🧥 Have you always wanted a distinctive and authentic leather flying jacket? Check out the fantastic range from Legendary USA here: calibanrising.com/flying-jacket/
I too read his Book as a young boy, I became enamored with him!! I found it interesting that he was soon into the morbid habit of taking souvenirs from his fallen victims! I also find it ironic that when he fell his mount n even his personal effects were taken as souvenirs!! The Baron detested fighting the French because they wouldn’t engage unless they possess superior numbers! He also mandated never to lose sight of your lines of combat or become fixated on your opponent,, all which he eventually broke, which contributed to his demise!! Still one of my Hero’s to this day!! I think we shall be talking about his feat’s for Hundreds more years!! Thanks
I think that head wound he received left him somewhat Impaired and he wasn't at the top of his game. Don't you think that's a factor to consider in his demise?
Also, I have read that he had grown disillusioned with the way the war was prosecuted by the German High Command...this may have engendered a sort of death wish...that last is speculation on my part...
@@fokkerd3red618 absolutely, plus combined with his trying to get his score to 100, which he wanted to accomplish! But his head wound definitely cause his demise!! 💯
The red baron wasn’t a paragon of virtue.Each time the red baron scored a kill & before his 60th kill,he had a silver cup made for himself.When he made the kill,he was told there was no more silver.Folks who hold him in high esteem should get their priorities straighten out.
While he was an amazing strategist and pilot in the sky, he is not someone to idolize. His habits and behaviors after a kill is distasteful. Any person who celebrates and revels the fact they took another’s life isn’t a good fellow human. While his ideals towards combat in the sky, his skill, and his ideals are incredible to pontificate, he is not a man whom should be idolized. Just some food for thought
I believe there is a video on YT which shows several German pilots, including MVR, standing around talking to a downed English pilot. They were all smiling and laughing like old drinking buddies. You might want to look it up.
@@REM1956 I believe it. He was proficient in the English language from time spent in England before the war, and would’ve easily communicated with downed Aliie pilots captured. A remarkable man
@@jessepollard7132 "in the nick of time, a hero arose, a funny looking dog with a big black nose " I think I still have the album by The Royal Guardsmen somewhere. 🤔
In the early days of RC aircraft a modeled built a doghouse with snoopy; a gas engine and receiver. It actually flew quiet well like a box kite. Then one day it collided with a stunning DR1 destroying bith
In the early days of RC aircraft a modeled built a doghouse with snoopy; a gas engine and receiver. It actually flew quiet well like a box kite. Then one day it collided with a stunning DR1 destroying both
In the early days of RC aircraft a modeled built a doghouse with snoopy; a gas engine and receiver. It actually flew quiet well like a box kite. Then one day it collided with a stunning DR1 destroying both
Oswald Boelcke, here mentioned in passing, pretty much invented fighter aviation tactics while founding the Imperial German Air Service. When Boelcke was killed in a flying accident, he was the leading ace of the war. While leading Germany's first fighter squadron, he trained Richthofen and many other aces who went onto become squadron leaders. How about a video on Boelcke?
I no joke became obsessed with Manfred von Richthofen. I don't remember how I found him or his history at first, But lots of people notice how much I talk about it.
Here's an even more amazing fact. Von Richthofen, when he was shot down and killed, was attacking a Canadian pilot named "Wop" May. May survived. After the war, May became a bush pilot in the wilderness of the northern Canadian Yukon, which is the part of Canada east of Alaska. At this time, the most famous RCMP manhunt of all time took place, involving massive numbers of Mounties on dogsleds chasing the almost superhuman "Mad Trapper of Rat River", who had killed one Mountie, and wounded two others. The manhunt went for almost four weeks over mountains in the middle of a brutal -40F winter blizzard. To assist them, the Mounties employed the services of Wop May and his airplane. It was Wop May that eventually sighted the Mad Trapper's (Albert Johnson) tracks, and led the Mounties to him. A shootout occurred on a frozen river, and Johnson was killed. So if Von Richthofen has succeeded and killed May, Johnson probably would have escaped, and what was probably the greatest arctic manhunt of all time would have failed. images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a578db9b-ad35-4f49-bbc4-cf6394ed7ce5/d6qjbam-094b1966-a82e-4cc4-9680-b9c4a6654af2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_480,q_75,strp/1295568406_75726a28d8_z_by_badmillennial_d6qjbam-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDgwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYTU3OGRiOWItYWQzNS00ZjQ5LWJiYzQtY2Y2Mzk0ZWQ3Y2U1XC9kNnFqYmFtLTA5NGIxOTY2LWE4MmUtNGNjNC05NjgwLWI5YzRhNjY1NGFmMi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NjQwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.gjq8f5b50MUv8MVddiTp1Xe2lr13Dk1T6jYcq17UsAc
Manfred Von Richthofen had his rule never to chase the enemy alone. A rule that he broke and got killed. Due to handling difficulties, Wilfred May lost controll of his Sopwit Camel during a massive dogfight. The "Allied" pilots took off from the Bertangles Airfield with Roy Brown, Francis Melersh, Oliver Le Boutier and Wilfred May-novice pilot amoungst them. Melersh shot down reconnaissnce aircraft and on the German side was Manfred, his cousin Wolfram and I think Manfreds brother Lothar. The two enemy squadrons started massive dogfight and Wilfred May had engaged Wolfram Von Richthofen. Manfred saw his cousin under attack and went after May. May however, as I previously mentioned, lost controll of his aircraft, engaging in spiral dive but barely regained controll of his aircraft just before he was about to crash. So now Manfred started chasing him. May started flying to their lines in hope of safety with Manfred closing in on him again. Captain Roy Brown saw the chase and went after Manfred. So a low flyght chase started. Due to early head injury in earlyer dogfight, Manfred for a moment lost councense thus almost crashing into a church bell tower, but regained himself at the last second and continued after May. On the ground were australian infantry soldiers who started shooting at Manfred. And one of them either Cedric Popkins or Snowy Evans fired the fatal shot which had entered the body from the side. Manfred was loosing councense but managed to land his red tryplane safely. When the soldiers got to him he just said "kaputt" and died. Captain Roy Brown was creditet for the kill, but he was not the one who shot Manfred as he was still behind him while the bullet as I mentioned, entered from the side.
I have a friend who's father served in the Australian Army in WW1 and witnessed the Baron crashing in front of his trench position, he has his father's war diary with the account, he was the youngest son in his family his brother fought in WW2 against the Japanese, he joined the 42nd Infantry Battalion which is a Army Reserve unit which I was in also.
That red triplane its a true History Symbol for The ages. Brave men,those pilots in those days,with canvas airplanes. Just unbalivable what they achieved in such a small time frame. Real heroes,from both sides.
Von Richthofen's squadron, Jagdstaffel 11, came to be known as the "Flying Circus", however, not for the reason many people believe, the bright and garish paint schemes applied to its aircraft. Jasta 11 was operated from the first mobile airbase. Besides fighter planes the squadron also had motor vehicles, wagons, draft horses, a field kitchen, anti-aircraft guns, and lots of tents for barracks, offices, etc. Thus equipped Jasta 11 could be moved from one patrol sector of the Western Front to another in order to counter specific threats or support a specific offensive. By moving its base facilities and support staff as rapidly as possible the German air service hoped to make the most efficient use of its foremost fighter pilots in concentrated efforts, an air warfare application of one of Carl von Clausewitz's principles of war. (In a way the "Flying Circus" anticipated the modern carrier battle group.) The sight of Jasta 11's caravan of wagons and trucks moving along the road network connecting the German front sectors already suggested a circus on its way to a new performance, but the lack of very large tents suitable as hangars in the normal German army logistics train made the comparison obvious. To fill that necessary role Jasta II was provided with requisitioned circus tents which arrived still painted in bright colors.
This is completely untrue. Jagdstaffel 11 only moved 3 times between 1915 and 1918. Their movements were directed by their proximity to the front lines. Also, when Germany began to use Von Ricthofen and his exploits to boost enlistment back home, they moved him farther away from the front. That did not last long as he used his connections to influence the command staff and he managed to get himself posted back into a forward squadron. It was his last deployment.
Good job Sir. I am a big WW1 Aerocraft enthusiast. Thank you for giving Werner Voss high mark's, he is my favorite Ace of Aces. The book September Evening is a well studied book by every fighter pilot in the world. Sometimes the safest place to be, is in the middle of the fight. As sad as their deaths were, imagine the top German fighter pilots of WW1 flying in WW2... The horror they would have inflicted. Thank you again Sir, new subscriber.
Billy Bishop once dueled with Von Richthofen in a historic dog fight, but neither pilot could get the better of the other. However, Bishop was not a great admirer of Von Richthofen. In his autobiography, he claimed that Von Richthofen would stay apart from the fight until he could spot a straggler that he could single out.
Indeed! And his pursuit of Lt. May on the 21st of April 1918 is a prime example of just such " scavenger" combat flying, going after the " newbie"! My personal pick for the Great War's premier pilot would be split three ways between Mick Mannock, Ernst Udet and Werner Voss.
One should also not ignore French pilots. Georges Guynemer was considered the " soul of France" and had to overcome a weak constitution and build himself up just to be accepted for pilot training. And Rene Fonck was the highest scoring French pilot of the war, but I believe never achieved quite the status of Guynemer in the public mind; some say this was entirely due to an overblown ego.
Never knew much about Mr Richthoffen. Apart from the very basic of information, labeling him 'The Red Baron'. This was an interesting video, that explained a little bit more about the man himself. Now, correct me if I am wrong, was it his cousin who went on to participate in the Condor Legion, as a er....air fleet commander (if that is the right term), in charge of Stukas, and then a short lived stint during the Battle of Britain, when the said dive bombers under his command got mauled badly? Anyway, enjoyed the video. Great job.
You are correct sir. Wolfram Von Richthofen was a Luftwaffe commander during WW2. He was also flying with his cousin when he was shot down in April 1918.
@@CalibanRising MvR's last flight was Wolfram's first combat flight. My theory is that MvR saw May take a shot at Wolfram and lost his mind in a rage. MvR broke every rule he taught about combat flying while pursuing May.
Did "Snoopy" (the dog), know about all these 5 bits of information concerning the Red Baron at the time he took on the Red Baron in his famous "Snoopy" -Vs - "the Red Baron Dogfight"?
Speaking about MvR being known for his Fokker Dr.1 and not the Albatros...the real Fokker Triplane ace of aces was Josef Jacobs, who scored 31 (+/-) kills in the Fokker Triplane, and indeed flew it to the end of the war, long after it had been replaced in service by the excellent Fokker D.VII. While most lists of aces have Josef Jacobs as having scored 41 victories, Jacobs himself claimed that he had 47 confirmed. I've also seen mention that there was an official letter sent to Jacobs at the last fighter trials in early November 1918, congratulating him on his 47 confirmed victories. So...did Jacobs have 41 victories or did he have 47? 🤷♂️
@@enscroggs Voss scored 10 victories on the Triplane, according to Norman Franks - 'Under The Guns Of The German Aces' (Grub Street books 1997). #39 Sopwith Camel - 45 Squadron #40 Sopwith Pup - 46 Squadron #41 Caudron 2-seater, French (came down in Allied lines, may have landed safe and not reported as a loss by the French) #42 FE2d - 20 Squadron #43 Sopwith Camel - 70 Squadron #44 Sopwith Camel - 70 Squadron #45 Spad 1(?) - Spa. 37 #46 Sopwith Camel - 45 Squadron (three German pilots claimed Camels, but only two were shot down, one of the other pilots being Vfw Menckhoff, a future Blue Max winning ace). #47 Sopwith Camel - 45 Squadron #48 DH.4 - 57 Squadron #48 came on 23rd September, earlier in the day, the day that he was shot down and killed.
📢 If you've enjoyed this video, Why not watch another one. Or even better, support this channel through Patreon, giving a virtual tip or making a usual purchase through one of my affiliate links (at no extra cost to you). 👍Find more details here: calibanrising.com/support/ I appreciate your help and together we can make this channel even better!
When I was in high school in the 60s, I knew an old guy with an interesting history. He lived in China as a small boy in the early 1900s where his father was an American gunboat captain on the Yangtze river in China. He saw some service as a mercenary pilot with the Flying Tigers in China and as a mercenary pilot for several South American revolutions after WWII. He was the publisher of a small newspaper as an old man when I met him. He fully intended to publish his memoirs in a book, but never got around to it. Instead he published chapters of his draft in his little newspaper. A large Arizona newspaper picked up on it and published his story years later with interviews of his wife. The tie in............... His name was Scotch Von Richthofen Wysong and his grandmother was a proud Von Richthofen and hence his middle name which resulted in his being in numerous fights in school during WWI. The Red Baron was indeed a cousin of his and maybe his becoming a pilot later on was preordained by his blood?
Good video. I don't think there is enough WWI stuff on RUclips. For some strange reason the Zeppelin raids on England fascinate me. I keep getting a vision of seeing a giant airship emerging from the fog. It's almost like a horror movie.
One of the problems with the DRI, if I remember correctly, was the enormous amount of torque produced by its rotary engine, which made the plane difficult to fly, requiring an expert hand at the controls. It also made the plane very nimble, which was an asset in aerial combat. However, it also made it something of a danger in takeoff and landing
The Fokker Triplane was easier to fly than the Sopwith Camel. German airmen killed 415 Camel pilots; Camels killed 385 Camel pilots. The Germans were only 10% more effective at killing British Camel pilots than the Camel itself. Besides the factory-installed Oberursel, the Germans also used captured engines. Voss flew with a captured LeRhone rotary the day he died. (Fokker used rotary engines whenever he could. Why? He owned Oberursel, the factory that produced rotary engines.) The Camel used the heavier Glerget rotary. It produced more torque that the smaller Oberursel engine in the Fokker.Triplane. McCudden was one of the five pilots who swarmed Werner Voss on his last flight. He wrote in Flying Fury that he was amazed to see Voss's Triplane make a flat half turn. Not once but twice. Voss spent two weeks at the Fokker factory flying the prototype. It appears he learned how to use the rotary's gyroscopic effect to maneuver. It also appears that he kept this maneuver to himself. There is no record -- British, French, or German -- of any other airman flying the same maneuver.
The thing that sticks in my mind most about the DR1 is the report of Voss' last battle with 56 Squadron where he was doing pretty much horizontal turns to engage them. This must have been something to do with the extreme engine torque.
@@CalibanRising Voss did it, but no other German airman did. Voss spent two weeks at the Fokker factory flying the prototype. I think that was where and when he developed that maneuver. No evidence that he taught it to anybody else. Likely that flat turn abilitiy was a combination of gyroscopic effect, engine mass, and short fuselage.
@@georgej.dorner3262 Wow. I was doing some research and it spoke about someone who pulled a high G turn in WW2 to escape an EA, he ended up with all sorts of internal bleeding and other issues. Just crazy what these men did.
Great movie. A lot of airmen got their start as infantry in WWI. The whole plot was Stachel not fitting into the "chivalrous knight" mold of the German aristocracy. He was an arrogant commoner. That might have been the general attitude at the beginning of the war. But as time went on, both sides just needed to find competent pilots to fill their decimated ranks.
ricthofen was born into a junker family, one of the 14 families that ruled Prussia, he wasn't a minor aristocrat he was serious nobiity, equivalent to a royal duke i.e duke of edinburgh/ york/ wales.
Interesting info I knew he'd flown other planes, but not nearly as many as the video mentioned. Four years ago I got back in to motorcycling and after a test ride on a BMW, I bought it. I bought a red one, even though it wasn't my first color choice (longish story). The vanity tag ... FREIHERR, minus the last R as the plate only has 7 spaces.
Fantastic video, imagine what he would have scored, if he would have survived long enough to get his hands on a Fokker DVII or even a DVIII? Very interesting.
To anyone interested in WW1 aviation.I recommend Cavalry of the Clouds on RUclips interviews with RFC pilots when in their 70s in it a British pilot calls MVR a Bullshiter
I think what makes him so iconic is his fully red plane which is easy to reconize, and all his squardron members had a little bit of red on thier planes.
I've just come accross your channel, watch some of videos, and I decide to subs because turned out ypur channel is very fun (because I also a virtual ace in il2 and wt)
If you look at some of the combat reports of Richthofen's victories, you will also find that there are cases where Richthofen wasn't the only German aircraft to fire on whatever aircraft was claimed, but was given the credit as the " senior" pilot. Clear thinking? His actions on the 21st of April 1918 do NOT demonstrate " clear thinking" at all. On this particular sortie, he violated two or even three of Boelcke's maxims, suffered from target fixation, confusion as to his actual location in relation to his own lines, and also had a " number 3 stoppage" of one if his guns, something that should have caused him to break off his pursuit of " Wop" May. Richthofen let emotion cloud his on the spot reasoning, first by springing to the rescue of Lothar, then by relentlessly pursuing May even though all May had to do was keep his throttle open and his superior speed would gradually increase the distance between him and Richthofen, and then by not breaking off after one gun was inoperative. Richthofen was more concerned with " Number 81" than he was with anything else. And those bone fragments still in his head probably contributed more than a little to his poor decision making and confusion plus his own " target fixation" Richthofen was not fit to fly on the 21st of April, 1918.
According to an old PC game i had, his brother Lothar was an ace in his own right and survived the war. It also mentioned Manfred disliked Lothar's style of charging in. I did no research to back this up.
Yes, Lothar flew in the same squadron and even commanded it when MVR was on leave. He did survive the war, only to be killed in a flying accident in the 20s.
Lothar was shot down three times, each time on the 13th of the month: 13 May 1917, 13 March 1918, and 13 August 1918. Lot of time in hospital. Lothar spent only 77 days on active flying. Scored 40 confirmed kills in those 77 days. Lothar was killed in a plane crash in 1922.
From what I've read, Manfred said that "Lothar was the type to hunt elephants with a machine-gun" (yeah, lol, that's a real quote). I think what rubbed Manfred the wrong way was that Lothar preferred to charge into the malestorm and start shooting, whereas Manfred prefered some sort of plan. He always talked of air combat as hunting, and hunting requires patience and planning, something it seems Lothar lacked. That said, Lothar was also an amazing pilot, as has been noted, so clearly his plans worked just as well. In hindsight Manfred was probably just afraid his brother would get himself killed in foolhardy charges.
@@WayOutGaming What you say has a ring of truth. I have studied MvR for decades. IMO a complete study of Lothar can be done in less than a year. MvR: 'There is an enemy airplane. What would Boelcke do?' LvR: 'There is an enemy airplane. Charge!' LvR spent only 77 days at the front flying combat. In those 77 days, he downed 40 airplanes. The rest of the time he was in hospital. He was shot down 13 May 1917, 13 March 1918, and 13 August 1918. MvR fought with his head. LvR fought with his heart.
@@hlynnkeith9334 Just out of curiosity what's your take on Manfred as far as the hero vs. psycopath argument goes? I haven't studied him for nearly as long, but from what I've read I do believe a large part of "psycopathic" evidence is largely conjured up by people misunderstanding Manfred. He strikes me as someone who feels pressured to live up to his fame, and perhaps an egoist as well. But he never came off quite as the "cold blooded killer" as many people have often claimed him to be. In otherwords I think a lot of his "I killed this man because xyz" that people use to paint him as a cold blooded killer is largely messhall bull-crappery that Manfred touted for show. He's a hero afterall. Heroes sometimes make crap up because it's what people want to hear. Plus he always seemed to have a running contest with the other aces, particularly Voss.
Over counting of kills was a common occurrence and even more so in WWII. Once you lost sight of the aircraft even on fire it doesn’t mean it was shot down. You can make the case that the plane did a controlled crash should count, which I would say is correct even it was on the friendly landing field. There are air battle records that defy the reporting of the pilots involved. Even gun cameras can show what looks like one pilot’s kill only other camera showing one or more pilots shared in the kill, but reported separately. Ground fire had a deadly toll of top pilots besides the Red Baron, Francesco Baracca of Italy and Frank Luke of the USA were victims of ground fire.
Manfred certainly did well enough in the D-III, but he certainly hadn't much good to say about the V/Va. The V/Va were only slightly faster while being considerably (over 100 lbs, in fact) heavier, and had a more sluggish roll rate, especially at lower speeds like when topping out of a climb. No, Manfred was not that big a fan of the V models! In my opinion, you simply can't praise the Albatros D-III enough. Fast, easy to fly, fast climbing, wildly maneuverable and heavily armed with two guns, at a time when most of their opponents fighters only had one. (Sopwith Pup/Triplane {a development of the Pup, with the same wing area divided between three narrow chord wings}, Nieuport 11/16c/17, SPAD VII) The D-III was a real ace maker, only truly surpassed towards the end by the even easier to fly Fokker D-VII. Many D-III's soldiered right on through to the Armistice, that's just how good it was. Alas, poor Manfred never got to fly the Fokker D-VII in combat, but he did get to test fly them at Ildflieg shortly before his death. He was reportedly as delighted with it as he had been with the Albatros D-III, once its kinks had been ironed out. The Albatros D-III was the main reason behind Bloody April. Virtually all of the Jastas posted along the English sector of the front had had their older Albatros and Halberstadt fighters replaced with the new plane by then, and they greatly outclassed the fighters and bombers the British had on hand. That also explains why most of Manfred's kills were against British aircraft, since Jasta 11 spent most of 1917 and 1918 posted to the northern (British) sector of the front lines.😉
AFAIK the Luftstreitkraefte never junked an airplane. If it could fly, they strapped someone in it. The Albatross D.III is my favorite airplane of the war. The Austrians (Oeffag) got it and figured out the lower wing was weak. They strengthened the construction at the wing root. Never had any problems. It seemed to me that they must have told OAW about their fix. I searched for years and never found any record that they did. Oeffag also took off the spinner and reshaped the nose. Made the plane ugly but added 9kph to its top speed. The Austrians liked their version of the D.III so much that when the Luftstreitkraefte offered them the Fokker D.VII, they said, "No, thanks." The D.III was still their front line fighter when the Hungarians walked off the line and the empire collapsed.
@@hlynnkeith9334 The real weakness in the lower wing was designed in right from the start. Albatros was requested by Ildflieg to copy the sesquiplane layout of the Nieuport scouts; in doing so, however, they moved the single spar too far back from the leading edge. This is what caused the lower wing to flex under stress, which could often cause failures in the lower wing. Richtofen suffered two such wing failures, but was able to land safely each time; many other pilots were less fortunate. Albatros added a small strut joining the front v-strut to the wing former at the leading edge of the wing to counter this tendency to flex under stress. Richtofen also got badly scalded once when his centrally mounted radiator was punctured by a bullet, which is why all later-production D-III's and all D-V/D-Va variants had the radiator relocated to the right side, just inboard of the cabane struts. It's always nice to encounter someone else who appreciates the true greatness of the Albatros D-III. I recently purchased several modules of IL2: Sturmovik Great Battles, and was bitterly disappointed to discover that neither Flying Circus module features the Albatros D-III! I intend to contact the developer and complain about this regrettable oversight on their part, and to remind them just how important that aircraft really was to the German war effort. Hopefully, I can get some traction in the forums and inspire others to complain as well. Maybe they can be persuaded to add it to a later update, or add it as a stand-alone upgrade.😉 I mean, I don't mind flying the D-Va, which is still vastly superior to the Pfalz D-III, but given a choice, I'd put the Albatros D-III up against anything the Entente Powers could throw at it.
On a private note; He was engaged to a fellow Prussian aristocrat. Aside from the name Heidi , her identity was kept private post war. The movie stunk with post WW2 German anti war sentiment. He was not romantically involved with his nurse, Lothar was not a bloodthirsty killer and he hardly shared a drink with Roy Brown and casually walked back to base with no intervening trenches. It has been pretty well proven a single .303 from a Australian ground gunner killed him, not some woo woo unsolved mystery. Lothar was considered the more dangerous opponent with 40 kills And actively targeted. This resulted in the three crashes posted elsewhere. A distant cousin, Wolfram was on his first mission the day is man Fred’s death and managed a victory. He went on to become the luftwaffe general in charge of aircraft procurement, dying of a heart attack in 1941. Perhaps death spared the other two from the taint of fascism. Earnst Udet committed suicide facing the politics.
One of, if not the primary reason I know of "The Red Baron" is because of the fictional encounters between the Baron and the WWI Flying Ace persona of Snoopy, the "Peanuts" dog character created by Charles Schultz. I'd speculate that a lot of children of the United States learned of The Red Baron through Charles Schultz' famous comic strip.
Unfortunately the information is incomplete. The lack of French aircraft in the list of downed planes is simply because the French had no planes left. The French AF was getting planes from the US and England as they did not have a good radial engine. Realize that the score that Manfred kept for himself and the official score that the Allies kept varies considerably. One thing people forget about Ricthofen is that he shot down a lot of unarmed observation balloons which was his job but was something he disliked because he found it unsportsmanlike. He and his squadron caused so may casualties among forward balloon observers, that when they saw red painted German aircraft, they just jumped to their death rather than be shot full of holes. Additionally he was not "low level" Prussian aristocracy but rather mid-level by virtue of his Families wealth. Oswold Boleke taught him tactics and was his primary teacher. Research the top speed of some of the aircraft in question on the French side and you will realize that it was not really that hard for Ricthofen to become an ace at the beginning of the war. It was like a turkey shoot as there were few planes that could out climb and maneuver the Fokker at the time. No one on the British or French side wanted to go up against the Fokker until newer faster planes were available. Also don't forget the Germans were the first to figure out how to fire a machine gun through a propeller which was much more accurate than wing mounted machine guns or swivel mounts.
I've never heard that the French were running out of aircraft in WW1. Was this at a particular date? I'm surprised that the Americans would be providing aircraft to the French when their squadrons were entirely equipped with British and French aircraft. Can you share more?
@@CalibanRising Sure. By 1917 the French Army had a morale problem. There were a lot of desertions. In the old days in all the armies officers could purchase their commissions which led to a lot of unqualified people giving bad orders and getting people killed. France struggled with obtaining certain raw materials for munitions and the equipment sucked - rifles with low capacity mags and odd loads, no standardazation between factories. Germany came up with a simple mechanism to prevent machine gun bullets from hitting the propeller and France's first try at emulation was to put metal shields on the propeller blades to deflect the bullets. Most of the French planes at the start of the war were "pushers" (props pointing backwards) France best was the Nieuport and the Spad, but the Spad was the only plane that had a chance against the Fokker D3. At the early stages of the war Germany ruled the skys but France and her Allies caught up by the end. Von Ricthofen in his diary talks about supply problems starting in 1917, which affected the French as well, as shelling had destroyed all the roads. Fokker used the radial engine which gave some advantages in power vs weight ratio. Twin front facing machine guns were absolutely devistating to wood and canvas aircraft and 1 out of every 2 planes that got shot up burst into flames immidiately. Von Ricthofen writes in his diary about the location of the fuel tanks in French aircraft as a target, and how he preferred a clean burst to the French pilots body or head rather than setting them on fire. (parachutes were rare - no room in the cockpit - too heavy). Von Ricthofen's father owned over 300 acres of forest and Manfred and Lothar grew up on horseback hunting game. Manfred was an excellent shot and was known for it in the local community. In the early days of his carreer, for every plane he shot down he used to award himself a small engraved silver cup that he treated as a trophy. He displayed them in his field tent, and had a special wooden case made for them. The reason why pilots started carrying handguns is so that if the fuel tank got hit, and they were covered with flaming gasoline at 80 mph, they could off themselves before the pain became too much to bear. As a Prussian officer and an Aristocrat (kind of the same thing in Prussia at the time), he never had to even polish his own boots.
Mick Mannock said he hoped Von Richthtofen" burned all the way down", which was ironic since he was seen to fall in flames himself. Both died due to target fixation
@@georgej.dorner3262 g'day george, i liked that MVR didnt like the ground crew taking him hunting during the day while he was out fighting because he was too tired to go hunting with manfred. i think in the book he says the mother was a pure bred. moritz looks like he has alot of greyhound in him as well, although dog breeds have changed their look over the last 100 years. and the other story i know about him is that he had part of ear cut off by a propeller running around the planes excited. have a great day
No, he was not afraid of the French. Jasta 11 was always stationed across from the British. Werner Voss flew primarily with Jasta 2 and later 10, not 11. Organization of Jagdgeschwaders did not happen until much later, so using Voss as a comparison is invalid. Almost every pilot overclaimed to some degree. MvRs victories are the most analyzed in history. He almost certainly shot down at least 72, which is a 90% correct claim rate. That is a very, very high rate of accuracy. Voss, for instance, probably got 40 and not 48. Bishop got nowhere near 72. One of Mannock or McCudden was almost certainly the highest scoring commonwealth aces. How do you define the best pilot? MvR was a great leader, great tactician in developing Jagdgeschwaders, contributed to aircraft development, and a great combat flier. He was not a great aerobatic flyer but really didn't care. Unlike many pilots, he did not fly for the joy of flying. He possessed absolute control of his aircraft in combat situation, with a complete understanding of energy and shooting technique. Everything you need to know to kill in the air. My own pick is Boelcke but that is simply opinion. MvR was a complex figure. Publicly he was confident to the point of arrogance. Privately, in letters to his mother, he knew full well that his odds of survival, as with any WWI pilot, were not great. MvR was almost certainly suffering from PTSD by the time he was killed. His head wound took a tremendous physical toll, and watching his comrades die one after the other took a mental toll. On his final flight he made almost every mistake imaginable. He fixated on May. He got below the fight (bad) and lost situational awareness. As a result he not only allowed himself to be bounced by Brown (who didn't actually kill him) but he found himself at low altitude over a large formation of Australian infantry (who did kill him).
Great feedback. I mentioned Voss because I was thinking "JG 1" but I said Jasta 11. So, if I was off on my timeline, that would explain it. By the way, are you THE Pat Wilson? The one who designs all those great campaign add-ons for ROF etc?
@@CalibanRising Yeah, I'm that one. Getting ready to do Normandy for Great Battles. MvR is a really interesting figure. Very much a man of his time. Prussian aristocracy, military academy as a teenager, etc. Taken out of context some of his words and actions don't translate too well in 2022. More than a little cold blooded. In that time and that culture, they make perfect sense. In real life he was a bit more human. His fellow pilots once tied a chock to his dog's tail (another thing that doesn't play well in 2022 😀 ) and played some other pranks on him. You don't do that if the commander is a humorless disciplinarian. His confidence was not a complete front - the man was absolutely certain of his abilities. The letters home, however, show that it was tempered with a great deal of realism. In the end he was right. A single golden BB found him.
@@patwilson2546 Wow, I guess you get this a lot, but thanks for making these games better for Single offline players like me. When I think back to how I was at age 25ish, I can imagine the pranks that these boys got up to. Certainly a very interesting character and well worth more (detailed) research 😀
@@patwilson2546 Well said. My first foray into Great War aviation was Quentin Reynolds, They Fought for the Sky. He decided he needed a villain and made MvR it. That formed my opinion of MvR. Then came the internet and RUclips. I found a number of old films of MvR. There is one of him briefing his squadron mates on the day's flying. They are grinning. At the close, they all start to turn away to their planes. MvR salutes and they all respond with sloppy salutes and laughter. It was evident that they liked him. ruclips.net/video/WENuH7DWXPE/видео.html Been a fan of MvR since.
In French.. Le Petit Rouge. Rene Fonck claimed 123 kills in his book Ace of Aces... and as many as 142 is sometimes reported. Considered by many to be ahead of MVR.... However was arrogant even by French standards and as such got no favors when reporting kills...
If memory serves, Major Edward "Mick" Mannock, VC, was credited with 73 kills, so not far behind von Richthofen. Mannock was no fan of his famous opponent and - allegedly - did not join in with his squadron mates who raised a glass von Richthofen when news of his death reached them.
@@mnd1955 Your 100 % correct. Is often quoted as saying "I hope he roasted the whole way down"... when hearing of MVRs death. Nearly blind in one eye, an electrician pre war and a socialist. He didn't quite fit the dashing flying Ace mold...
I read Fonck's Mes Combats. Do not recall that Fonck claimed 123 kills. If that is in Ace of Aces, the translation is wrong. (BTW I enjoyed all of Mes Combats except the final chapter. The last chapter is all Fonck's ego on display.) Biddle wrote that Fonck was the greatest ace of the war. I disagree. Fonck was a good pilot and a great shot, but he was not a team player. Lufbery, Mannock, Richthofen, and Rickenbacker were better leaders. Even Fonck's best friend called him a liar.
@@hlynnkeith9334 In the 1960s and 70s, the Daily Telegraph always published an 'In Memoriam' notice on the anniversary of Mannock's death. It always carried the heading 'King of Air Fighters.'
i have a question i cant decide shall i buy il2 battle of normandy or flying circus i like both the exact same but i cant choose ... i mean i have Battle of stalingrad battle of kuban battle of bodenplatte and battle of moscow but i cant choose if i want the normandy or ww1 dlc...
I think the WW1 planes are a lot more fun to dogfight in, but saying that the Normandy (and other WW2) DLC come with a lot more quick missions. For example you can hunt down V1s over Normandy or do airfield attacks. You also get the full pilot campaigns for single player, which you don't get for the WW1 DLCs yet.
I used to play a board wargame called " Richthofen's War". The rulebook featured " designers notes" as most of them did. This particular designer, as part of his research, went for flights in modern reconstructions of the period aircraft, including a Fokker DR1. His comments were along the lines that he couldn't hear anything over the roar of the engine and the rushing wind of an open cockpit. He said vision was somewhat restricted and you could only see anything from certain angles, but his closing comment was the best... He exclaimed "...and they used to FIGHT in those " things"?" Says it all really.
Cannot recall where I read it, but a German sergeant (Feldwebel? Unteroffizier?) pulled Guynemer's ID off his body. The front was moving and the sergeant left the body. Later, the site of Guynemer's crash was plastered by artillery. According to the sergeant. BTW Willy Coppens may have been the last allied airman to see Guynemer alive.
It's interesting how you break it down on what type of plane he was flying and how many kills he achieved with each plane. I didn't know he flew so many different planes. II also didn't know he wrote a book in 1917. He was a hunter in the sky, but also a hunter with some compassion for his opponents. At least that's the impression I'm left with. I'd like to read his book. Could you leave the title?
Just keep your eye out for the sales, the older DLCs can go right down in price. Now that they've released the Normandy DLC I think prices might start to go down on the other stuff soon.
In his biography, von Richthofen explains that the French would break off the engagement when they recognized him, whereas the British were "sportsmen".
What pisses me off ,,was,, At Christmas time , The red baron DID'NT shoot Snoopy down,,,BUT that damn beagle shot him down later,,,NO "Merry xmas my friend " then,,well it was about easter by then anyway..
As did the Australian troops around where he crashed. His Fokker was essentially stripped of fabric within hours, even though it was still under fire from the Germans, which is why his exhibit at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is so extensive. Eventually, diggers, or their surviving family, ended up donating their souvenirs to the AWM.
Probably the most famous fighter pilot of all time. Those that would ignore history because of political or social beliefs are doomed to remain ignorant. Technically he was never beaten from the air. I believe he was taken down from ground fire. I wish he had been on our side.
I read the book when I was 12, 65 years ago and can remember even at the time that there was something not quite right about his lack of empathy with any living thing. He was undoubtably a sociopath possibly phsycopathic. I say this in the light of modern medical advancement and not as a slur.
Interesting point. I think we'd need to compare his personal letters etc. with the manuscript to see. I'd imagine given that this was published circa 1917 that a lot of the humanity for the enemy was edited out.
Actually he was quite concerned for his opponent. He wouldn’t purposefully fire at an aircraft to kill the pilot. He would try to force his opponents down so that they would crash land unhurt. He saw a plane as a plane and a human as a human. Of course, in the heat of combat this wasn’t always the end result, and usually it wasn’t. Remember, his autobiography was heavily censored by the Imperial German government as mentioned by the RUclipsr here.
The book I was refering to was a biography not the autobiography. As a child he was killing small birds with an air rifle and taking trophies. He developed the mode of attack by skidding his aircraft side on to the usually slow arty observing plane and aiming at the observer gunner. He was natural born killer.
The writer D. H. Lawrence married von Richthoffen’s cousin. When he died, she had his ashes mixed into cement, then turned him into the kind of architecture he most hated.
Biography of Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe. The Lawrences were frequent guests of theirs at Ghost Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. Lawrence died in New Mexico and that’s what she did with his ashes.
MvR attended the January fly-in competition for the Luftstreitkraefte. He chose the D.VII. BTW contrary to the video, Bloody April was not the worst month for British losses. Black September was (September 1918). The RFC lost a larger proportion of its planes in April 1917, but in raw numbers September 1918 was far, far worse. The French lost many, too. They remembered. That is why Foch wrote in the armistice that the Germans had to turn over their D.VIIs.
When you presume to correct someone else's pronunciation, you'd better be correct, nicht wahr? (As it happens, you're not.) It's neither "rich" nor "ric," but rhymes with "Ich/Dich," as in, "Mutti, Ich liebe Dich!" (I may be Irish, but my German pronunciation is impeccable thanks to a long ago girlfriend from Thuringia.)😉
@Retired Bore I used to live in Ireland, where I learned to speak Irish quite well, though I had a small headstart thanks to my grandparents, aunt and uncle. While I lived there, I also had a girlfriend from Schmalkalden, Thuringia, who helped me greatly improve my German language skills. The sound you describe is common to all (at least five or six) dialects of Irish, as well as throughout the German tongue. For Irish speakers, especially those who go to the added time and trouble of learning the fundamentals and grammar of Old and Middle Irish, that sound comes as naturally as breathing.😉
It was in the Fokker that he became famous because that’s the plane he painted red, he did that to act as bait, flying low and his squadron high. When he was attacked his squadron came down as wrath from hell. His Fokker was so agile (climb rate and maneuverability )he could escape and join the hunt.
To this day no one can kill the french even in online gaming!! Not even the red baron. Im irish playing in european servers is a nightmare, my good luck only goes so far.
Richtoffen had a silver cup made for each victory,eventually the silver ran out so they were not made after about fifty victories..........................................................
🧥 Have you always wanted a distinctive and authentic leather flying jacket? Check out the fantastic range from Legendary USA here: calibanrising.com/flying-jacket/
I too read his Book as a young boy, I became enamored with him!! I found it interesting that he was soon into the morbid habit of taking souvenirs from his fallen victims! I also find it ironic that when he fell his mount n even his personal effects were taken as souvenirs!! The Baron detested fighting the French because they wouldn’t engage unless they possess superior numbers! He also mandated never to lose sight of your lines of combat or become fixated on your opponent,, all which he eventually broke, which contributed to his demise!! Still one of my Hero’s to this day!! I think we shall be talking about his feat’s for Hundreds more years!! Thanks
I think that head wound he received left him somewhat Impaired and he wasn't at the top of his game. Don't you think that's a factor to consider in his demise?
Also, I have read that he had grown disillusioned with the way the war was prosecuted by the German High Command...this may have engendered a sort of death wish...that last is speculation on my part...
@@fokkerd3red618 absolutely, plus combined with his trying to get his score to 100, which he wanted to accomplish! But his head wound definitely cause his demise!! 💯
The red baron wasn’t a paragon of virtue.Each time the red baron scored a kill & before his 60th kill,he had a silver cup made for himself.When he made the kill,he was told there was no more silver.Folks who hold him in high esteem should get their priorities straighten out.
While he was an amazing strategist and pilot in the sky, he is not someone to idolize. His habits and behaviors after a kill is distasteful. Any person who celebrates and revels the fact they took another’s life isn’t a good fellow human. While his ideals towards combat in the sky, his skill, and his ideals are incredible to pontificate, he is not a man whom should be idolized. Just some food for thought
It's amazing to think that Manfred Von Richtoffen actually got to speak to enemy airmen! A great video!
I believe there is a video on YT which shows several German pilots, including MVR, standing around talking to a downed English pilot. They were all smiling and laughing like old drinking buddies. You might want to look it up.
@@REM1956 I believe it. He was proficient in the English language from time spent in England before the war, and would’ve easily communicated with downed Aliie pilots captured. A remarkable man
There's a Red Baron hotel in Swidnica, south Poland. The family moved to that town when he was 4.
I've stayed there. It's lovely.
Then, of course, there were his epic battles with the renowned WWI flying ace, a certain beagle who piloted a dog house...
didn't menton the song that went with it.
@@jessepollard7132 "in the nick of time, a hero arose, a funny looking dog with a big black nose "
I think I still have the album by The Royal Guardsmen somewhere. 🤔
In the early days of RC aircraft a modeled built a doghouse with snoopy; a gas engine and receiver. It actually flew quiet well like a box kite. Then one day it collided with a stunning DR1 destroying bith
In the early days of RC aircraft a modeled built a doghouse with snoopy; a gas engine and receiver. It actually flew quiet well like a box kite. Then one day it collided with a stunning DR1 destroying both
In the early days of RC aircraft a modeled built a doghouse with snoopy; a gas engine and receiver. It actually flew quiet well like a box kite. Then one day it collided with a stunning DR1 destroying both
Oswald Boelcke, here mentioned in passing, pretty much invented fighter aviation tactics while founding the Imperial German Air Service. When Boelcke was killed in a flying accident, he was the leading ace of the war. While leading Germany's first fighter squadron, he trained Richthofen and many other aces who went onto become squadron leaders. How about a video on Boelcke?
Definitely. Boelcke deserves a video to himself.
MvR idolized Boelcke. To the end of his life, MvR considered himself a student of the master.
I 100% agree with that idea George.
@@hlynnkeith9334 Indeed he did.
And before/during Boelcke was Max Immelmann, who himself was a very important fighter pilot of World War I, even if his career was tragically short.
I no joke became obsessed with Manfred von Richthofen. I don't remember how I found him or his history at first, But lots of people notice how much I talk about it.
One of us! One of us!
@@senfgeber Hello again 😁 Remember Me from the Red Baron movie?
I know him as Richthofen, rishthofen is a new one to me
Here's an even more amazing fact. Von Richthofen, when he was shot down and killed, was attacking a Canadian pilot named "Wop" May. May survived. After the war, May became a bush pilot in the wilderness of the northern Canadian Yukon, which is the part of Canada east of Alaska. At this time, the most famous RCMP manhunt of all time took place, involving massive numbers of Mounties on dogsleds chasing the almost superhuman "Mad Trapper of Rat River", who had killed one Mountie, and wounded two others. The manhunt went for almost four weeks over mountains in the middle of a brutal -40F winter blizzard. To assist them, the Mounties employed the services of Wop May and his airplane. It was Wop May that eventually sighted the Mad Trapper's (Albert Johnson) tracks, and led the Mounties to him. A shootout occurred on a frozen river, and Johnson was killed. So if Von Richthofen has succeeded and killed May, Johnson probably would have escaped, and what was probably the greatest arctic manhunt of all time would have failed.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a578db9b-ad35-4f49-bbc4-cf6394ed7ce5/d6qjbam-094b1966-a82e-4cc4-9680-b9c4a6654af2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_480,q_75,strp/1295568406_75726a28d8_z_by_badmillennial_d6qjbam-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDgwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYTU3OGRiOWItYWQzNS00ZjQ5LWJiYzQtY2Y2Mzk0ZWQ3Y2U1XC9kNnFqYmFtLTA5NGIxOTY2LWE4MmUtNGNjNC05NjgwLWI5YzRhNjY1NGFmMi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NjQwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.gjq8f5b50MUv8MVddiTp1Xe2lr13Dk1T6jYcq17UsAc
Wow, what an interesting story.
Wow.
Manfred Von Richthofen had his rule never to chase the enemy alone. A rule that he broke and got killed. Due to handling difficulties, Wilfred May lost controll of his Sopwit Camel during a massive dogfight. The "Allied" pilots took off from the Bertangles Airfield with Roy Brown, Francis Melersh, Oliver Le Boutier and Wilfred May-novice pilot amoungst them. Melersh shot down reconnaissnce aircraft and on the German side was Manfred, his cousin Wolfram and I think Manfreds brother Lothar. The two enemy squadrons started massive dogfight and Wilfred May had engaged Wolfram Von Richthofen. Manfred saw his cousin under attack and went after May. May however, as I previously mentioned, lost controll of his aircraft, engaging in spiral dive but barely regained controll of his aircraft just before he was about to crash. So now Manfred started chasing him. May started flying to their lines in hope of safety with Manfred closing in on him again. Captain Roy Brown saw the chase and went after Manfred. So a low flyght chase started. Due to early head injury in earlyer dogfight, Manfred for a moment lost councense thus almost crashing into a church bell tower, but regained himself at the last second and continued after May. On the ground were australian infantry soldiers who started shooting at Manfred. And one of them either Cedric Popkins or Snowy Evans fired the fatal shot which had entered the body from the side. Manfred was loosing councense but managed to land his red tryplane safely. When the soldiers got to him he just said "kaputt" and died. Captain Roy Brown was creditet for the kill, but he was not the one who shot Manfred as he was still behind him while the bullet as I mentioned, entered from the side.
Yes because there was nobody else in the whole of Canada, despite having 171 WW1 aces, who could fly a plane. Only Wop May could. FFS.
I have a friend who's father served in the Australian Army in WW1 and witnessed the Baron crashing in front of his trench position, he has his father's war diary with the account, he was the youngest son in his family his brother fought in WW2 against the Japanese, he joined the 42nd Infantry Battalion which is a Army Reserve unit which I was in also.
That red triplane its a true History Symbol for The ages.
Brave men,those pilots in those days,with canvas airplanes. Just unbalivable what they achieved in such a small time frame.
Real heroes,from both sides.
He's been a hero of mine since I was young!
Von Richthofen's squadron, Jagdstaffel 11, came to be known as the "Flying Circus", however, not for the reason many people believe, the bright and garish paint schemes applied to its aircraft. Jasta 11 was operated from the first mobile airbase. Besides fighter planes the squadron also had motor vehicles, wagons, draft horses, a field kitchen, anti-aircraft guns, and lots of tents for barracks, offices, etc. Thus equipped Jasta 11 could be moved from one patrol sector of the Western Front to another in order to counter specific threats or support a specific offensive. By moving its base facilities and support staff as rapidly as possible the German air service hoped to make the most efficient use of its foremost fighter pilots in concentrated efforts, an air warfare application of one of Carl von Clausewitz's principles of war. (In a way the "Flying Circus" anticipated the modern carrier battle group.) The sight of Jasta 11's caravan of wagons and trucks moving along the road network connecting the German front sectors already suggested a circus on its way to a new performance, but the lack of very large tents suitable as hangars in the normal German army logistics train made the comparison obvious. To fill that necessary role Jasta II was provided with requisitioned circus tents which arrived still painted in bright colors.
Wow, I'd never heard the part about the circus tents being used.
This is completely untrue. Jagdstaffel 11 only moved 3 times between 1915 and 1918. Their movements were directed by their proximity to the front lines. Also, when Germany began to use Von Ricthofen and his exploits to boost enlistment back home, they moved him farther away from the front. That did not last long as he used his connections to influence the command staff and he managed to get himself posted back into a forward squadron. It was his last deployment.
Good job Sir. I am a big WW1 Aerocraft enthusiast. Thank you for giving Werner Voss high mark's, he is my favorite Ace of Aces. The book September Evening is a well studied book by every fighter pilot in the world. Sometimes the safest place to be, is in the middle of the fight. As sad as their deaths were, imagine the top German fighter pilots of WW1 flying in WW2... The horror they would have inflicted. Thank you again Sir, new subscriber.
Thanks James, I'm going to check that book out. I want to do a video on Voss, but of course to do him justice! Thanks again for watching.
@@CalibanRising Aye mate, I will keep an eye open for it.
Billy Bishop once dueled with Von Richthofen in a historic dog fight, but neither pilot could get the better of the other. However, Bishop was not a great admirer of Von Richthofen. In his autobiography, he claimed that Von Richthofen would stay apart from the fight until he could spot a straggler that he could single out.
Indeed!
And his pursuit of Lt. May on the 21st of April 1918 is a prime example of just such " scavenger" combat flying, going after the " newbie"!
My personal pick for the Great War's premier pilot would be split three ways between Mick Mannock, Ernst Udet and Werner Voss.
One should also not ignore French pilots.
Georges Guynemer was considered the " soul of France" and had to overcome a weak constitution and build himself up just to be accepted for pilot training.
And Rene Fonck was the highest scoring French pilot of the war, but I believe never achieved quite the status of Guynemer in the public mind; some say this was entirely due to an overblown ego.
Never knew much about Mr Richthoffen. Apart from the very basic of information, labeling him 'The Red Baron'. This was an interesting video, that explained a little bit more about the man himself.
Now, correct me if I am wrong, was it his cousin who went on to participate in the Condor Legion, as a er....air fleet commander (if that is the right term), in charge of Stukas, and then a short lived stint during the Battle of Britain, when the said dive bombers under his command got mauled badly?
Anyway, enjoyed the video. Great job.
You are correct sir. Wolfram Von Richthofen was a Luftwaffe commander during WW2. He was also flying with his cousin when he was shot down in April 1918.
@@CalibanRising MvR's last flight was Wolfram's first combat flight. My theory is that MvR saw May take a shot at Wolfram and lost his mind in a rage. MvR broke every rule he taught about combat flying while pursuing May.
Did "Snoopy" (the dog), know about all these 5 bits of information concerning the Red Baron at the time he took on the Red Baron in his famous "Snoopy" -Vs - "the Red Baron Dogfight"?
Speaking about MvR being known for his Fokker Dr.1 and not the Albatros...the real Fokker Triplane ace of aces was Josef Jacobs, who scored 31 (+/-) kills in the Fokker Triplane, and indeed flew it to the end of the war, long after it had been replaced in service by the excellent Fokker D.VII.
While most lists of aces have Josef Jacobs as having scored 41 victories, Jacobs himself claimed that he had 47 confirmed. I've also seen mention that there was an official letter sent to Jacobs at the last fighter trials in early November 1918, congratulating him on his 47 confirmed victories. So...did Jacobs have 41 victories or did he have 47? 🤷♂️
47 to be exact
That's a great fact.
Werner Voss also flew the Triplane. Does anyone know his record flying his?
@@enscroggs Voss scored 10 victories on the Triplane, according to Norman Franks - 'Under The Guns Of The German Aces' (Grub Street books 1997).
#39 Sopwith Camel - 45 Squadron
#40 Sopwith Pup - 46 Squadron
#41 Caudron 2-seater, French (came down in Allied lines, may have landed safe and not reported as a loss by the French)
#42 FE2d - 20 Squadron
#43 Sopwith Camel - 70 Squadron
#44 Sopwith Camel - 70 Squadron
#45 Spad 1(?) - Spa. 37
#46 Sopwith Camel - 45 Squadron (three German pilots claimed Camels, but only two were shot down, one of the other pilots being Vfw Menckhoff, a future Blue Max winning ace).
#47 Sopwith Camel - 45 Squadron
#48 DH.4 - 57 Squadron
#48 came on 23rd September, earlier in the day, the day that he was shot down and killed.
📢 If you've enjoyed this video, Why not watch another one. Or even better, support this channel through Patreon, giving a virtual tip or making a usual purchase through one of my affiliate links (at no extra cost to you).
👍Find more details here: calibanrising.com/support/
I appreciate your help and together we can make this channel even better!
Enjoyed the video, very interesting and informative. Thanks for taking the time to produce and upload these videos.
So,
why did he focus on British aircraft?
Because their roundel makes for the perfect target!
☝🏿🤠👍🏿
When I was in high school in the 60s, I knew an old guy with an interesting history. He lived in China as a small boy in the early 1900s where his father was an American gunboat captain on the Yangtze river in China. He saw some service as a mercenary pilot with the Flying Tigers in China and as a mercenary pilot for several South American revolutions after WWII. He was the publisher of a small newspaper as an old man when I met him.
He fully intended to publish his memoirs in a book, but never got around to it. Instead he published chapters of his draft in his little newspaper. A large Arizona newspaper picked up on it and published his story years later with interviews of his wife.
The tie in...............
His name was Scotch Von Richthofen Wysong and his grandmother was a proud Von Richthofen and hence his middle name which resulted in his being in numerous fights in school during WWI. The Red Baron was indeed a cousin of his and maybe his becoming a pilot later on was preordained by his blood?
@@Javelina_Poppers what a fantastic story, I'll have to look into this!
I'd love to hear about a WWI aviator called Frank Luke. He specialized in attacking observation balloons and Zeppelins
as a german i can say that you actually kinda said manfred von richthofen the best out of all youtubers.
lol, danke!
Good video. I don't think there is enough WWI stuff on RUclips. For some strange reason the Zeppelin raids on England fascinate me. I keep getting a vision of seeing a giant airship emerging from the fog. It's almost like a horror movie.
One of the problems with the DRI, if I remember correctly, was the enormous amount of torque produced by its rotary engine, which made the plane difficult to fly, requiring an expert hand at the controls. It also made the plane very nimble, which was an asset in aerial combat. However, it also made it something of a danger in takeoff and landing
The Fokker Triplane was easier to fly than the Sopwith Camel. German airmen killed 415 Camel pilots; Camels killed 385 Camel pilots. The Germans were only 10% more effective at killing British Camel pilots than the Camel itself.
Besides the factory-installed Oberursel, the Germans also used captured engines. Voss flew with a captured LeRhone rotary the day he died.
(Fokker used rotary engines whenever he could. Why? He owned Oberursel, the factory that produced rotary engines.)
The Camel used the heavier Glerget rotary. It produced more torque that the smaller Oberursel engine in the Fokker.Triplane.
McCudden was one of the five pilots who swarmed Werner Voss on his last flight. He wrote in Flying Fury that he was amazed to see Voss's Triplane make a flat half turn. Not once but twice. Voss spent two weeks at the Fokker factory flying the prototype. It appears he learned how to use the rotary's gyroscopic effect to maneuver. It also appears that he kept this maneuver to himself. There is no record -- British, French, or German -- of any other airman flying the same maneuver.
The thing that sticks in my mind most about the DR1 is the report of Voss' last battle with 56 Squadron where he was doing pretty much horizontal turns to engage them. This must have been something to do with the extreme engine torque.
@@CalibanRising Voss did it, but no other German airman did.
Voss spent two weeks at the Fokker factory flying the prototype. I think that was where and when he developed that maneuver. No evidence that he taught it to anybody else.
Likely that flat turn abilitiy was a combination of gyroscopic effect, engine mass, and short fuselage.
@@CalibanRising I have read somewhere that Voss pulled 5Gs in those turns. That fact so stunned me, I carefully reread the text. Yep, 5Gs.
@@georgej.dorner3262 Wow. I was doing some research and it spoke about someone who pulled a high G turn in WW2 to escape an EA, he ended up with all sorts of internal bleeding and other issues. Just crazy what these men did.
Von Richthofen's start as a pilot appeared to be the basis of the storyline for the film 'The Blue Max'.
That is a terrific movie, and I was going to make the same comment, but you beat me to it.
I love that movie
One of Peppards best.
Great movie. A lot of airmen got their start as infantry in WWI. The whole plot was Stachel not fitting into the "chivalrous knight" mold of the German aristocracy. He was an arrogant commoner. That might have been the general attitude at the beginning of the war. But as time went on, both sides just needed to find competent pilots to fill their decimated ranks.
ricthofen was born into a junker family, one of the 14 families that ruled Prussia, he wasn't a minor aristocrat he was serious nobiity, equivalent to a royal duke i.e duke of edinburgh/ york/ wales.
Ah, I stand corrected. I was under the impression that he wasn't personally oh such a lofty rank.
Interesting info I knew he'd flown other planes, but not nearly as many as the video mentioned. Four years ago I got back in to motorcycling and after a test ride on a BMW, I bought it. I bought a red one, even though it wasn't my first color choice (longish story). The vanity tag ... FREIHERR, minus the last R as the plate only has 7 spaces.
Very cool
Fantastic video, imagine what he would have scored, if he would have survived long enough to get his hands on a Fokker DVII or even a DVIII? Very interesting.
great video ty.........
Glad you enjoyed it
Even in death he didn't rest, he was buried 4 times.
To anyone interested in WW1 aviation.I recommend Cavalry of the Clouds on RUclips interviews with RFC pilots when in their 70s in it a British pilot calls MVR a Bullshiter
I think what makes him so iconic is his fully red plane which is easy to reconize, and all his squardron members had a little bit of red on thier planes.
i sub bro rly enjoyable to watch
I've just come accross your channel, watch some of videos, and I decide to subs because turned out ypur channel is very fun (because I also a virtual ace in il2 and wt)
Thanks for the sub!
If you look at some of the combat reports of Richthofen's victories, you will also find that there are cases where Richthofen wasn't the only German aircraft to fire on whatever aircraft was claimed, but was given the credit as the " senior" pilot.
Clear thinking?
His actions on the 21st of April 1918 do NOT demonstrate " clear thinking" at all. On this particular sortie, he violated two or even three of Boelcke's maxims, suffered from target fixation, confusion as to his actual location in relation to his own lines, and also had a " number 3 stoppage" of one if his guns, something that should have caused him to break off his pursuit of " Wop" May.
Richthofen let emotion cloud his on the spot reasoning, first by springing to the rescue of Lothar, then by relentlessly pursuing May even though all May had to do was keep his throttle open and his superior speed would gradually increase the distance between him and Richthofen, and then by not breaking off after one gun was inoperative.
Richthofen was more concerned with " Number 81" than he was with anything else. And those bone fragments still in his head probably contributed more than a little to his poor decision making and confusion plus his own " target fixation"
Richthofen was not fit to fly on the 21st of April, 1918.
According to an old PC game i had, his brother Lothar was an ace in his own right and survived the war. It also mentioned Manfred disliked Lothar's style of charging in. I did no research to back this up.
Yes, Lothar flew in the same squadron and even commanded it when MVR was on leave. He did survive the war, only to be killed in a flying accident in the 20s.
Lothar was shot down three times, each time on the 13th of the month: 13 May 1917, 13 March 1918, and 13 August 1918. Lot of time in hospital. Lothar spent only 77 days on active flying. Scored 40 confirmed kills in those 77 days.
Lothar was killed in a plane crash in 1922.
From what I've read, Manfred said that "Lothar was the type to hunt elephants with a machine-gun" (yeah, lol, that's a real quote). I think what rubbed Manfred the wrong way was that Lothar preferred to charge into the malestorm and start shooting, whereas Manfred prefered some sort of plan. He always talked of air combat as hunting, and hunting requires patience and planning, something it seems Lothar lacked. That said, Lothar was also an amazing pilot, as has been noted, so clearly his plans worked just as well. In hindsight Manfred was probably just afraid his brother would get himself killed in foolhardy charges.
@@WayOutGaming What you say has a ring of truth. I have studied MvR for decades. IMO a complete study of Lothar can be done in less than a year. MvR: 'There is an enemy airplane. What would Boelcke do?' LvR: 'There is an enemy airplane. Charge!'
LvR spent only 77 days at the front flying combat. In those 77 days, he downed 40 airplanes. The rest of the time he was in hospital. He was shot down 13 May 1917, 13 March 1918, and 13 August 1918.
MvR fought with his head. LvR fought with his heart.
@@hlynnkeith9334 Just out of curiosity what's your take on Manfred as far as the hero vs. psycopath argument goes? I haven't studied him for nearly as long, but from what I've read I do believe a large part of "psycopathic" evidence is largely conjured up by people misunderstanding Manfred. He strikes me as someone who feels pressured to live up to his fame, and perhaps an egoist as well. But he never came off quite as the "cold blooded killer" as many people have often claimed him to be. In otherwords I think a lot of his "I killed this man because xyz" that people use to paint him as a cold blooded killer is largely messhall bull-crappery that Manfred touted for show. He's a hero afterall. Heroes sometimes make crap up because it's what people want to hear. Plus he always seemed to have a running contest with the other aces, particularly Voss.
Over counting of kills was a common occurrence and even more so in WWII. Once you lost sight of the aircraft even on fire it doesn’t mean it was shot down.
You can make the case that the plane did a controlled crash should count, which I would say is correct even it was on the friendly landing field. There are air battle records that defy the reporting of the pilots involved. Even gun cameras can show what looks like one pilot’s kill only other camera showing one or more pilots shared in the kill, but reported separately.
Ground fire had a deadly toll of top pilots besides the Red Baron, Francesco Baracca of Italy and Frank Luke of the USA were victims of ground fire.
Manfred certainly did well enough in the D-III, but he certainly hadn't much good to say about the V/Va. The V/Va were only slightly faster while being considerably (over 100 lbs, in fact) heavier, and had a more sluggish roll rate, especially at lower speeds like when topping out of a climb. No, Manfred was not that big a fan of the V models!
In my opinion, you simply can't praise the Albatros D-III enough. Fast, easy to fly, fast climbing, wildly maneuverable and heavily armed with two guns, at a time when most of their opponents fighters only had one. (Sopwith Pup/Triplane {a development of the Pup, with the same wing area divided between three narrow chord wings}, Nieuport 11/16c/17, SPAD VII) The D-III was a real ace maker, only truly surpassed towards the end by the even easier to fly Fokker D-VII. Many D-III's soldiered right on through to the Armistice, that's just how good it was.
Alas, poor Manfred never got to fly the Fokker D-VII in combat, but he did get to test fly them at Ildflieg shortly before his death. He was reportedly as delighted with it as he had been with the Albatros D-III, once its kinks had been ironed out.
The Albatros D-III was the main reason behind Bloody April. Virtually all of the Jastas posted along the English sector of the front had had their older Albatros and Halberstadt fighters replaced with the new plane by then, and they greatly outclassed the fighters and bombers the British had on hand. That also explains why most of Manfred's kills were against British aircraft, since Jasta 11 spent most of 1917 and 1918 posted to the northern (British) sector of the front lines.😉
AFAIK the Luftstreitkraefte never junked an airplane. If it could fly, they strapped someone in it.
The Albatross D.III is my favorite airplane of the war. The Austrians (Oeffag) got it and figured out the lower wing was weak. They strengthened the construction at the wing root. Never had any problems. It seemed to me that they must have told OAW about their fix. I searched for years and never found any record that they did.
Oeffag also took off the spinner and reshaped the nose. Made the plane ugly but added 9kph to its top speed.
The Austrians liked their version of the D.III so much that when the Luftstreitkraefte offered them the Fokker D.VII, they said, "No, thanks." The D.III was still their front line fighter when the Hungarians walked off the line and the empire collapsed.
@@hlynnkeith9334 The real weakness in the lower wing was designed in right from the start. Albatros was requested by Ildflieg to copy the sesquiplane layout of the Nieuport scouts; in doing so, however, they moved the single spar too far back from the leading edge. This is what caused the lower wing to flex under stress, which could often cause failures in the lower wing. Richtofen suffered two such wing failures, but was able to land safely each time; many other pilots were less fortunate. Albatros added a small strut joining the front v-strut to the wing former at the leading edge of the wing to counter this tendency to flex under stress.
Richtofen also got badly scalded once when his centrally mounted radiator was punctured by a bullet, which is why all later-production D-III's and all D-V/D-Va variants had the radiator relocated to the right side, just inboard of the cabane struts.
It's always nice to encounter someone else who appreciates the true greatness of the Albatros D-III. I recently purchased several modules of IL2: Sturmovik Great Battles, and was bitterly disappointed to discover that neither Flying Circus module features the Albatros D-III! I intend to contact the developer and complain about this regrettable oversight on their part, and to remind them just how important that aircraft really was to the German war effort. Hopefully, I can get some traction in the forums and inspire others to complain as well. Maybe they can be persuaded to add it to a later update, or add it as a stand-alone upgrade.😉
I mean, I don't mind flying the D-Va, which is still vastly superior to the Pfalz D-III, but given a choice, I'd put the Albatros D-III up against anything the Entente Powers could throw at it.
On a private note; He was engaged to a fellow Prussian aristocrat. Aside from the name Heidi , her identity was kept private post war.
The movie stunk with post WW2 German anti war sentiment. He was not romantically involved with his nurse, Lothar was not a bloodthirsty killer and he hardly shared a drink with Roy Brown and casually walked back to base with no intervening trenches. It has been pretty well proven a single .303 from a Australian ground gunner killed him, not some woo woo unsolved mystery.
Lothar was considered the more dangerous opponent with 40 kills
And actively targeted. This resulted in the three crashes posted elsewhere. A distant cousin, Wolfram was on his first mission the day is man Fred’s death and managed a victory. He went on to become the luftwaffe general in charge of aircraft procurement, dying of a heart attack in 1941.
Perhaps death spared the other two from the taint of fascism. Earnst Udet committed suicide facing the politics.
The famous red triplane wasn't even the only one he flew. Granted there were others with red on them, not all of them were red all over.
I learned something!
Thanks for watching.
One of, if not the primary reason I know of "The Red Baron" is because of the fictional encounters between the Baron and the WWI Flying Ace persona of Snoopy, the "Peanuts" dog character created by Charles Schultz. I'd speculate that a lot of children of the United States learned of The Red Baron through Charles Schultz' famous comic strip.
Unfortunately the information is incomplete. The lack of French aircraft in the list of downed planes is simply because the French had no planes left. The French AF was getting planes from the US and England as they did not have a good radial engine. Realize that the score that Manfred kept for himself and the official score that the Allies kept varies considerably.
One thing people forget about Ricthofen is that he shot down a lot of unarmed observation balloons which was his job but was something he disliked because he found it unsportsmanlike. He and his squadron caused so may casualties among forward balloon observers, that when they saw red painted German aircraft, they just jumped to their death rather than be shot full of holes. Additionally he was not "low level" Prussian aristocracy but rather mid-level by virtue of his Families wealth. Oswold Boleke taught him tactics and was his primary teacher. Research the top speed of some of the aircraft in question on the French side and you will realize that it was not really that hard for Ricthofen to become an ace at the beginning of the war. It was like a turkey shoot as there were few planes that could out climb and maneuver the Fokker at the time. No one on the British or French side wanted to go up against the Fokker until newer faster planes were available. Also don't forget the Germans were the first to figure out how to fire a machine gun through a propeller which was much more accurate than wing mounted machine guns or swivel mounts.
I've never heard that the French were running out of aircraft in WW1. Was this at a particular date? I'm surprised that the Americans would be providing aircraft to the French when their squadrons were entirely equipped with British and French aircraft. Can you share more?
@@CalibanRising Sure. By 1917 the French Army had a morale problem. There were a lot of desertions. In the old days in all the armies officers could purchase their commissions which led to a lot of unqualified people giving bad orders and getting people killed. France struggled with obtaining certain raw materials for munitions and the equipment sucked - rifles with low capacity mags and odd loads, no standardazation between factories. Germany came up with a simple mechanism to prevent machine gun bullets from hitting the propeller and France's first try at emulation was to put metal shields on the propeller blades to deflect the bullets. Most of the French planes at the start of the war were "pushers" (props pointing backwards) France best was the Nieuport and the Spad, but the Spad was the only plane that had a chance against the Fokker D3. At the early stages of the war Germany ruled the skys but France and her Allies caught up by the end. Von Ricthofen in his diary talks about supply problems starting in 1917, which affected the French as well, as shelling had destroyed all the roads. Fokker used the radial engine which gave some advantages in power vs weight ratio. Twin front facing machine guns were absolutely devistating to wood and canvas aircraft and 1 out of every 2 planes that got shot up burst into flames immidiately. Von Ricthofen writes in his diary about the location of the fuel tanks in French aircraft as a target, and how he preferred a clean burst to the French pilots body or head rather than setting them on fire. (parachutes were rare - no room in the cockpit - too heavy). Von Ricthofen's father owned over 300 acres of forest and Manfred and Lothar grew up on horseback hunting game. Manfred was an excellent shot and was known for it in the local community. In the early days of his carreer, for every plane he shot down he used to award himself a small engraved silver cup that he treated as a trophy. He displayed them in his field tent, and had a special wooden case made for them. The reason why pilots started carrying handguns is so that if the fuel tank got hit, and they were covered with flaming gasoline at 80 mph, they could off themselves before the pain became too much to bear. As a Prussian officer and an Aristocrat (kind of the same thing in Prussia at the time), he never had to even polish his own boots.
When challenged to an aerial duel by Edward Mannock, he flew away.
It makes total sense under the Dicta Boelcke.
Want to Impress?
Who was the Barrons silversmith?
Best to you Scott 🏁
He called his aircraft a 'packing case'? Kiste in German? Good slang term for the wooden and canvas frames.
I didn't know the German slang, but the Brits would call their aircraft "crates" or "kites". So it's the same idea.
As a kid he was always looked at with extreme respect! My family is German American,and my father was a tail gunner in a B24 ! 12th AAC WW2
Mick Mannock said he hoped Von Richthtofen" burned all the way down", which was ironic since he was seen to fall in flames himself. Both died due to target fixation
The little red bird.
His head wound kept bothering him.
Manfred made that Fokker iconic, though.
He certainly did!
Very educational
Thank you for watching Katherine.
his dog was named moritz, "the most beautiful being in all creation"
In a photo, he can be seen to be a very dignified black and white Great Dane.
MvR once took him flying in a two-seater. In the second seat, of course.
@@georgej.dorner3262 g'day george,
i liked that MVR didnt like the ground crew taking him hunting during the day while he was out fighting because he was too tired to go hunting with manfred. i think in the book he says the mother was a pure bred. moritz looks like he has alot of greyhound in him as well, although dog breeds have changed their look over the last 100 years. and the other story i know about him is that he had part of ear cut off by a propeller running around the planes excited.
have a great day
How much can you say in a few minutes?
Good vid
Thanks for watching.
No, he was not afraid of the French. Jasta 11 was always stationed across from the British. Werner Voss flew primarily with Jasta 2 and later 10, not 11. Organization of Jagdgeschwaders did not happen until much later, so using Voss as a comparison is invalid.
Almost every pilot overclaimed to some degree. MvRs victories are the most analyzed in history. He almost certainly shot down at least 72, which is a 90% correct claim rate. That is a very, very high rate of accuracy. Voss, for instance, probably got 40 and not 48. Bishop got nowhere near 72. One of Mannock or McCudden was almost certainly the highest scoring commonwealth aces.
How do you define the best pilot? MvR was a great leader, great tactician in developing Jagdgeschwaders, contributed to aircraft development, and a great combat flier. He was not a great aerobatic flyer but really didn't care. Unlike many pilots, he did not fly for the joy of flying. He possessed absolute control of his aircraft in combat situation, with a complete understanding of energy and shooting technique. Everything you need to know to kill in the air. My own pick is Boelcke but that is simply opinion.
MvR was a complex figure. Publicly he was confident to the point of arrogance. Privately, in letters to his mother, he knew full well that his odds of survival, as with any WWI pilot, were not great.
MvR was almost certainly suffering from PTSD by the time he was killed. His head wound took a tremendous physical toll, and watching his comrades die one after the other took a mental toll. On his final flight he made almost every mistake imaginable. He fixated on May. He got below the fight (bad) and lost situational awareness. As a result he not only allowed himself to be bounced by Brown (who didn't actually kill him) but he found himself at low altitude over a large formation of Australian infantry (who did kill him).
Great feedback. I mentioned Voss because I was thinking "JG 1" but I said Jasta 11. So, if I was off on my timeline, that would explain it.
By the way, are you THE Pat Wilson? The one who designs all those great campaign add-ons for ROF etc?
@@CalibanRising Yeah, I'm that one. Getting ready to do Normandy for Great Battles.
MvR is a really interesting figure. Very much a man of his time. Prussian aristocracy, military academy as a teenager, etc. Taken out of context some of his words and actions don't translate too well in 2022. More than a little cold blooded. In that time and that culture, they make perfect sense.
In real life he was a bit more human. His fellow pilots once tied a chock to his dog's tail (another thing that doesn't play well in 2022 😀 ) and played some other pranks on him. You don't do that if the commander is a humorless disciplinarian. His confidence was not a complete front - the man was absolutely certain of his abilities. The letters home, however, show that it was tempered with a great deal of realism. In the end he was right. A single golden BB found him.
@@patwilson2546 Wow, I guess you get this a lot, but thanks for making these games better for Single offline players like me.
When I think back to how I was at age 25ish, I can imagine the pranks that these boys got up to.
Certainly a very interesting character and well worth more (detailed) research
😀
@@patwilson2546 Well said.
My first foray into Great War aviation was Quentin Reynolds, They Fought for the Sky. He decided he needed a villain and made MvR it. That formed my opinion of MvR.
Then came the internet and RUclips. I found a number of old films of MvR. There is one of him briefing his squadron mates on the day's flying. They are grinning. At the close, they all start to turn away to their planes. MvR salutes and they all respond with sloppy salutes and laughter. It was evident that they liked him.
ruclips.net/video/WENuH7DWXPE/видео.html
Been a fan of MvR since.
I read he didn’t want to be taken out of active duty
Mentioned in the first third of Stompin' Tom Connors' song, Wop May and mentioned through John Spearns' song Roy Brown and Wop May.
Nice display pic!
In French.. Le Petit Rouge. Rene Fonck claimed 123 kills in his book Ace of Aces... and as many as 142 is sometimes reported. Considered by many to be ahead of MVR.... However was arrogant even by French standards and as such got no favors when reporting kills...
If memory serves, Major Edward "Mick" Mannock, VC, was credited with 73 kills, so not far behind von Richthofen. Mannock was no fan of his famous opponent and - allegedly - did not join in with his squadron mates who raised a glass von Richthofen when news of his death reached them.
@@mnd1955 Your 100 % correct. Is often quoted as saying "I hope he roasted the whole way down"... when hearing of MVRs death. Nearly blind in one eye, an electrician pre war and a socialist. He didn't quite fit the dashing flying Ace mold...
@@mnd1955 Mannock's tally has been reduced to 61. Yeah, it came as a shock to me, too. Seems that Taffy Jones inflated Mannock's score after the war.
I read Fonck's Mes Combats. Do not recall that Fonck claimed 123 kills. If that is in Ace of Aces, the translation is wrong. (BTW I enjoyed all of Mes Combats except the final chapter. The last chapter is all Fonck's ego on display.)
Biddle wrote that Fonck was the greatest ace of the war. I disagree. Fonck was a good pilot and a great shot, but he was not a team player. Lufbery, Mannock, Richthofen, and Rickenbacker were better leaders.
Even Fonck's best friend called him a liar.
@@hlynnkeith9334 In the 1960s and 70s, the Daily Telegraph always published an 'In Memoriam' notice on the anniversary of Mannock's death. It always carried the heading 'King of Air Fighters.'
"He's flying too fast and he's flying too high!"
The reason Richtoven had so many kills is because he never engaged unless he was certain he could win.
Smart approach to combat. As is said: if you find yourself in a fair fight you've already phucked up.
I think that is what they all tried to do. The object of any fight is to win and survive.
@@haggis525 That's what they taught us in the Air Force. 😉
He was also a very good shot, which meant he could score kills quickly and effectively and then get out of trouble.
@@hlynnkeith9334 Navy, too. 😎
Good video
Glad you enjoyed
i have a question i cant decide shall i buy il2 battle of normandy or flying circus i like both the exact same but i cant choose ... i mean i have Battle of stalingrad battle of kuban battle of bodenplatte and battle of moscow but i cant choose if i want the normandy or ww1 dlc...
I think the WW1 planes are a lot more fun to dogfight in, but saying that the Normandy (and other WW2) DLC come with a lot more quick missions. For example you can hunt down V1s over Normandy or do airfield attacks. You also get the full pilot campaigns for single player, which you don't get for the WW1 DLCs yet.
hmmm
imma try something out and imma notify you in the weekend
I've been to von Richtofen's grave in Berlin, on Invalidenstrasse. His body isn't there anymore. Next grave is Ernst Udet's.
To fly in something slow out of date and only made from wood and canvice and getting as many kills has he did is pretty inpresive
It was not "Out of Date" . . .in 1916 . . it was "State of the Art."
I used to play a board wargame called " Richthofen's War".
The rulebook featured " designers notes" as most of them did. This particular designer, as part of his research, went for flights in modern reconstructions of the period aircraft, including a Fokker DR1.
His comments were along the lines that he couldn't hear anything over the roar of the engine and the rushing wind of an open cockpit. He said vision was somewhat restricted and you could only see anything from certain angles, but his closing comment was the best...
He exclaimed "...and they used to FIGHT in those " things"?"
Says it all really.
Well read (Red?) Thanks
It could have been Guynemer , as German sources claim, Never officially confermened and wreck never found
Mort pour la patrie
Cannot recall where I read it, but a German sergeant (Feldwebel? Unteroffizier?) pulled Guynemer's ID off his body. The front was moving and the sergeant left the body. Later, the site of Guynemer's crash was plastered by artillery. According to the sergeant.
BTW Willy Coppens may have been the last allied airman to see Guynemer alive.
What simulator is this?
It's il2 Great Battles - Flying Circus.
@@CalibanRising Thanks heaps, mate.
What’s this game called? I really wanna play it.
I'm using Il2 Great Battles (flying circus) and also Rise of Flight, which is an older game.
It's interesting how you break it down on what type of plane he was flying and how many kills he achieved with each plane. I didn't know he flew so many different planes. II also didn't know he wrote a book in 1917. He was a hunter in the sky, but also a hunter with some compassion for his opponents. At least that's the impression I'm left with. I'd like to read his book. Could you leave the title?
In English it's called The Red Battle Flyer
I ate at his table, in the late 70's, it was it Milwaukee
i wish i had the flying circus dlc in il2 but bro it is too expensive
Just keep your eye out for the sales, the older DLCs can go right down in price. Now that they've released the Normandy DLC I think prices might start to go down on the other stuff soon.
In his biography, von Richthofen explains that the French would break off the engagement when they recognized him, whereas the British were "sportsmen".
I think that's an Albatros D-V instead of a D-III in some of the animation.
Correct, there's some DV footage later on in the video.
Nice Tori Amos reference...
What pisses me off ,,was,,
At Christmas time , The red baron DID'NT shoot Snoopy down,,,BUT
that damn beagle shot him down later,,,NO "Merry xmas my friend " then,,well it was about easter by then anyway..
What about his rival competitor Werner Voss
I have a video in mind for Werner.
@@CalibanRising if you're doing that i recommend these pilots
Albert Ball
Georges Guynemer
Veichi Hurkus
Alexander Kazakov
Frank linke crawford
His title was Freiherr von Ritchofen.
He took trophies from many/most of his kills.
True, sounds like he was responsible for the silver shortage across the entire Reich.
@@CalibanRising - He landed nearby and took patches from his kills' aircraft... Plus, yes, he had trophies made, too!
As did the Australian troops around where he crashed. His Fokker was essentially stripped of fabric within hours, even though it was still under fire from the Germans, which is why his exhibit at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is so extensive. Eventually, diggers, or their surviving family, ended up donating their souvenirs to the AWM.
He was reincarnated as Michael Schumacher, another German Ace.
Probably the most famous fighter pilot of all time. Those that would ignore history because of political or social beliefs are doomed to remain ignorant. Technically he was never beaten from the air. I believe he was taken down from ground fire. I wish he had been on our side.
you wish he fought for an international banking cartel?
@@BlackMasterRoshi You've found a government somewhere that isn't?
I read the book when I was 12, 65 years ago and can remember even at the time that there was something not quite right about his lack of empathy with any living thing. He was undoubtably a sociopath possibly phsycopathic. I say this in the light of modern medical advancement and not as a slur.
Interesting point. I think we'd need to compare his personal letters etc. with the manuscript to see. I'd imagine given that this was published circa 1917 that a lot of the humanity for the enemy was edited out.
Actually he was quite concerned for his opponent. He wouldn’t purposefully fire at an aircraft to kill the pilot. He would try to force his opponents down so that they would crash land unhurt. He saw a plane as a plane and a human as a human. Of course, in the heat of combat this wasn’t always the end result, and usually it wasn’t.
Remember, his autobiography was heavily censored by the Imperial German government as mentioned by the RUclipsr here.
The book I was refering to was a biography not the autobiography. As a child he was killing small birds with an air rifle and taking trophies. He developed the mode of attack by skidding his aircraft side on to the usually slow arty observing plane and aiming at the observer gunner. He was natural born killer.
When he was born Richard Pearse was 10.5 years away from the REAL first powered flight
Ah yes!
The writer D. H. Lawrence married von Richthoffen’s cousin. When he died, she had his ashes mixed into cement, then turned him into the kind of architecture he most hated.
Do your research
Biography of Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe. The Lawrences were frequent guests of theirs at Ghost Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. Lawrence died in New Mexico and that’s what she did with his ashes.
Wonder what he would have done in a DVII
Alot heaven knows
MvR attended the January fly-in competition for the Luftstreitkraefte. He chose the D.VII.
BTW contrary to the video, Bloody April was not the worst month for British losses. Black September was (September 1918). The RFC lost a larger proportion of its planes in April 1917, but in raw numbers September 1918 was far, far worse.
The French lost many, too. They remembered. That is why Foch wrote in the armistice that the Germans had to turn over their D.VIIs.
It is really easy to learn how to pronounce his name properly but you didn't bother. Not " RISHT hofen but RICT hofen.
Thanks for the feedback.
When you presume to correct someone else's pronunciation, you'd better be correct, nicht wahr? (As it happens, you're not.) It's neither "rich" nor "ric," but rhymes with "Ich/Dich," as in, "Mutti, Ich liebe Dich!" (I may be Irish, but my German pronunciation is impeccable thanks to a long ago girlfriend from Thuringia.)😉
@Retired Bore I used to live in Ireland, where I learned to speak Irish quite well, though I had a small headstart thanks to my grandparents, aunt and uncle. While I lived there, I also had a girlfriend from Schmalkalden, Thuringia, who helped me greatly improve my German language skills.
The sound you describe is common to all (at least five or six) dialects of Irish, as well as throughout the German tongue. For Irish speakers, especially those who go to the added time and trouble of learning the fundamentals and grammar of Old and Middle Irish, that sound comes as naturally as breathing.😉
Der Rote KampfFlieger . . the Red Battle Flyer . . .the title of the book in his own dictation.
I wish you well.
So let me get this straight, an artillery crew couldn’t leave well enough alone and just let Brown take the credit?
Yeesh.
Are you Squire’s friend?
No, I don't have that honour!
It was in the Fokker that he became famous because that’s the plane he painted red, he did that to act as bait, flying low and his squadron high. When he was attacked his squadron came down as wrath from hell. His Fokker was so agile (climb rate and maneuverability )he could escape and join the hunt.
Cavlary?
Some of his victims landed safely!
To this day no one can kill the french even in online gaming!! Not even the red baron. Im irish playing in european servers is a nightmare, my good luck only goes so far.
"I'm everywhere Fokker!"
Richtoffen had a silver cup made for each victory,eventually the silver ran out so they were not made after about fifty victories..........................................................
the red baron shot a lot o DH2 , the poor english pilots had no chance vs the Fokker
Want a 6th tidbit? Manfred's cousin, Frieda Von Richthofen, married D. H. Lawrence (author of "Lady Chatterley's Lover") in 1914.
That is a pub quiz fact indeed!
Werner Voss.
t.y 🙏🙏
He's that pizza dude.
There doesn't seem to be anything mysterious about his death
1:44 was that a baby crying???
Wow, good ears! It's my 10 month old daughter, complaining about my pronunciation of "Richthofen".