The Red Baron's Autobiography: The Red Battle Flyer

     I don't know that I would consider this required reading for pilots, but it certainly is in the top 20 if not top 10. In German the book is entitled: Der rote Kampfflieger  or in English: The Red Battle Flyer. The book, written during the war, was for sure a piece of propaganda to a large extent, but it is still worth reading nonetheless. The Baron's real name is Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen...which I will just shorten to Richthofen or the Red Baron if that is ok with my many (well maybe just my wife and me) readers.
   I used to wonder why the British had special squadrons whose sole purpose was to hunt down and kill the Red Baron. It seemed a great waste of resources and not fitting with a logical strategy (or tactic...there is a nuanced difference that I would like to understand better) for winning the air war in WWI. But, a few nights ago, because of a big snow storm, school was called off and I had a rare opportunity to sleep in a little. While sleeping in, I had a dream that I was a young, brand new allied pilot on the western front and getting ready to go into combat for the first time. I was so afraid of facing the Red Baron and the certain death that would likely follow,  that I was in a complete state of panic...for certain I would be preoccupied by this thought for my first several days of combat and that much less ineffectual. It was that morning, while shoveling and thinking about this, that I understood the special squadrons.It was a terrifying dream. I can't say it wasn't cool for sure to have a taste of this feeling, but it was a little too real and I was thankful to only be facing a day of snow shoveling instead of straining my eyes for the sight of an all red Fokker Tri-Plane that he painted all red just to let you know whom you were facing and that your time left on this earth could easily be counted in seconds. Richthofen did this on purpose and lets be clear here...he understood his role and didn't glorify it...aerial combat is murder and Baron was a cold blooded killer in the air.
     The Baron was actually honored and excited that he was getting this special attention. In the book, he was certainly portrayed as a cocky young man. One morning while he was still in bed his orderly rushed in and told him that the English were there. "Sleepy as I was, I looked out and, really, there were my dear friends circling over the flying ground." Of course, he hopped into his plane and soon made his 32nd kill. "This was a case of splendid daring." But, his opponent had "paid for his stupidity with his life." Baron loved nothing more than shooting "one or two Englishmen for breakfast". Of course, this probably captures some of the truth, but it was propaganda and even the Baron himself considered that he was too arrogant and was portrayed as too arrogant in the book, but was himself killed in battle before any revisions.
     I have always appreciated that Baron, like myself, is a small man in height, but extremely competitive and became the most successful fighter pilot of WWI with at least 80 kills to his name. I also appreciate that he was honest about the difficulties of flying an airplane. In fact, he actually wrecked his aircraft on his first solo!  This part of the book was especially enjoyable and the part with the least propaganda. I felt a common bond with him as he described his first solo: "There are some moments in one's life which tickle one's nerves particularly and the first solo-flight is among them." He admits in the book that he was afraid, but that this wasn't something he could admit at the time. He describes the joy of solo flight then came the hard part--landing. "I lost my balance, made some wrong movements, stood on my head and I succeeded in converting my airplane into a battered school bus. I was very sad , looked at the damage which I had done to the machine...and had to suffer from other people's jokes. Two days later I went with passion at the flying and suddenly I could handle the apparatus."
     While I now understand the special squadrons and had a very small taste of the fear he created, I know what kind of spirit the Baron had and how this all backfired and made his reputation that much greater. He considered the special squadrons a  "splendid joke" and in the end found it more convenient that his "customers" now came to him. So yeah, it didn't work...it was a nice thought I guess...kill off the Red Baron so the allied pilots weren't so hysterical and could concentrate a little better, but in the end the tragedy of war, the senseless slaughter that was WWI caught the Baron as it did his victims.