The legendary Red Baron’s real name was Manfred von Richthofen. Born to a prominent German aristocratic family that can be traced to the sixteenth century, Richthofen became the First World War’s most successful fighter pilot. Largely fought in muddy trenches, World War I was one of the deadliest conflicts in history. Only fighter pilots achieved some air of valor. The Red Baron was one of these flying aces. War propaganda called them the “knights of the air” because they were seen as fighting man to man and plane to plane. After 80 official victories, Manfred von Richthofen, was killed in action at the young age of 25. http://history1900s.about.com.
Red Baron’s Early Years
At age eleven, Manfred von Richthofen entered Imperial Germany’s Wahlstatt Cadet School in Berlin. After completion, he entered the Senior Cadet Academy at Berlin-Lichterfelde, followed by a course at the Berlin War Academy. In 1912, he joined the cavalry as a lieutenant.
Red Baron, “legend in the air”
When World War I broke out in 1914, Manfred von Richthofen was assigned to the cavalry’s horseback patrol section. But soon air reconnaissance replaced cavalry patrols, and in 1915 Richthofen was retrained. One year later, he was retrained again, this time as a fighter pilot. He quickly distinguished himself as a fearless daredevil and sometimes shot down two or three planes in a single day. One day he even shot down four.
Manfred von Richthofen,
the Red Baron
How he became the Red Baron
After achieving acclaim as a flying ace, Richthofen had his plane painted bright red so that his enemies would immediately recognize they were in pursuit of the most successful German fighter pilot. Hence, he became known as the “Red Baron.” After enemy planes began to target his red airplane, however, the Imperial German Army Air Service painted all of its planes red in hopes of filling the enemy with fear of having to battle the legendary flying ace. On April 21, 1918, the Red Baron’s plane was shot down while in pursuit of a British enemy plane. He was killed instantly.
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