Red baron article Dueling above the trenches

[elephantshampoo]

It was very good, mentioned MVR sparing a couple lives by using hand signals after shooting up a machine, & it was fair in describing his final flight. But as usual there were the common bits that get repeated, for example, MVR began a collection of trophy souvenirs after shooting down his planes, when it reality this practice was begun by his leader Osvald Boelke who gave these to his pilots. MVR discontinued it because the jeweler informed him he was out of silver, not because he was tired of the war as the article suggests.

It also mentions he was arrogant in the early war years, arrogance & confidence are easily interchangeable terms depending on the writer.


He also mentioned the Red plane as being, I forget the term, but showboating was the inference. He wasn't the 1st to paint his plane red I read somewhere, but more to the point, it was so his pilots could follow the leader, before this, leaders had stringers/streamers behind their planes. As to showboating, MVR disdained public appearances & as to arrogance a more accurate picture of the Baron's persona can be found in his own writing where he said; After shooting down & seeing the face of my 1st Britisher, I have had mighmares ever since seeing his face again & again. Painting him out as the cold unfeeling arrogant iceberg is popular among aviation writers, but more a contrivance of legend & artistic license than reality.

[Dave Homewood]

Where was this article published?

[delticman]

It is a Bookazine published by Mortons of Hornchurch. Around a month ago I was told that it was on sale in Australian Newsagents but has not appeared in Wanganui yet.

There was a special offer in the August Railway Magazine, so have sent for it that way.

[elephantshampoo]

 Dave,The Magazine is titled Dueling above the Trenches. I went back last night to re-read it. "Flair for showmanship" was the wording used. Which is interesting for couple reasons, A, he disliked public appearances as I mentioned, but also he disdained stunt flying, never did a loop. He said after his encounter with Lanoe Hawker, "my opponent then did a series of silly loops". One of his pilots mentioned; you could go to him anytime & ask him a question about air fighting, no matter silly it was, he would patiently answer your question. His persona doesn't come across the arrogant self centered type on investigation.

Heath was the Camel pilot he let off the hook,(Lt. Elmer Ernest Heath), there were 3 others mentioned that he did this with Bird was one,( Lt. Algernon Frederick Bird, Sopwith Pup), Sometimes they would surrender in the air, MVR would follow em down without any more shooting. Not all pilots acted in this was in WW 1 & 2, ( in fact Galland has gotten a bad rap in this regard in an encounter with a Hurricane, see if I can dig it up).

The other thing it mentioned was the Pour Le Merite was the award he wanted the most. Before he got it, 1 of the requirements was that one had to shoot down a Balloon, Manfred's response was, "they can keep the silly thing then".


Anyway, here we are 90 years on & still we get these sort of tainted or colored version of MVR. Townsend Bickers was likely the Worst offender when he wrote, MVR beat his dog because he was short & it doesn't take a trained Psychologist to know what that means. Which is quite silly writing, he wasn't short for one & certainly didn't suffer from small man syndrome. His dog lost an ear chasing a plane down the runway & MVR was attempting to curb this. But there it is. I think many of us are interested in history for 1 to get the real truth as what we get on The History Channel is often PR biased type of stuff. There's plenty of great stories as it was, re-colorizing events to fit one's agenda is every bit as irresponsible as it in unacademic.

Bickers book.   www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/richard-townshend-bickers/von-richthofen.htm

[elephantshampoo]

1 other interesting thing is MVR's percentage of single seaters actually went up after his head wound.

- Before receiving his head wound: 23 single-seaters, 39 two-seaters
- After receiving his head wound: 16 single seaters, 7 two-seaters (which included the 3 Brisfits)

The article mentions Manfred losing the desire for the hunt, well it's hard to play psychic detective, but I would posit his loss of fellow pilots & the fact that the final push of 1918, ( where 1 million soldiers were transferred from Russia to west front), stymied, that combined with USA's entrance into the war made for gloomy prospects. That & his head wound would be a bit much to inhale. He did rather well after the head wound nonetheless..

[The Red Baron]

Gott in Himmell....zay iz still writing about me arvter all zeez years....

[elephantshampoo]

It will never end & many of the same points return over & over ad infinitum. Here one of MVR's pilots gives his view, which contradicts most Red Baron authors, ( As does Ernst Udet's book which mentions being "frequently" over enemy lines).

The Aces Talk page 45; The British pilot had a large B painted on his machine and was flying an SE5. Richthofen had seen this machine a few days earlier and was on the lookout for it.

Page 46. I wouldn't say, as many claim, that the English were over our lines more.
www.paperbackswap.com/THE-ACES-TALK-Edward-H-Sims/book/0345237862/



Interesting comments. 2nd one contradicts most accounts, 1st one contradicts what most Western authors have said about MVR, that he mostly chased 2 seaters, ( Townsend Bickers in particular), & usually sought Greenhorns & easy kills, ( how exactly one does this remains a mystery). & of course he was always protected & also took credit for "group kills"  Probably visited by Et's who gave him Titanium & special lazer guided sights & mini photon torpedoes. I mean heck, if we want to get with creative writing, I can do it just as well as the next guy.