Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 – 4 July 1922) was a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
fighter aceFighter Ace is a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace
Manfred von RichthofenManfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron". He was the most successful flying ace of the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories.Richthofen was a member of an...
(the
Red Baron) and a cousin of
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
Field MarshalGeneralfeldmarschall was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
Wolfram von RichthofenGeneralfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
was a German Field Marshal General of the Luftwaffe during World War II....
.
Like his brother Manfred, Lothar began the war as a
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
officer with the 4th Dragoon Regiment. In October 1914, while stationed at
AttignyAttigny is the name of two communes in France:* Attigny, Ardennes, in the Ardennes département* Attigny, Vosges, in the Vosges département...
, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for valor.
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 – 4 July 1922) was a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
fighter aceFighter Ace is a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace
Manfred von RichthofenManfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron". He was the most successful flying ace of the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories.Richthofen was a member of an...
(the
Red Baron) and a cousin of
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
Field MarshalGeneralfeldmarschall was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
Wolfram von RichthofenGeneralfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
was a German Field Marshal General of the Luftwaffe during World War II....
.
Early career and Jasta 11
Like his brother Manfred, Lothar began the war as a
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
officer with the 4th Dragoon Regiment. In October 1914, while stationed at
AttignyAttigny is the name of two communes in France:* Attigny, Ardennes, in the Ardennes département* Attigny, Vosges, in the Vosges département...
, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for valor. The following month, his regiment was transferred to the Eastern Front.
Richtofen joined the German Army Air Service (
Luftstreitkräfte) in late 1915. He served from January 1916 as an observer with
Kasta 23 and saw action during the
Battle of VerdunThe Battle of Verdun was one of the critical battles during World War I on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February to 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
. He won the Iron Cross 1st Class in December, and then began training as a pilot.
His first posting as a pilot was to his brother's
Jasta 11Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 armee's Keks 1,2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the German Air force's expansion program, forming permanent specialised fighter squadrons, or "Jastas"...
on 6 March 1917. His first victory claim followed on 28 March for an FE 2b of No. 25 Squadron,
Royal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery cooperation and photographic reconnaissance...
.
Taking part in the period of German dominance called
Bloody AprilDuring the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps . The RFC suffered particularly severe losses - about three times as many as the Imperial German Army Air Service over the same period - but continued its primary role in support of the ground...
by the British, Lothar had won 15 more victories by the beginning of May. When his brother went on leave, Lothar von Richtofen assumed command of the
squadronA squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, armour, aircraft , or warships.-Army and Marines:A cavalry squadron , typically consists of four troops.-United States:...
. The Red Baron considered his brother's combat style to be reckless, describing him as a "shooter" rather than a "hunter", and worried about his safety.
Richtofen and Albert Ball
During the first week of May 1917, Lothar von Richtofen scored three more kills. On the evening of 7 May near
DouaiDouai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some 40 km from Lille and 25 km from Arras, Douai is home to one of the region's most impressive belfries.The population of the metropolitan area, including...
, he led a flight of 5
Albatros D.IIIThe Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
's from
Jasta 11 that encountered 11 SE 5s from the "elite" No. 56 Squadron RFC, including the top English ace of the time, Captain
Albert BallAlbert Ball VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC was an English First World War fighter pilot and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces...
, as well as a SPAD from No. 19 Squadron, and a Sopwith Triplane of No 8 (Naval) Squadron. In a running battle in deteriorating visibility in the middle of a thunderstorm over Bourlon Wood, both sides became scattered. Ball was seen to lose control of his plane and crash, fatally. Richtofen engaged in single combat with a Triplane, and received credit for shooting it down. Though forced to land his damaged aircraft, Richtofen escaped injury.
Even now, the details of the encounter are unclear. Pilots of No. 56 Squadron told of seeing Ball chasing an all-red Albatros before he crashed. There is also doubt about Richtofen's victory, since the Sopwith Triplane involved in the action returned to base undamaged. The propaganda value of Ball's death was obvious, however, and the German High Command awarded a victory to Lothar. Later research suggests that Ball became disoriented by vertigo, accidentally entering an inverted dive which choked his plane's carburator and killed the engine, causing him to crash.
Pour le Mérite
Richtofen raised his total to 23 by 13 May when, after shooting down a
BE.2The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine two-seat biplane in service with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I...
, he was wounded in the hip by anti-aircraft fire and crash-landed. On 14 May he was awarded the
Pour le MériteThe Pour le Mérite, known informally during World War I as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order until the end of World War I....
, but his injuries kept him out of combat for five months. He resumed command of Jasta 11 in September 1917. In early 1918 he suffered a severe ear infection and was hospitalised in Berlin.
Returning to his unit in February, he claimed 3 Bristol Fighter F2.B's on 11 and 12 March, before he was again forced down on 13 March by a
Sopwith CamelThe Sopwith Camel was a British World War I single-seat fighter biplane introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It had a combination of a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns...
flown by Captain
Augustus OrlebarAir Vice Marshal Augustus Henry Orlebar AFC & Bar was a British Royal Air Force officer. He was the son of Augustus Scobell Orlebar and Hester Mary Orlebar, of Podington. The Orlebars were an old family, having built Hinwick House almost 200 years earlier, after holding the manor since the...
of No. 73 Squadron. Nursing his crippled Fokker Dr1 Triplane into a landing, Richtofen clipped a high-tension wire and crashed heavily, suffering serious head injuries. He was still recovering when he learned of his brother's death.
Lothar returned to service with Jasta 11 in July 1918. He scored his final victory (a DH-9a) on 12 August 1918, flying a
Fokker D.VIIThe Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 1,700 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
. The next day he was again wounded in combat against
Sopwith CamelThe Sopwith Camel was a British World War I single-seat fighter biplane introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It had a combination of a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns...
s, probably by Captain
Field E. KindleyField Eugene Kindley was an aviator and World War I flying ace.-Birth and Early Life:Field Eugene Kindley was born at Prairie Grove in northwestern Arkansas...
of the 148th Aero Squadron USAS. He was promoted to
OberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
, but saw no further combat before the war ended in November.
Considering the amount of time Lothar von Richtofen spent on the front and in hospitals, he was one of the most combat efficient and prolific
flying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of air victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.It is said that fighter aces are a dying...
s of the war, perhaps even more so than his brother Manfred. Of his total of 40 confirmed victories, Lothar scored 33 in just 3 months: he had 15 kills in April 1917, 8 in May 1917, and 10 in August 1918.
Post war
With the return of peace, Lothar von Richtofen worked briefly on a farm before accepting an industrial position. He married Countess Doris von Keyserlingk in Cammerau in June 1919, fathering two children before the marriage was dissolved. He then became a commercial pilot, carrying passengers and mail between Berlin and Hamburg. On July 4, 1922 Richtofen died in a crash of his
LVG C VILVG C.VI was a German two-seat reconnaissance aircraft used during World War I.-Development:The aircraft was designed by Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt and developed by Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft in 1917. The C.VI was a further development of the C.V, which Sabersky-Müssigbrodt had made for his former...
at Fuhlsbuettel due to an engine failure. Also on board were actress Fern Andra and her director Georg Bluen. Bluen died the following day, but Andra survived, spending a year recovering from her injuries.
In popular culture
- Lothar von Richtofen and his brother Manfred are featured as WWI German Aces in the popular PC game Red Baron
Red Baron is a computer game for the PC, created by Damon Slye at Dynamix and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was released in 1990....
- In the 1971 Von Richthofen and Brown
Von Richthofen and Brown, also known as The Red Baron is a 1971 film directed by Roger Corman. It starred John Phillip Law and Don Stroud as the titular characters.- Plot Summary :...
, Lothar von Richtofen is portrayed by Brian FoleyFor the New York State Senator, see Brian X. Foley.Brian Foley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with West Perth in the WANFL. He occupies a forward pocket in West Perth's official 'Team of the Century'....
- In the 2008 biopic The Red Baron (film)
The Red Baron is a German biopic about the legendary World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen.-Plot:...
, Lothar von Richthofen is portrayed by actor Volker Bruch
- He and his brothers also appeared in the 2006 video game Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron is a flight combat game released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and PC in 2006. As the name implies, the protagonist is Snoopy, the dog in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip, Peanuts...
- He may appear in the 2010 sequel
A sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work.In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear...
Snoopy: WWI Flying Ace
External links