Character Analysis: The Red Baron

The Red Baron

Manfred von Richthofen is the most famous fighter pilot ace of World War One. After serving in the infantry, he joined the Imperial Air Service in 1915. At the battle of the Somme, he recorded his first kill on September 17th, 1916. As the leader of what was known as "The Flying Circus", Richthofen became infamous for his bright red fokker airplane, earning the title 'The Red Baron'. He was used as propaganda by the Germans to boost morale and even stated himself that "everything in the air belongs to me". His tactics would include using the sun to hide from the view of enemy planes and using his squadron as bait until he was ready to swoop down and attack. The Red Baron shot down more than 80 planes, more than any

Just as before, he scarcely managed to keep his grades up and was frequently punished for disobedience. He did not enjoy his training; the main problem was his hatred for discipline. In fact, he had never wished to become a part of the military but only did so to please his father. He finished his training at the age of 19 years in 1911, and shortly after, he was commissioned as a German cavalry officer. In 1914, he applied for a transfer, and soon, he joined the German air flying service in May of 1915. Supposedly, he wrote in his application for transfer "I have not gone to war to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose"1. Richthofen's first training flight can only be described as a complete disaster yet he still enjoyed performing risky air tricks. On Christmas day, 1915, he finally received his pilots

Several years later his body was moved to a much larger cemetery. In 1924, one of his brothers had his body moved for the third time to another the Fnvaliden cemetery in Berlin, Germany. This courageous man was respected by not only his home country, but all of his enemies and will forever be remembered as a true war hero. The Red Baron's name and likeness have been represented in countless books, movies, songs, and television programs with one of the most memorable ones being Snoopy's fictional enemy. Manfred von Richthofen will forever be the most famous fighter pilot ace of World War One and as he famously said, "Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the