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In the history of aerial combat there is no more famous name than Manfred von Richthofen, otherwise known as The Red Baron.Richthofen's brightly colored fighters were the scourge of the Royal Flying Corps, and their antics up and down the Front earned them the famous nick-name Richthofen's Flying Circus. In truth they were a highly respected fighting unit, capable of sending up as many as 50 aircraft, and were involved in many of the First World War's legendary dog-fights. A mercurial leader, Richthofen was the premier German Ace. When taking command of JG1 in 1917 he chose bright red paintwork to distinguish his own squadron's aircraft from others in the wing - making easy and quick identification possible during the turmoil of closely fought dog-fights. Shunning the obvious target he made for himself, Richthofen declared that the Commander's aircraft should be conspicuously painted so that in the melee of large formation battles he could exert some control over events. He was a student of Oswald Boelcke (considered by some to be the father of fighter aircraft tactics) and the commander of Jasta 11 (the infamous "Flying Circus"). Manfred von Richthofen totaled 80 kills before his death making him the leading Ace of WW I. |
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