Hemer describes MvR

Franz Hemer, a pilot in Jagdgeschwader I's Jasta 6 from September 1917 until the end of the war, explained during a long telephone conversation with Bruno Schmäling in 1976: "Richthofen was a Rittmeister and Geschwader commander as well as a nobleman. I was just a simple Vizefeldwebel. However, he treated each pilot equally, whether he was an officer or in the ranks. The decisive factor was how he performed as a fighter pilot. There were no differences between ranks, and we NCO pilots ate and socialized in the Officer's mess. It was very different from what I had experienced before in the 'Kommiss'. He never flaunted his nobility either, unlike other noble officers who treated us like third-class beings during training. Our Staffel leaders Reinhard, Kirchstein, and Neckel, were the same as Richthofen."