A Brief History
On April 20, 1918, Baron Manfred von Richtofen shot down the last enemy airplanes of his short but spectacular career.
Digging Deeper
The German aviator known as The Bloody Red Baron, just a few days short of his 26th birthday, lead the German fighter plane unit called The Flying Circus. The actual name of Richtofen’s command was Jagdgeschwarder 1, which is not as catchy of a name. The highest scoring ace of World War I, Richtofen was feared and respected by his French and British foes, whom he terrorized in his bright red Fokker Triplane.
Alas, Richtofen was not bulletproof and in 1917 he was wounded in battle, suffering a machine gun bulltet to the head. Although he recovered to fly again, the wound left its mark on him, leaving him with headaches and nausea every time he flew. Perhaps the legacy of this wound led to his ultimate demise, but no one knows for sure.
The day after his 80th and final kill, Richtofen was shot and wounded in combat and made an emergency landing behind allied lines, dying just as he was approached by Australian troops. All he said was “kaput” which seems somehow appropriate, for he died right after saying that. Richtofen’s death certificate was found in Poland in 2009!
The circumstances of Richtofen’s death have been controversial, with the standard explanation being that he was shot down by Canadian “Roy” Brown flying a Sopwith Camel. Richtofen suffered a single gunshot wound, which some researchers claim could not have been fired by Brown because of the angle at which the bullet entered Richtofen’s airplane and body. That research claims that the fatal bullet was fired by an Australian soldier on the ground with his Vickers machine gun. Despite competing theories, the analysis cited here is the usually accepted account of the Red Baron’s death.
Buried with full military honors by the Australians, Richtofen’s body was taken to Germany in 1925 and given a state funeral and burial there. Even the Nazi’s got into the act, and held their own grand ceremony years later. During the Soviet occupation years, Richtofen’s tombstone was hit by numerous bullets fired at people trying to flee to the West! In 1975, Richtofen received a new gravesite, this time in Wiesbaden.
Although Richtofen is likely the most famous aerial Ace of all time, his total of 80 confirmed kills and perhaps 20 or more unconfirmed pales by comparison to Erich Hartmann, Germany’s #1 ace of World War II credited with 352 kills!
Question for students (and subscribers): Was the Red Baron a hero or a villain? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Richthofen, Manfred von. The Red Fighter Pilot: The Autobiography of the Red Baron. Red & Black Publishers, 2013.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1805 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1805">78 Comments
The Red Baron was a talented man indeed. He took the idea of “being one with the plane” quite seriously in order to maneuver and dodge enemy fire. It is quite unfortunate that he did not have a bulletproof vest in order to protect himself. One false step could be the end in battle.
Taking a machine gun bullet to the head an surviving? That could not have been enjoyable to live through.
I sure would like to know how the Red Baron became a marketing tool for things such as pizza. How did that conversation go down in the marketing meeting?
I’m thankful that I don’t have to fly a plane and kill or be killed. I would not do well in the military.
He is by far one of the most incredible aces fought in any war. His piloting skills were outstanding and his plane also helped him win those fights because it had 3 wings, unlike the other planes that the allies had.
I can’t believe he went back at it after he healed from being shot in the head. His last words seem almost sarcastic or something you see in a movie !
I am truly grateful for my experiences, and the pilots I met, in the U.S. Navy. Pilots and planes are awesome! — DAVID WARDLE
wow, cant believe he continued to server after being shot in the head
80 kills in 2 years is astounding, but the guy who killed 350 is just flat out unbelievable. Never heard of him though.
It’s weird seeing his name be reduced to a brand of pizza
What an awesome and courageous man! The fact that he continued to fight even after being shot in the head shows that he was dedicated and brave. I wonder if he liked pizza?
To be fair, 80 kills in a WWI era plane is pretty spectacular; those things were death traps.
Can’t believe he was shot and continued on!!
Amazing he survived a head shot and then went back to it.
He was shot in the head and recovered ? That’s remarkable !
It is certainly impressive that this guy could shoot so effectively in one of those planes! Thinking of the difference between those and current war planes, being able to shoot anything was impressive enough! It took serious ability and focus.
This ability to shoot down planes is certainly impressive especially considering this was the first time planes were used in war.
To get that many kills with the technology that the pilots were using at that time is very impressive
One of the most impressive pilots of the time. I would like to see him in a modern day fighter jet.
How can Canada’s most famous WWI war hero be a fraud?
very impressive! Did not know thats where red baron pizza came form either.
Its crazy to think the turn of events that happened in order for him to enter the flying corps. He was clearly very good at what he did but I am curious as to how he survived a head shot wound? In addition why is he given so much credit when there is another pilot who shot down nearly quadruple the amount of planes? and why would the Australians give him a big burial ceremony. they were enemies after all!
His pilot killing game is crazy.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who associated Snoopy with the Red Baron! With a short flying career (2 years) he surely did have a great record it is easy to see why the his enemies were frightened by him.
That’s lucky he lived from the first bullet, especially to the head. Most people are lucky to live from a bullet wound let alone one to the head. That’s quite a few kills in airplane. That is something to be proud of for being in the war.
Always interesting to read about famous war pilots, they have the craziest stories!
If I went into the army I would be a pilot. I love reading articles about them and I think it’s so much dedication to this career.
War pilots are some of the most skilled people involved with the military. Their job has to be very stressful. Always like reading articles about them.
The Red Baron was so good at his job he was wounded and still went back to the air to fight again. Too Bad his legacy was turned into such media puppet from pizza to a Snoopy Video Game.
Interesting how he accomplished so much as a fighter pilot over the course of a rather short career.
80 kills is pretty impressive. Interesting that they found his death certificate in Poland in. 2009. Even more interesting that we never hear about Germany’s pilot in WW II with over 350.
it is crazy that the pilot got shot and in the head and still kept going. it was an interesting article. nice to still keep history till today and incorporate it with shows such as snoopy
Deffinitly crazy to be able to fly a plane and get so many kills and be shot
Getting shot in the head and still going on to rack up 80 kills is no joke, he is a legend.
His k/d ratio is off the charts.. lol
80 kills is crazy. but being shot in the head and still racking up kills is even more impressive.
Wow he was a pro!
This guy was good and dedicated
I know that we sort of have to–because his “successes” were so impressive–, but it’s a shame that his allegiance lay with Imperial Germany. That’s 80 of our allied planes (so at least 80 allied soldiers–I didn’t look up specifics) that this man shot down.
Not only did he get 80 kills in 2 years, but he survived a gun shot wound to the head! This guy is the definition of impressive. I love to read about war heroes!
His plane and his feared title are both iconic in the history of airplanes and flight. He was a deadly fighter pilot, as seen by his record of 80 kills. While he died a young and tragic death, his story is one that we keep on telling.
He had accomplished a lot being on 25 years of age. It is weird that his death certificate was not found until 2009 in Poland.
Considering his age of 25 and amount of time in battle being only 2 years, Richtofen was a very successful pilot. Not only did he have 80 kills during this time, he also survived many battle wounds.
This guy is remarkable, obviously killing people is not good but killing 80 in the time of battle during two years at his tender age of 25 is impressive. He also was able to take a gun shot wound that I do not understand how he survived. True legend but too bad he was on Germany’s side.
Richtofen was such a successful pilot that I am sure s admired by many pilots today. He managed 80 kills in 2 years at the age of only 15? Really impressive! I wonder how many more he would have killed if he wasn’t killed at such a young age. The most interesting fact of all is that his death certificate was only found 7 years ago!
I did not realize that Red Barron pizza was named after Richtofen. I no longer want to support that brand! For whoever’s wondering, “kaput” is German for “broken.”
The red Barron went down in history as a pilot in the war with 80 kills before being shot and dying at the young age of 25. I can’t believe he only flew for two years and killed that many during those two years. He was also extremely young at on 25 years old. Compared to the ultimate ace of Germany during World War II with 352 kills, the red barons 80 kills seem small.
Only flying for two years and recording that many kills is amazing! Especially considering the style of planes that were flown at the time. I first learned about this man through the Peanuts cartoons where Snoopy acted as the Red Baron.
The Red Barron is a legend. There are many items and shows that the Red Barron have been in and on. The most famous item that the Red Barron was on a pizza brand. As a kid I would get them all the time and the pizza came with a cd where you could play a plane game as the Red Barron on the computer. 80 kills in 2 short years is amazing and at the age of 25 the pilot had a wild ride.
It ironic that an ace like this would fly such an iconic plane. Everyone in the sky could see him coming but no one could stop him. That amount of kills in only 2 years of flying is incredible.
It is amazing that Richtofen was able to survive a bullet to the head. Sometimes I think it is sad that we celebrate someone with a high kill ratio. It is just very taboo for me to see the glory in war. But Richtofen did create a legacy that we continue to use today.
Richtofen was for sure a man that enjoyed flying and fighting in the air. With The Baren, he shot down forty enemy plans but sadly got shot in the head. After he recovered he could never fly the same way again, because he would feel sick when flying.
To get shot in the head and still continue to have such a successful career goes to show how much of a trooper the Red Baron was. He had to have a tremendous amount of skill at both shooting and being a pilot to score as many take-downs as he did. He is credited with 80 confirm take-downs and possibly up to 20 more undocumented victories shows he must have been a truly remarkable ace.
It seems pointless to celebrate someone’s success in a huge loss. That would be like praising someone for hitting 10 home runs in the World Series but his team ends up losing. The plan was to win the war, not come up short. That may seem negative, but his incredible accomplishments were all for not.
His 80 recorded kills might not seem like much today, but for only flying a couple years and not having the advances in guns and airplane machinery we have today or even in later wars this is quite the feat. He came back from being shot in the head and although he suffered from the injury he didn’t give up flying.
The fact that Red Baron got shot in the head and still returned to fight with his fellow soldiers is commendable. He was really in it to defend his country.
The Red Baron is perhaps one of the greatest soldiers of all time. Over 80 kills in less than two years is remarkable. His skills were legendary and his enemies respected him. His legacy lives on in his continuous fight against Snoopy and his doghouse.
The Red Baron was one hell of a soldier. He was able to recover from a head shot and still continue flying his plane. It is amazing that in just two years he had over 80 confirmed kills. What a true war hero!
In terms of war, Richtofen was one of the best! His accomplishments of 80 kills in the air is extraordinary, considering the fact that he flew for less than 2 years. The Red Baron will always be a symbol of great air warfare.
I think it is crazy that Richtofen recovered from a head shot and was still later able to fly. When looking at the controversial reasons of his death, I believe he was shot in the head by an Australian soldier while he was on the ground. It is unbelievable that Richtofen had over 80 confirmed kills in just two years!
The Red Baron is arguably the best soldier of all time. Being shot in the head and still able to fight is a testament to his courageousness. It is unfortunate he died so soon, but he left a legacy that will last forever.
Glad he was given full military honors after his death and was returned after falling below enemy lines. A hero of war should be respected by all soldiers. A soldier knows that you don’t always get to choose who you fight for and are expected to fight anyways.
Incredible that he was shot in the head and was still able to keep fighting. Courage all over his name.
I think it is amazing that his brother also successful in the skies. I also did not expect someone else to be more successful than the Red Baron for Germany!
I cannot imagine being a soldier and witnessing this and seeing how brave he was to keep fighting.
How can you know for sure who shot down who anyway? It seems odd that these pilots were treated as if they were professional athletes. I would not be surprised if they also had trading cards.
He may have shot down so many planes but snoopy still shoots him down.
One can only take so many bullets to the body. Amazing pilot for his time. Snoopy is the true ace of the skies though.
Thats a bad plan and the victories that plane represents makes people proud, but the end is always the worst part but baron and plan has a legacy that lives on and helps us enjoy pizza, rip baron.
Feel like i need to watch Charlie Brown now
This is amazing! I can’t believe he continued to fight!
After having over 300 kills I am happy the buried him in a military uniform. Glad his life was celebrated multiple times.
80 confirmed kills in a WWI fighter plane shows the how great of a German ace the Red Barron was.
I’ve never even heard of the Red Barron before. Glad I read this.
I heard about the Red Baron for years. I’m glad the allies respected him and buried him with respect after he died.
I had no idea that he was only 26! That is so young to have achieved so much.
The only Red Baron I’ve heard of is the pizza I never heard of this guy before.
I have never heard of him. I do love Red Baron pizzas though!