Red Baron, German World War

¶ … Red Baron, German World War I flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen, was established during the course of the War but pop culture in the form of a top selling song and a cartoon character have transformed him into a legend. For a man who created virtual havoc for the Allied forces to become a pop culture hero in the same countries where he caused some damage is phenomenal but like many legends there is fact and fiction in the creating of this legend.

Interestingly, the plane flown by the Red Baron for most of his in-flight victories, was modeled after the very planes that he was credited with shooting down (Franks, 2001). Von Richthofen's first plane was a triplane designed by German aviation engineer, Anthony Fokker (Kilduff, 2000). Fokker's Dr. I was based on the famous British plane, the Sopwith Camel, but Fokker included an additional wing that provided the plane with more maneuverability. The Dr. I was not the fastest plane in the sky but its small size (less than 19 feet long) and small wing span (24 feet) made it a small target.

Von Richthofen's first air victories were recorded with him flying an old style Albatross D. II which was the most popular of the German war planes as World War I began. Subsequent, however, to von Richthofen's recording his eight air victory and earning the prestigious German medal, the Blue Max, he decided that he needed a plane with greater agility. From that point on during the War he began flying both the Albatross DII and the Fokker DI depending on the circumstances of the actual battle.

The plane that provided the main opposition to the Red Baron was the British produced Sopwith Camel. The Camel was successfully used by the Allied forces during the First World War but it was not an easy plane to fly. Many student pilots died attempting to learn to fly the aircraft but those that were able to master its unique characteristics were able to take advantage of its maneuverability (King, 1980). The Camel had a wing span of 28 feet and was 18 feet, 8 inches in length. It came with a variety of different size engines with the size of the engine directly affecting its ceiling capacity. The aluminum engine sat in front of the cockpit which was constructed of plywood. The fuselage, wings, and tail were covered with canvas.

As the war progressed and von Richthofen began to amass more air victories, his influence increased within the German Air Force and he was eventually extended the authority to organize a special unit consisting of the finest German aviators. The new squadron, which became to be commonly known as the "Flying Circus," quickly became the nemesis of the Allied forces. In one month alone, the aviators of the "Flying Circus" were able to claim 83 victories. The purpose of the squadron was to keep their operations as close to the front lines as possible and, as a result, they moved their base of operations whenever necessary and lived in tents throughout the remainder of the War.

Although the German Air Force, largely thanks to the daring talents of the von Richthofen and his squadron, established dominance in the air, the War on the ground was not developing well for the Central Powers. As the year 1917 came to a close the fortunes of the Central Powers were waning and in early 1918 matters worsened as they lost their best aviator in the form of von Richthofen. The details of how von Richthofen lost his life are debated but the fact that it occurred on the morning after he registered his 80th aerial kill is not. The German high command had been urging von Richthofen to retire from combat and to retire to a desk position but, at the tender age of 26, von Richthofen was not ready to do so. As a result of his reluctance to retire, Germany and the Central Powers lost a great hero.

The path to greatness for von Richthofen was an unusual one. Although he came from a strong military background, his father being a major in the German army, he was not a traditionally trained aviator. His military career began in the German cavalry but when it appeared to him that the future of the cavalry was limited due to changes in military strategy von Richthefon became interested in the rapidly developing Air Force. Without ever having been formally trained as a flyer until the War had already begun, von Richthofen quickly developed his flying skills to become the War's greatest aviator.