The Red Baron flew several different Fokker triplanes (not all of them red) towards the end of his career, although most of his victories were scored in Albatros biplanes. Dan-San Abbott of the Aerodrome Forum has good reasons to identify this aircraft as.
The Red Baron - Top Ace of WWI, 80 victories
By Stephen Sherman, Aug. 2001. Updated Aug. 1, 2012.
The Red Baron wasone of those heroes whose life seems almostscripted. Discipline, pride, hunting skills, and Teutonic patriotismall combined in this man, bringing him to the pinnacle of fame whichlong outlasted the man himself. 'Curse you, Red Baron,' cried Snoopy,the Mitty-esque canine ace of Charles Schultz' Peanuts comicstrip. But Richthofen was no caricature, methodically claiming 80aerial victories, before falling himself, in a Wagnerian finale.
Youth
Born on May 2, 1892 to a Prussian noble family, junkerlandholders, Manfred von Richthofen, learned to hunt at an early age.
Growing up in Silesia (now part of Poland) young Manfred learnedfrom his father, a Uhlan career officer, and his maternal Schickfussrelatives. In the protected game forests, he and his brothers, Lotharand Bolko, hunted wild boar, elk, birds, and deer, collected anddisplayed their trophies in their castle. Later, the great ace would bring the samelove of the hunt and love of victory to his aerial battles. He enteredthe Prussian cadet corps (military school) at age eleven, where he wasan indifferent student. In 1911, he entered Uhlan Regiment Number 1,which he enjoyed, at least insofar as the opportunities it gave him toride horses. He first fought on the Russian front, where the highlightof his cavalry exploits seemed to be capturing and locking up a Russianpriest in his own bell tower. Transferred to the West, his Uhlanregiment spent several enjoyable, peaceful months in the rear areas. Anassignment to the quartermaster corps didn't satisfy Richthofen. 'Mydear Excellency,' he wrote, 'I have not gone to war tocollect cheese and eggs ...' He asked to serve with a flying unit.In May, 1915, his request was granted.
Flier
Soon, he was back in the East, as a reconnaissance flier and then abomber. During June, July and August, 1915, he remained with the 69thFlying Squadron which participated in Mackensen's advance from Gorliceto Brest-Litovsk. He had joined it as quite a junior observer and hehad no special expertise. As a cavalryman his business had consisted inreconnoitering. So the Aviation Service as an observer was in his lineand he enjoyed the long reconnoitering flights which they undertooknearly every day.
Still dissatisfied, he complained again and was removed to Ostend onthe Western front, as a back-seat observer in a reconnaissance plane.With pilot Lt. Zeumer, they patrolled over the North Sea, and oncespotted a submarine beneath the water, but did not bomb it as theycould not determine its nationality.
His first encounter with an English airplane, on September 15, 1915,ended without real damage to either plane; but gunner Richthofen andpilot Zeumer both thought that the other could have handled the combatbetter.
Transferred to the Champagne front, he flew with pilot Osteroth.With his ring-mounted machine gun, he managed to shoot down a Farmanaircraft, but could not get credit for the kill, as it fell behindAllied lines. His hunter's instinct had been awakened.
Still determined to join the great hunt in the skies, he startedpilot training in October, 1915, making his first solo on the 10th. Hedamaged the plane on landing and had to take more training at Doberitz.
On Christmas Day, 1915, he passed his examination. In connectionwith it, he flew to Schwerin, where the Fokker works are situated. FromSchwerin flew to Breslau, to Schweidnitz, to Luben and then returned toBerlin. During his tour, he landed in many places in between, visitingrelatives and friends. Being a trained observer, he did not find itdifficult to find his way. In March, 1916, he joined KampfGeswchader2 before Verdun and learned learned how to handle a fighting two-seaterairplane.
Assigned a two-seat Albatros BII reconnaissance plane (max speed 66MPH, 100 HP engine, ceiling 9,840 feet), he rigged a machine gun on theupper wing, much like the Nieuport 11.Piloting this Albatros over Verdun on April 26, 1916, he sighted aFrench Nieuport and opened up at 60 yards. The stricken French fighterdived into Fort Douamont; Von Richthofen had his first kill, althoughhe would gain no official credit. While in France, he had a fewopportunities to fly a Fokker single-seat fighter, further whetting hisappetite to fly fighters.
Again switched back to the Russian front, he continued to fly 'C'class reconnaissance/light bombers. As the Russians had few planes, flying andbombing there was agreeable duty, relatively safe and with readilyaccomplished missions, like bombing the Manjewicze railway station,strafing Cossack cavalry, knocking out the Stokhod River bridge, etc..
In August, he met the great ace OswaldBoelcke (40 kills), who was in the East recruiting fliers for a newJagdstaffel(Jasta 2). After a brief interview, Boelcketook Richthofen back with him, to the Somme.
Boelcke's Pupil
While the well-organized British air arm held command of the air overthe bloody battlefield of the Somme, Boelcke's new group, Jasta 2, madean immediate impact. On Sept. 17, 1916, in Jasta 2's first mission, thebaron shot down an FE-2 two-seater. (Built by the Royal AircraftFactory, FE-2's frequently fell to von Richthofen. The FE-2 biplanefeatured a pusher propeller, mounted aft of the short pod containingthe observer, the pilot, and the 160HP Beardmore engine. Used both as afighter and a reconnaissance plane, both of its crew had a machine gun,giving it a certain strength in redundancy.)
On the morning of the 17th, Boelcke led his squadron up and spottedthe English planes first. They were heading toward Cambrai, with Jasta2 between them and their own lines. Richthofen approached one,maneuvering to get behind it, where he would have the advantage. TheEnglish pilot twisted and turned expertly, but briefly let Richthofenbehind him. Richtofen described the action:.
In a fraction of a second I was at his back with myexcellent machine. I gave a few bursts with my machine gun. I had goneso close that I was afraid I might dash into the Englishman. Suddenly,I nearly yelled with joy for his propeller had stopped turning. I hadshot his engine to pieces; the enemy was compelled to land, for it wasimpossible for him to reach his own lines. The English machine wascuriously swinging to and fro. Probably something had happened to thepilot. The observer was no longer visible. His machine gun wasapparently deserted. Obviously I had hit the observer and he had fallenfrom his seat.
The Englishman landed close to one of our squadrons. I was soexcited that I landed also and in my eagerness, I nearly smashed up mymachine. The English airplane and my own stood close together. I hadshot the engine to pieces and both the pilot and observer were severelywounded. The observer died at once and the pilot while beingtransported to the nearest dressing station. I honored the fallen enemyby placing a stone on his beautiful grave.
For the next month, Jasta 2 'found a happy hunting ground over theSomme battlefield.' Ironically, Boelcke did not live long to enjoy thesuccess of his new elite Jasta. He was killed in early November, in acollision with another German flier; von Richthofen carried the greatace's decorations on a pillow in his funeral. By Nov. 9, von Richtofenhad increased his score to ten.
Death of Major Hawker, V.C.
Like any great hunter, Manfred von Richthofen reveled in bagging thelargest game. On November 23, 1916, he encountered Major Lanoe GeorgeHawker, V.C., 'the British Boelcke,' in Richthofen's words, big gameindeed. Hawker was one of the first fliers to take a pistol with him inthe air and was also the first to arm an early Bristol scout with aLewis gun. He downed a German two-seater over Ypres in July, 1915.Flying constantly, he downed one German plane after another. (In thoseearly days, British records of aerial victories were not kept ascarefully as later.) Hawker was decorated with the Victoria Cross andgiven command of Number 24 squadron.
On the morning of the 23rd, Hawker led three planes in an attack onsome German two-seaters. But it was an ambush. The bait promptly fled,while Richthofen's fighters dived after the British fliers. LieutenantsAndrews and Saunders were hit, but managed to escape. Hawker stayed tofight; against him were Richthofen and the best pilots of Jasta 2.
Starting at 6,000 feet, the airplanes tore at each other, twistingand turning in descending circles, down to 2,000 feet. Desperate togain an advantage, Hawker looped and got off a burst. He missed andfled for home, now at tree-top level. But the German aircraft wasfaster and Richthofen was determined.
In Richthofen's own words:
Our speed is terrific. [Hawker] starts back for his front.He knows my gun barrel is trained on him. He starts to zigzag, makingsudden darts right and left, confusing my aim and making it difficultto train my gun on him. But the moment is coming. I am fifty yardsbehind him. My machine gun is firing incessantly. We are hardly fiftyyards above the ground - just skimming it.
Now I am within thirty yards of him. He must fall. The gun poursout its stream of lead. Then it jams. Then it reopens fire. That jamalmost saved his life. One bullet goes home. He is struck through theback of the head. His plane jumps and crashes down. It strikes theground just as I swoop over. His machine gun rammed itself into theearth, and now it decorates the entrance over my door [to the familycastle at Schweidnitz]. He was a brave man, a sportsman, and a fighter.
Hawker was Richthofen's eleventh victim. Another order went tohis Berlin silversmith, for a plain, silver cup, just two inches high,engraved briefly with the aircraft and date of his victory.
The Flying Circus
After victory number 16, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite(the Blue Max). He then organized his own Jagdstaffel 11,dubbed by journalists 'The Flying Circus.' His qualities showed. He wasmethodical; he figured the odds; with mathematical precision, hecalculated position, angles, and fire control to kill his prey. He ledhis group with order and discipline, requiring his fliers to study andfollow his tactics. About this time (late 1916), he painted hisaircraft red, and began to be known as 'The Red Baron.'
But even Richtofen, in his new all-red Albatros D III, didn't alwayshave it his own way. On January 23, 1917, the Richthofen Circus pouncedon some British camera planes of the 25th Squadron (FE-2 two-seater,pusher planes). Richthofen fired into an airplane piloted by Capt.Grieg, with 2nd. Lt. J. E. MacLenan as observer. His bullets tore intoGrieg's leg, who struggled heroically to regain control of theaircraft. Oil splattered all over the wounded craft. MacLenan tossedthe camera over and began firing his Lewis gun. He and the nearlyblinded Grieg kept shooting back at the relentless Red Baron, andeventually their bullets crippled the Albatros, cracking its wing. Bothaircraft crash-landed near Vimy. As German infantry approached, Griegfired a flare pistol into his downed plane, setting it afire, thusdenying it to the Germans.
In mid-March, he got it again, this time when his group of fiveplanes attacked fifteen British machines over Lens. As the enemies hadseen each other at a great distance, both groups flew right at eachother for several nerve-tingling minutes. When one of the Britishscouts peeled off, Richthofen thought he had an easy kill. Closing tofifty meters on the straggler, he test-fired his guns, and calmlyplanned his enemy's destruction. He suddenly realized that he had beenambushed when his Albatros was hit by machine gun fire. His fuel tankwas holed, so he switched off his engine promptly. Even one drop on thehot engine could have fatally ignited his plane. He managed to bringhis aircraft down behind German lines, but had difficulty persuading anofficer that he had, in fact, shot down twenty-four airplanes.
By March 26, 1917, the Baron had downed thirty-one Alliedplanes. He had become a cold, ruthless hunter and killer; machine gunshelpless pilots of crashed aircraft and blasting his victims as theytried to escape the cockpits of doomed airplanes. He carried with him agruesome photograph of a British flier he had horribly shot apart, thephotograph given to him by an admiring German infantry colonel.
Bloody April
The British airmen were obsessed with the Red Baron and were determinedto destroy him, one way or another. On April 5, they planned a massivebombing raid on his aerodrome at Douai. German intelligence alertedRichthofen, but he choose to stay put. A few hours before the raid wasdue, he and his senior pilots sat down to a splendid dinner. While theypuffed their after-dinner cigars, the phone rang, 'English bombers onthe way.' In the dugout bomb shelter, he entertained his men with wine,ribald stories, jokes, and tales of aerial combat. Meanwhile, noBritish bombers came over. Finally, seventeen of the bombers found theBaron's field and loosed their destruction. The bombs found fuel andammunition stores, setting huge explosions. The hangars were hit by thesecond wave. But Manfred von Richthofen and his crack pilots wereunhurt.
In the month of April, Jasta 11 shot down 89 Britishairplanes. As winter weather had cleared, both sides were able to fly alot. The Germans could employ their group fighting tactics. And theirAlbatros D.III scouts over-matched the British pusher biplanes and theFrench Nieuport 11's. Manfred von Richthofen alone claimed 20 in themonth.
Wounded, July 1917
The German press, eager for any good news or for any hero from themindless, muck and blood-filled horror of the stagnant trenches,showered the Red Baron with adulation. After a short leave in May, hehurried back to rejoin The Flying Circus. By the end of June, 1917, hiscollection of little silver cups totaled fifty-six.
Then, on July 2, he encountered the British RFC 20th Squadron, andtwo of its pilots: Flt. Cdr. A. E. Woodbridge and Capt. Pilot D. C.Cunnell. Woodbridge described the action:
Cunnell handled the old FE for all she was worth, bankingher from one side to the other, ducking dives from above and missinghead-on collisions by bare margins of feet. The air was full ofwhizzing machines, and the noise from the full-out motors and thecrackling machine guns was more than deafening ... Cunnell and I firedinto four of the Albatroses from as close as thirty yards, and I saw mytracers go right into their bodies. Those four went down ... Some ofthem were on fire - just balls of smoke and flame - a nasty sight tosee.
Two of them came at us head-on, and the first one was Richthofen.There wasn't a thing on that machine that wasn't red, and how he couldfly! I opened fire with the front Lewis and so did Cunnell with theside gun. Cunnell held the FE on her course and so did the pilot of theall-red scout [Richthofen]. With our combined speeds, we approachedeach other at 250 miles per hour ... I kept a steady stream of leadpouring into the nose of that machine.
Then ... The Albatros' pointed her nose down suddenly and passedunder us. Cunnell banked and turned. We saw the all-red plane slip intoa spin. It turned over and over, round and round, completely out ofcontrol. His motor was going full on, so I figured I had at leastwounded him. As his head was the only part that wasn't protected by hismotor, I thought that's where he was hit.
Indeed, a British bullet had creased and partially splintered hisskull. Despite the best treatment available for the national hero, thewound never properly healed; the scar tissue, bone splinters and eventhorns continued to cause Richthofen maddeningly painful headaches. Hewent home on leave, but when he returned, his skills were off. He wenttwo weeks without a kill.
By September, now flying the famous red Fokker Dr.I triplane, he hadrecovered enough to reach the 60 victory milestone, anunprecedented achievement.
Fokker Dr. 1, built 1917,
powered byThulin-built Le Rhône 9J 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary 110 HP engine,
weighed 1,289 lbs., max. speed of 103 MPH, max. ceiling of 19,685 feet,
2 synchronized Spandau machine guns
powered byThulin-built Le Rhône 9J 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary 110 HP engine,
weighed 1,289 lbs., max. speed of 103 MPH, max. ceiling of 19,685 feet,
2 synchronized Spandau machine guns
Winter, 1917-18
After a Christmas leave, hunting in the Bialowicka forest with Lothar,he resumed his pursuit of aerial quarry. When he downed 2nd Lt. H. J.Sparks, his 64th, he sent the hospitalized British flier a box ofcigars. In March and April of 1918, he shot down 17 airplanes, whileflying his trademark all-red Fokker Triplane.
Richthofen's last victory was number 80; Lt. D. E. Lewis walked awayfrom his wreck.
Last Dogfight
Canadian Capt. Roy Brown led a flight fifteen Sopwith Camels on themorning of April 21, 1918, flying cover for some photo planes. Whensome Fokkers and Albatroses jumped the camera planes, a huge dogfightensued, over thirty planes twisting, shooting, and tearing at eachother. A scarlet Albatros got behind a young Canadian, Lt. Wilford May.Seeing his plight, Capt. Brown went after the Baron, firing his Lewisgun.
And then the aircraft of the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen,dived and crashed near Sailly-le-Sac, an area held by Australianinfantry. The Aussies immediately recovered the plane and wereastonished to discover inside Richtofen's body. Almost as quickly, theevent became the subject of confusion. The low-key Captain Brown neverofficially claimed the kill; and some Australian gunners did. To thisday, no one knows for sure who brought down the greatest ace of TheGreat War.
Funeral
The British decided to hold a grand funeral for their late adversary.Laid out on a lorry, covered with flowers, escorted by RAF officers,his body was taken to a hangar, where it lay in state for a day.Hundreds of British soldiers filed past to view the Red Baron. The nextday, the burial itself was another military pageant, with six RAFCaptains as pallbearers, a fourteen-man firing party with riflesreversed, a flower-draped coffin, a service conducted by a robedchaplain, and a bugler blowing 'The Last Post.'
Photographs were taken of the funeral, and British planes droppedthem over his airdrome at Cappy with the message:
TO THE GERMAN FLYING CORPS:
Rittmeister Baron Manfred von Richthofen was killed in aerial combat onApril 21st, 1918. He was buried with full military honours.
From the British Royal Air Force
Summary of Victories
Von Richthofen's eighty victories have been as well-researched as anyfighter pilot's claim. See this detailed list of TheRed Baron's Kills. A surprisingly large percentage of his 80 killscan be matched to specific British loss records.
Most of his victories came in the spring. In March/April of 1917, hedowned 31 planes. In the same two months of 1918, he downed 17aircraft. During most other months of active flying (from Sept. 1916through April 1918), he usually claimed 3 to 6 kills each month. In thethree months Aug., Sept., and Nov. 1917, while recovering from hisinjury, he only shot down 6 planes altogether.
He brought down sixteen B.E.2's, thirteen F.E.2's, eight SopwithCamels, seven R.E.8's, five Brisfit's, five Spad VII's, five Nieuports,and fewer numbers of nine other types.
Richthofen Castle
The Red Baron's legacy lives on in popular culture, in the Peanuts cartoon, in a pop song of the 1960s, and even a castle in Denver. Modeled on the original family home in Germany, the Denver castle was built by Manfreds' uncle and godfather, Walter, in 1887. The local rumor that it is haunted, and it was recently up for sale, for only $3,000,000.
Another aspect of his legacy was the board game 'Richthofen's War,' a strategy game made by Avalon Hill in the 1970s. As far as I know, 'Richthofen's War' has not been released as a video/PC video.
Richthofen's Grave
After Richthofen's death in 1918, the British buried his remains in a village churchyard at Bertangles, France, with full military honours. Later the coffin was transferred to a War Graves Commission cemetery. In 1925, it was moved to the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin (the Prussian national military cemetery), at the request of German veterans' organisations. German President von Hindenburg, the Chancellor, and the whole cabinet were among the dignitaries present. Von Richthofen's reburial was seen as a symbol of homecoming for many who had suffered loss in WWI.
In 1961 when the Berlin Wall was constructed, the Invalidenfriedhof was at the very edge of the demarcation zone in the Russian sector. It was only possible to visit the cemetery with special permission. For this reason von Richthofen's surviving brother, Bolko, got permission from the East German government to rebury the remains in the family burial plot in Wiesbaden. The reburial book place in 1975.
Sources:
- The Red Air Fighter, by Manfred Von Richthofen, NormanFranks; originally written in 1917
- Heroes of the Sunlit Sky, by Arch Whitehouse, Doubleday,1967
- The Canvas Falcons, by Stephen Longstreet, Barnes &Noble, 1970
- Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft: 1914-1980,by Enzio Angelucci, The Military Press, 1983
The Red Air Fighter, by Manfred Von Richthofen,Norman Franks Manfred von Richthofen's 1917 book. The German title DerRote Kampfflieger has also been variously translated as 'RedFighter Pilot' and 'Red Battle Pilot.' This edition includes C.C.Grey's preface to the original, wartime English translation. It's written in the first person, in a very immediate style,of course from von Richthofen's own perspective. It stops in mid-1917,just before his bad injury. It also includes a chapter on Manfred'sbrother, Lothar. |
Red Baron | |
---|---|
RB-51 in Reno Pits | |
Type | P-51 Mustang |
Construction number | s/n 44-84961 |
Registration | NL7715C |
Fate | Destroyed during flight accident |
The Red Baron was a North AmericanP-51D Mustang NL7715C, original serial number 44-84961. It raced from 1966 to 1973 under the names Miss R.J. and Roto-Finish Special, winning Unlimited Gold in 1972. In February 1974, it was purchased by Ed Browning of Red Baron Flying Service in Idaho Falls, Idaho and renamed the Red Baron.[1]
Design and development[edit]
Browning hired two Lockheed engineers, Pete Law and Bruce Boland, and a team of other specialists made major modifications to the plane, including installation of a Rolls-Royce Griffon 57 engine and contra-rotating propellers from an Avro Shackleton.[2][3] The larger engine required significant changes to the airframe, particularly the engine compartment. The contra-rotating propellers also created instability that required an increase in fin area, all of which cost Browning more than $300,000.[4]
With these changes, the aircraft became the dominant racer on the Unlimited circuit.[5] It was initially flown by Mac McClain and Daryl Greenamyer; in 1976, Greenamyer recommended Steve Hinton pilot the plane. Hinton won four consecutive Unlimited races in one year, and remains the only pilot ever to do so.[6]
History[edit]
On August 14, 1979, Hinton set the piston-driven aircraft 3-kilometer world speed record at 499.018 mph[7][8] at Tonopah, Nevada, making Hinton, age 27, the youngest person ever to capture the speed record. The team was hoping for 100+ degree temperatures in the Nevada desert, conditions under which they believed they could achieve 530 mph.[9] The weather did not cooperate, however, and the cool 68-degree air held their speed just under 500 mph. Even so, the record held for a decade.
On September 16, 1979, Hinton was racing the RB-51 in the Reno Air Races when a capacitor in the magneto failed, causing the engine to run on half its spark plugs. Not knowing what was wrong, Hinton pushed the plane to full throttle. This resulted in the supercharger carrying the extra pressure. Eventually, a bearing in the supercharger failed. Hinton finished the race in second place and moved to make an emergency landing. The supercharger failure resulted in a shaft failure, however; that shaft drove the oil pump, which in turn controlled the propeller pitch. The propellers went flat, acting as a huge air brake. The RB-51 crashed short of the runway. The wings were sheared off as the plane came down between two piles of rock and the fuel erupted in a fireball. The cockpit was thrown end-over-end away from the fire, yet Hinton survived with a broken back, leg, and ankle.[10][11] His survival is attributed by one of the lead engineers, Pete Law, to additional braces and a roll bar installed on the cockpit.[12]
The Red Baron was destroyed in the crash. Steve Hinton's company, Fighter Rebuilders, moved the dataplate, tailnumber 413334, and registration number NL7715C to P-51D serial number 44-73053, Wee Willy II.[13]
Awards[edit]
- 1974, First Place, Mojave
- 1976, First Place, Mojave
- 1977, First Place, Reno
- 1977, National Champion
- 1978, First Place, Mojave
- 1978, First Place, Reno
- 1978, National Champion
- 1979, First Place, Mojave
- 1979, First Place, Miami Homestead
- 1979, World Record, 3 km piston-driven aircraft
Specifications (RB51 Red Baron)[edit]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Griffon V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 3,000 hp (2,200 kW)
- Propellers: 6-bladed Rotolcontra-rotating propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 430 kn (500 mph, 800 km/h) +
See also[edit]
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
External links[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^[1] aviationandspacearts.com Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ^[2] enginehistory.org Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ^'The Competitive Edge'. Air Progress: 77. November 1978.
- ^Rourk, Dell.Racing for the Gold: The Story of Lyle Shelton and the Rare Bear. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^[3] Sports Illustrated, 29 Oct 1979.
- ^[4] mustangsmustangs.us Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ^[5] Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec 1999.
- ^[6] aviationandspacearts.com Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^Germain, Scott. Legends of Air Racing ... Engineer Bruce Boland. Warbird Aero Press. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^[7] Sports Illustrated, 29 Oct 1979.
- ^[8] avweb.com Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^[9] Enginehistory.org Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^[10] air-and-space.com Retrieved 12 July 2011.
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