16, 1916 and won the Blue Max, formally known as the Pour le Mérite citation, for his 16 th confirmed kill in January 1917. Von Richthofen’s notoriety grew with each new victory. (Image source: WikiCommons) He made squadron leader at 24 He had to discontinue the ritual by the time of his 60 th triumph however as silver was becoming scarce in war ravaged Germany. Von Richthofen ordered another new cup for every subsequent victory. To mark the occasion, he ordered a silver cup for himself that was engraved with the date as well as the make of the enemy aircraft he shot down - a British F.E. 17, 1916 shortly after being transferred to a fighter squadron. Manfred celebrated his first official victory on Sept. (Image source: WikiCommons) He had a curious way to celebrate his victories Tom Rees of Britain’s Royal Flying Corps has the unfortunate distinction of being the Red Baron’s first official victim. Again, since the encounter occurred over enemy territory, the victory couldn’t be confirmed and was never counted. In April of 1916, Von Richthofen riddled a French fighter with bullets while at the controls of an Albatross C.III bomber. Since the enemy machine went down over unfriendly territory, the victory couldn’t be confirmed and as such was never added to his official tally of 80 kills. While serving as an observer and rear gunner on a two-seat reconnaissance plane in late 1915, young Manfred shot down a French pusher bi-plane above the Champagne sector. Von Richthofen’s very first air-to-air kill was never officially counted. (Image source: WikiCommons) His first kills weren’t counted Since no wreckage was found, the victory was unconfirmed. The first plane von Richthofen shot down was a French aircraft, similar to the one seen here. “I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose,” he wrote his superiors. The young lieutenant pondered a transfer to supply and logistics but then reconsidered and pushed to join Germany’s fledgling air corps instead. Later, his cavalry regiment was forced to give up its horses and fight in the trenches alongside the infantry. When war broke out two years later, he served as a mounted scout on both eastern and western fronts in the war’s opening months. Manfred enlisted in the German army in 1912. (Image source: German Federal Archive) He began in the saddle Germany’s most famous flying ace began the war in the cavalry. The designation is roughly equal to a baron in English - it’s one of the lower levels of nobility. Raised in an aristocratic Prussian family, Manfred inherited the medieval title of Freiherr or “free lord”. Manfred Von Richthofen was born on in the town of Kleinburg, which today isn’t even in Germany at all, but rather near Wroclaw, Poland. (Image source: WikiCommons) He came from money Since we didn’t have room enough to include them in December, we’re offering them to readers now. While researching the piece, we stumbled across a number of fascinating and lesser-known details about the Kaiser’s most famous flier. IN DECEMBER, ran this article about the eight air combat maxims of the highest scoring combat pilot of the First World War - Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron. “Von Richthofen’s notoriety grew with each new victory. Eventually, he became the most famous (and feared) pilot of the war.” Check out these amazing facts about Manfred von Richthofen. Think you knew the story of the Red Baron? Think again.
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