Ein Heldenleben 1920

May 1, 1917

Visit to headquarters

"It was on 1 May 1917 when I said goodbye to my squadron in the morning and flew to Gr. H.-Qu. I sat in the back as Franz. Our first stop was Cologne. This is t...

May 2, 1917

Hindenburg and Ludendorff

'The next day, I had to introduce myself to Hindenburg and Ludendorff. As usual, Hindenburg was swamped with civilians and uniformed personnel during visiting h...

May 3, 1917

At the Emperor's

"At noon the next day, I was with the Emperor. It was exactly as I had imagined. I cannot imagine that I would play a good role as an aide-de-camp, and therefor...

May 3, 1917

Eight Knights of the Order of Merit

‘In the evening, I was invited to Hindenburg's residence again. No fewer than eight Pour Le Mérite knights were seated at one table. I will probably never see s...

May 4, 1917

The Empress

‘The next day, I visited the Empress in the afternoon. The feeling was similar to that with Hindenburg: here was a charming elderly lady, whom one could compare...

June 10, 1917

For the second time at court

‘On 10 June, I reported back to the ’Kogen" from my trip to the Orient, which I had not taken. On the same day, the King of Bulgaria was at headquarters, and I...

July 6, 1917

Wounded

"On a wonderful day (6 July 1917), I went on a fighter mission with my squadron. We had been flying around between Ypres and Armentières for quite a while witho...

July 15, 1917

Ovation from the city of Courtrai

"For a while, I had set up my field of activity close to the city of Courtrai and had been working there for quite some time. Then, around mid-July, the followi...

October 18, 1917

My marriage

"Fritze Prestien, an old flying ace, got married. I was invited to the wedding. It took place at the home of his parents-in-law, who live at the court of the Du...

September 29, 1917

Elk hunting

"Only a few mortals are privileged to hunt one of these animals. I now count myself among those few. It is a very unfortunate fact that this rare game is slowly...

January 1, 1918

In the Bialowicz Primeval Forest

"The Commander-in-Chief East had given me permission to shoot a deer in the Bialowiczer Forest. At the time of the peace negotiations in Brest-Litovsk, around N...

February 17, 1918

A flight in a tethered balloon

"On a beautiful February day, I finally realised my long-held plan to ascend in a tethered balloon. A young gentleman from my squadron who shared the same desir...

April 4, 1918

Air combat tactics

"Air combat in this world war is the remnant of chivalrous duelling. A hundred years ago, the leader of an army stood on a commander's hill, directing the battl...

August 5, 1914

Third night on patrol

"Dear Mum! How are you all doing in these turbulent times? You are certainly safest in Schweidnitz. I am now on my third night on patrol in Russia. There are no...

August 16, 1914

On the border with Belgium – France

Unfortunately, I rarely have time to write, and when I do, it is only briefly. Therefore, please do not be concerned if you do not hear from me for eight to fou...

August 29, 1914

What I experienced here in the West

"Dear Mum! I want to briefly describe to you what I have experienced here in the West. – Before the army's deployment was complete, it was of course quite borin...

September 12, 1914

Behind Metz, in front of Paris at Verdun

Thank you very much for your last two cards dated 21st and 24th. The post arrives very irregularly. I received the card dated 24th eight days before the other o...

September 22, 1914

The Iron Cross

"Dear Mum! I have some good news to share with you. Last night, I received the Iron Cross. How are things in Lemberg? Here's some advice: if the Russians come,...

October 11, 1914

I almost had to believe it

"Dear Mum! The post is about to go out, so I wanted to quickly send you a greeting. I've had quite an eventful few days. I almost lost my life, but luck was on...

November 1, 1914

Disguised as a Frenchman

"Dear Mum! A car has just arrived here, loaded with the first parcels, including two from you to me. It's the fur coat and a small parcel containing my gloves....

November 2, 1914

Boredom before Verdun

"Dear Mum! We are now lying in shifts like the infantry in the trenches, with the French two thousand metres in front of us. It's quite boring in the long run,...

December 15, 1914

Now I have been sitting in front of Verdun for three months

"Dear Mum! I've been sitting in front of Verdun for three months now. Nothing changes here. Last night we were playing cards when another shell landed on the ro...

January 15, 1915

Orderly officer of the 18th Infantry Brigade

MvR appointed Ordonnanzsofficier of the 18th Infantry Brigade

March 15, 1915

Hunting history

"Dear Mum! Now I finally have enough physical activity. All the days I don't spend in the trenches, I spend hunting. I'm quite proud of my hunted prey, three wi...

April 6, 1915

Who would have ever believed that a war could last so long

"Dear Mum! Thank you very much for the lovely Easter eggs. We enjoyed them very much in the shelter amid the thunder of cannon fire. Things have been pretty liv...

June 1, 1915

Vacation

"Dear Mum! The days at home were very nice, but unfortunately too short. I was with Dad until eleven o'clock in the evening. He looks more youthful in his unifo...

June 6, 1915

Flieger-Ersatzabteilung 7

"Dear Mum! I have finally arrived here. The 7th Air Force Replacement Unit has a huge apparatus for training us. There are thirty of us, all of whom are to be t...

November 2, 1915

I am assigned to a giant aircraft

"Dear Mum! The new flying gloves have just arrived. You can hardly imagine how happy I was to receive them. Thank you very much indeed. As you know that I am ve...

January 11, 1916

I haven't flown once again

"Dear Mum! Since I was in Schwerin for New Year's, I haven't flown once. Here in Berlin, it rains constantly, which means we can't get anywhere. And I would lov...

April 27, 1916

A Nieuport down

"Dear Mum! Just a quick note to share some good news: take a look at the army report from 26 April 1916! One of the planes my machine gun has on its conscience....

May 3, 1916

Holck's funeral

"Dear Mum! Thank you very much for your birthday wishes. I had a very nice birthday here. In the morning, I had three very thrilling dogfights, and in the eveni...

June 22, 1916

Immelmann

"Dear Mum! What did you say about Immelmann's death? In the long run, everyone believes in it – even Boelcke. The commander of Lothar's fighter squadron also di...

July 6, 1916

Fallen on the nose

"Dear Mum! A few days ago, I crashed my Fokker. The spectators were quite astonished when I crawled out of the wreckage completely unharmed after quite a while....

October 5, 1916

My third Englishman

"Dear Mum! On 30 September, I shot down my third Englishman. He crashed down in flames. Your heart beats a little faster when the enemy, whose face you have jus...

October 18, 1916

My fifth Englishman

"Dear Mum! We've had bad weather here constantly, but I still shot down my fifth Englishman yesterday."

November 25, 1916

My eleventh Englishman is Major Hawker

"Dear Mum! I send you my warmest birthday wishes and hope that this will be your last birthday during the war. My eleventh Englishman is Major Hawker, twenty-si...

January 27, 1917

Leader of Jagdstaffel 11

"Dear Mum! You are surely wondering why I haven't written. So much has happened in the meantime that I don't know what to write first. I have become commander o...

March 26, 1917

Yesterday I shot the thirty-first

MvR schreibt seine Mutter

April 23, 1917

Going home at the beginning of May

"Dear Mum! I plan to come home at the beginning of May, but first I want to go on a capercaillie expedition, to which I have already been invited and am very mu...

May 9, 1917

What do you say to your two wayward sons?

" Dear Mum! I'm sure you're very angry with me for being in Germany for almost eight days now without writing to tell you where I am. I'm here in Freiburg on a...

June 18, 1917

Schäffer and Zeumer

"Dear Mum! Now that I'm back here, I'm continuing to work hard. I've just shot down No. 53. In Kreuznach, on the way back, I was invited to visit S. M. again, w...

July 25, 1917

Lothar's craft

"Dear Mum! Thank you very much for your lovely letter, which I was really happy to receive. It's wonderful that Lothar is doing so well again, but he should mak...

August 28, 1917

I am very happy about Lothar’s health

I am very happy about Lothar's health. However, under no circumstances should he be allowed to return to the front until he is physically back to full strength....

September 30, 1917

Giving the English a hard time

I was delighted about Lothar's sudden recovery. After the holidays, we can get back to giving the English a hard time, and I'm in the same squadron as Lothar. M...

December 11, 1917

Very little activity

‘There is very little activity here at the moment, which makes it terribly boring. Today I am travelling to Speyer to visit an aircraft factory. I intend to spe...

January 15, 1918

Brest-Litowsk

You must be wondering why you haven't heard from me for so long, but that's always a sign that I'm doing well. In this case, however, I have experienced a great...

March 23, 1918

Lothar's crash

You have now received my telegram informing you of Lothar's fall. Thank God he is doing very well. I visit him every day. So please don't worry about anything....

May 7, 1917

The red color

It had just become known that the English had put a bounty on my brother's head. Every pilot over there knew him because he was still flying a red-painted plane...

April 15, 1917

Cut off

Over time, you end up on many fronts. What I am about to tell you took place at Cambrai. In beautiful weather, my brother and I flew alone to the front. Explosi...

April 23, 1917

A picture of my brother

‘Lothar recounts: “After the tenth kill, we received a picture of my brother with his signature at the squadron. I had earned and received this just three days...

April 29, 1917

A bluff

"A glorious, hot April morning! We are standing in front of our birds, waiting for a report. Then the telephone rings. Busy air traffic south of Arras! A nod to...

June 16, 1917

The talisman for the pilots

Manfred was also extremely attached to his famous red bird. He shot down nineteen to fifty-two enemies with this machine. One day, Schäfer also wanted to fly th...

May 18, 1917

Anecdotes from vacation

'Lothar writes: When Manfred achieved his fiftieth aerial victory, he was summoned to the Grand Headquarters. He quickly shot down his fifty-first and fifty-sec...

April 13, 1917

A day at Jasta 11

"Lothar writes: The squadron was divided into two groups, which meant that half the squadron always flew together. My brother flew as squadron leader, sometimes...

April 23, 1918

Report from Reuters

‘The English Marshal Haig reports that eleven German aircraft were shot down in aerial combat on 21 April. It turned out that one of the aircraft shot down was...

April 23, 1918

Report of the Reuters Special Reporter to the British Army

The funeral of Baron von Richthofen turned out to be an impressive ceremony. The fallen enemy was buried in a pleasant little cemetery, not far from the place w...

April 25, 1918

The Funeral of the Red Corsair

"Report from the Matin newspaper dated 25 April 1918 The Death of Richthofen THE FUNERAL OF THE RED CORSAIR In Santerre, 23 April ...One of those Picardy highwa...

May 9, 1918

From the Echo of Paris

‘Report from ’Paix" dated 9 May 1918 The British paid their respects to the remains of the German ‘ace’ From L'Echo de Paris: The funeral of Captain von Richtho...

April 23, 1918

Andre Tudesq - Special Rapporteur

'Andre Tudesq, special correspondent for the Parisian newspaper ‘Journal’ on Richthofen's funeral Before the funeral, we wanted to pay our last respects to the...

April 21, 1918

Dear Richthofen!

"Letter from Lieutenant Hans Joachim Wolff to Lieutenant Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen Airport, 25 April 1918 Dear Richthofen! I still can't believe it's true....

April 27, 1918

Report by war correspondent Dr. Max Osborn

‘How Richthofen fell. Dr. Max Osborn in the ’B. Z.Am Mittag" Report by war correspondent Dr. Max Osborn (From the ‘B. Z. am Mittag’ of 27 April 1918) On the Som...

April 23, 1918

Morning Post

"How Richthofen fell (From a Special Correspondent) Captain von Richthofen, the German airman, was killed while trying to break down our airial defences in the...

April 23, 1918

Daily Chronicle

The squadron of Cavalry Captain Baron von Richthofen, consisting of approximately thirty aircraft, flew over the English lines on the Somme on Sunday. After Ric...

April 23, 1918

Täglichen Rundschau

"War correspondent Scheuermann writes in the Tägliche Rundschau: At the Richthofen fighter squadron, 23 April On Sunday morning, Richthofen took off on a combat...

April 23, 1918

Ordinance Gazette for the Air Force

"(Official) Berlin, 23 April On the occasion of the heroic death of Cavalry Captain Baron von Richthofen, the following obituary appeared in the ‘Verordnungsbla...

April 23, 1918

In the main committee of the Reichstag

"In the Main Committee of the Reichstag Berlin, 23 April In the Main Committee of the Reichstag this morning, during the discussion of the Reich Army budget, Re...

April 23, 1918

In the plenary session of the Reichstag

"In the Reichstag, Vice President Dr. Paasche commemorated the heroic death of Cavalry Captain Baron von Richthofen: "A feeling of warm sympathy has been arouse...

April 25, 1918

Telegram to Privy Councillor Dr. Paasche

"General von Hoeppner to the Vice-President of the Reichstag WTB. Berlin, 25 April The Vice-President of the Reichstag, Privy Councillor Dr. Paasche, has receiv...

April 24, 1918

Letter from General von der Marwitz to the father

Dear Mr. von Richthofen, What had long filled us with anxious concern—the possibility of losing your heroic eldest son—has now become a reality. I personally ma...

May 5, 1918

Memorial speech by Dr. Bülow

"Memorial speech by Dr Bülow at the funeral service at the grammar school in Schweidnitz Honourable attendees! We are now living in an enormously significant, p...

April 29, 1917

A Dutch report

"A description by the Berlin correspondent of the Allgemeines Handelsblad The reporter observed the flirtatious manoeuvres of an English pilot who, enveloped by...

December 2, 1917

Richthofen as superior and comrade.

"Richthofen as a superior and comrade. By F. W. Lübbert, Leunant, Jasta 11 I was filled with joy and pride when I received the news in December 1917 that Cavalr...

August 2, 1903

In memory of Richthofen. By v. B.

‘Captain Freiherr von Richthofen has not returned.’ So reports the army bulletin, succinctly and bluntly. So it has happened after all! What no one dared to thi...

August 17, 1917

Reinhard about the Richthofens

'Richthofen's friend, whom he himself had designated as his successor, once wrote the following about the Richthofens: Richthofen's father was commonly referred...

April 2, 1918

Testimony from First Lieutenant Lampel

"How Richthofen shot down his 75th. By Lieutenant Lampel By Lieutenant Lampel (From the ‘Liller Zeitung’ newspaper dated 1 May 1918) ‘Please take a seat,’ said...

September 30, 1917

An Encounter. By Emil August Glogau

"As I was travelling from Frankfurt to Berlin on the morning express train in the last days of September, a young Uhlan officer jumped onto the departing train...

December 12, 1917

Testimony from Captain Erich von Salzmann

"On one of those beautiful spring days in northern France, we were standing on the street in Douai when a small, rickety car came speeding along. My friend Hoff...

October 17, 1916

A Dorado for the fighter pilot

"In my entire life, I have never known a more beautiful hunting ground than during the days of the Battle of the Somme. In the morning, when you got up, the fir...