Just theTwo of Us

Manfred von Richthofen was born on May 2, 1892 in Breslau, Germany as the son of Major Albrecht von Richthofen, a Prussian nobleman and his wife, Kunigunde. Manfred was the eldest of three sons. At the age of eleven he was enrolled into the military school at Wahlstatt and then attended the Royal Military Academy at Lichterfelde. Manfred was a far better athlete than he was a scholar, and applied his horseback riding skills to become a …

…skies over Vaux sur Somme, France. He was 25 years old. He was called der rote Kampfflieger (The Red Battle-Flyer) by his own people, le petit rouge by the French, and the Red Baron by the English. In a time of wooden and fabric aircraft, when twenty air victories insured a pilot legendary status and the coveted Pour Le Méérite, Richthofen had eighty victories, and is regarded to this day as the ace of ace.