Richthofen

Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen, was the top ace of the First World War, with eighty confirmed victories. A Prussian nobleman, he started the war as an officer in a Uhlan cavalry unit, serving on both the Eastern and Western fronts. He is also one of the most famous fighter pilots of all time.

In August 1916, ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke recruited von Richthofen into a fighter squadron he was forming. In May 1915 he joined the flying service, initially as an observer then as a pilot, flying two-seaters. He would later take command of Jasta 11, and then of Jagdgeschwader 1, the famous 'Flying Circus'.

Manfred von Richthofen would be shot down and killed on 21 April 1918. Using period images with captions taken from von Richthofen's 1917 autobiography, Der Rote Kampfflieger, this book will illustrate his story