Born in Prussia to wealthy aristocratic parents,
Manfred F. von Richthofen, The Red Baron, was to become the top ace
of World War I, with 80 confirmed kills, and probably another 40-50
which took place over enemy lines and could not be confirmed.
Richthofen was originally a cavalry officer, but with great
persistence he was transferred to the air arm. After a brief period
on the eastern front Richthofen was transferred to the western front
in August 1915. His first confirmed victory was recorded in
September 1916 and by November he recorded eleven kills, including
Major L. Hawker, the top British fighter pilot at that point in
time. With his keen reflexes and eyesight he quickly ascended, and
by June 1917 Richthofen took control of a unit near Coutrai. This
unit became known as "Richthofen's Circus." By July the ringmaster
had his fifty-seventh victim. Despite his successes Richthofen
shunned publicity and became increasingly withdrawn. Richthofen was
wounded in combat and spent three weeks in the hospital
recuperating. After his return to duty Manfred became a vocal
proponent of the Fokker triplane. The bright red paint scheme
utilized on one of Richthofen's aircraft is what earned him the
nickname, "The Red Baron". Richthofen's brother, Lothar, was also an
ace with forty victories to his credit. By April of 1918, aided by
America's entry into the War, Germany was facing overwhelming
numbers of enemy aircraft, and many with performance capabilities
the equal to, and in some cases superior to, their own. The Germans
mounted a final desperate offensive, and on April 21,1918 The Red
Baron finally fell victim to the perils of combat. Although there is
considerable controversy over the Red Baron's demise, it appears
that Richthofen was either killed by Captain Arthur Brown, a
Canadian flying with the RAF, or was shot down by Australian machine
gunners while evading Captain Brown. Richthofen was provided a full
military funeral by the Allies, and on the evening following his
funeral a single RAF fighter dropped a small package containing
photos of the funeral onto the Circus' headquarters. By War's end
the Circus was credited with the destruction of 644 aircraft, but 56
of its airmen had been killed, 32 seriously wounded, and 6 captured.
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Collector Sized Lithograph:
$40
16" x 11 1/2"
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Giclee on Canvas:
$445
18'' x 27''
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