Hans von Herudt von Rhode, General der Flieger, Commander of POW’s Military District III, Erich von Keiser, Generalleutnant der Flieger, Leader of firing Commission with the Air Fleet Reich, in Wiesbaden, Erich Homberg, Generalmajor der Flieger, Kommandeur der 31^st Flak Division, Herbert Giese, Generaloberst der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 15^th Division, D-Day, Hans von Salmuth,  Generalmajor der Wehrmacht, Chef des Generalstabes vom Generalkommando XXXIII: Armeekorps, Friedrich von Unger, Generalleutnant der Wehrmacht, Military Attaché on the German, Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, Bruno Uthmann, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Command of the X Army, Hanns Adolf Voigt, Generalmajor der Flieger, 8^th Departement der Luftwaffe, Horst Voigt-Ruscheweyh and Vice Admiral, Marine attache, Ralf von Marwitz. 

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