April 21, 1933
Foreword to the 1933 edition of the Red Fighter Pilot
Vorwort zum 1933 Ausgabe der rote Kampflfiegers
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Der rote Kampfflieger 1933
Der rote Kampfflieger von Rittmeister Manfred Freiherrn von Richthofen, 1933, Eingeleitet und ergänzt von Bolko Freiherr von Richthofen, mit einem Vorwort von Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring, Verlag Ullstein & Co, Berlin
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April 21, 1933
Introduction by Bolko Freiherr von Richthofen to the 1933 reprint of The Red Fighter Pilot.
"My brother Manfred. Even if a person is granted a long life, he will always remain to a certain extent a product of his origins and upbringing. But anyone who...
May 2, 1900
MvR eight years old
When he was eight years old, he climbed the largest apple trees on the estate, which hardly anyone else could reach. But then he didn't let himself down from th...
September 1, 1903
Knee injury in the cadet corps
Manfred only caused my parents serious concern once. He had suffered a serious knee injury in the cadet corps. A piece of cartilage in his knee had torn loose d...
November 20, 1912
Passion for equestrian sports
When Manfred was commissioned as a junior officer in the Ulan Regiment No. 1, Emperor Alexander III, he became even more passionate about equestrian sports than...
May 1, 1913
Kaiserpreisritt
Manfred has won many great prizes in show jumping competitions and cross-country rides. Most recently in the Kaiserpreisritt in 1913.
July 28, 1914
No racing, instead war
His ambition was to ride in big races in Breslau and in the capital of the Reich. For this purpose he had acquired a thoroughbred named Antithesis. But on the s...
May 2, 1900
I did that myself
"Because from the earliest days of his youth, Manfred had already shown samples of unusual energy. As an eight-year-old boy, my parents were expecting him one d...
August 1, 1903
At that time he wanted to be a great cavalry general
That's how Manfred got through his time as a cadet, even though this type of education and youthful treatment didn't suit him too well. But he gritted his teeth...
May 30, 1915
I want to become a pilot
When he joined the air force in May 1915, he literally answered my question as to why he had decided to do so: 'I don't want to be just an observer, I want to b...
May 2, 1904
Manfred was extremely truthful
Even today, my mother cannot praise the extent to which my parents could always rely on him. He gave precise and clear answers to every question, regardless of...
May 2, 1905
The manor house is haunted
He didn't underestimate the danger, but it didn't play a role in his life. That was the case from an early age. The girls claimed that the manor house was haunt...
April 24, 1918
Army report
Rittmeister Freiherr von Richthofen has not returned from pursuing an enemy over the battlefield on the Somme. According to an English report, he has been kille...
April 24, 1918
Message of Kaiser Wilhelm II
Major Freiherr von Richthofen, local commander in... To my great sadness, I have just received word from the Commanding General of the Air Force that your brave...
April 24, 1918
Message of General von Hindenburg
Painfully moved by the news that your son has given his life for his fatherland, I offer you and your wife my deepest condolences. He will live on in the memory...
April 24, 1918
Message of General von Hoeppner
‘On the occasion of the death of Rittmeister Manfred Frhr. v. Richthofen, the Commanding General addressed the following telegram to Jagdgeschwader 1: ’The hope...
April 22, 1918
Roy Brown tells
‘A. Roy Brown, the Canadian captain whose bullet killed Manfred von Richthofen, said the following about the dogfight he had with Manfred von Richthofen and in...
April 23, 1918
To the brave and worthy opponent
"The Richthofen family received a detailed account of Richthofen's burial after his death from the British and American sides. It follows here: A high, deep ten...
November 14, 1925
Homecoming
"In the middle of 1925, our family decided to transfer the mortal remains of Manfred v. Richthofen to Germany and bury them in his native soil. The initial inte...
November 16, 1925
Manfred has reached home
It was midnight on Monday, 16 November, when a French locomotive of the French Northern Railway with only a coal tender and a goods wagon rolled very slowly ove...
November 17, 1925
Patriotic celebration
The whole of Tuesday was taken up with negotiations between the German authorities in Kehl and the French occupation commander, who did not want to give permiss...
November 18, 1925
Triumphal journey through Germany
On Wednesday at six o'clock in the morning, the carriage was routed from Kehl to Appenweiler, where it was attached to the scheduled Frankfurt D train. From now...
November 18, 1925
Festive reception
On Wednesday, 18 November, after ten o'clock in the evening, the train arrived in Berlin. A ceremonial reception was held at Potsdam railway station, attended b...
November 19, 1925
Laying out in the Church of Grace
On Thursday morning, the laying out took place in the Gnadenkirche. The zinc coffin had now been placed in a brown oak coffin, with the sword and Uhlan chapka o...
November 20, 1925
The burial
"The funeral took place on the afternoon of 20 November. The masses of people began to gather at lunchtime. Then came Reich President von Hindenburg, whom my mo...
July 18, 1917
It's all about the fight
"The commander of a fighter wing must be in close proximity to his troops. It is unacceptable for him to reside somewhere in the rear, communicate with his pilo...
May 20, 1917
The red fighter plane
‘Now I have written a book. It has been published by Ullstein and is called ’Der rote Kampfflieger" (The Red Fighter Pilot). Every day I receive letters and car...
August 26, 1917
Thoughts in the dugout
"In my shelter, there is a lamp hanging from the ceiling that I had made from an aircraft engine. It comes from an aircraft that I shot down. I installed lamps...
July 7, 1917
MvRs dad visits him in Lazaret 76
‘On 6 July 1917, Manfred von Richthofen was wounded in the head during an attack on British bombers. Despite damage to his optic nerve, he was able to make an e...
