Richthofen is the surname of a prominent
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,...
aristocraticAristocracy is a form of government, in which a few of the most prominent citizens rule. This may be a hereditary elite, or it may be by a system of cooption where a council of prominent citizens add leading soldiers, merchants, land owners, priests, and lawyers to their number...
family. The most famous member is the
air 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...
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...
(1892-1918), also known as the "Red Baron". Some members of the family have a royal ancestry as descendants of the older of two illegitimate sons of
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-DessauLeopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince member of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau, also he was a Generalfeldmarschall in the Prussian Army...
, by Sophie Eleonore Sölden.
Baron Walter von Richthofen, an uncle of Manfred von Richthofen, emigrated from
SilesiaSilesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany....
to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1877.
Richthofen is the surname of a prominent
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,...
aristocraticAristocracy is a form of government, in which a few of the most prominent citizens rule. This may be a hereditary elite, or it may be by a system of cooption where a council of prominent citizens add leading soldiers, merchants, land owners, priests, and lawyers to their number...
family. The most famous member is the
air 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...
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...
(1892-1918), also known as the "Red Baron". Some members of the family have a royal ancestry as descendants of the older of two illegitimate sons of
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-DessauLeopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince member of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau, also he was a Generalfeldmarschall in the Prussian Army...
, by Sophie Eleonore Sölden.
Walter von Richthofen
Baron Walter von Richthofen, an uncle of Manfred von Richthofen, emigrated from
SilesiaSilesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany....
to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1877. He founded the
DenverThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Colorado, in the United States. Denver is a consolidated city-county located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
Chamber of Commerce, and was co-founder of
Montclair, DenverMontclair is a neighborhood in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States. The Denver U.S. Post Office serves Montclair postal addresses.- Neighborhood History :...
at that time a village east of Denver but now a suburb. His
Richthofen CastleRichthofen Castle was built by Baron Walter von Richthofen, the uncle and godfather of Manfred von Richthofen . Richthofen Castle was begun in 1883 and completed in 1887, and modeled on the original Richthofen Castle in Germany...
was one of the most sumptuous mansions in the American West. Begun in 1883 and completed in 1887, it was modeled on the original Richthofen Castle in Germany. Located immediately around the Castle are the Baron's mistress's house and his sanitarium/dairy.
The Flying Aces
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...
was the most successful fighter pilot of
World War IWorld 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...
, with 80 official victories before he was killed in action. His younger brother,
Lothar von RichthofenLothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
(1894–1922), was also a flying ace, with 40 victories. He served alongside his brother in
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"...
. Lothar died in an air crash in 1922.
World War II
The two aviators were fourth cousins of the German
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Field MarshalField Marshal is a military officer rank. Today, it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general.-Usage and hierarchical position:...
Wolfram von RichthofenGeneralfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
was a German Field Marshal General of the Luftwaffe during World War II....
(1895-1945), himself a World War I flying ace.
Frieda von RichthofenFrieda Freiin von Richthofen , a distant relative of the "Red Baron" Manfred von Richthofen, who is best known for her marriage to the British novelist D. H. Lawrence.-Life:...
(1879-1956), who married the English
novelA novel is a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist
D. H. LawrenceDavid Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English author, poet, playwright, essayist and literary critic. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
(1885-1930) in July 1914, was a fifth cousin once removed. Though their last common ancestor was born in 1661, the Red Baron's fame nonetheless attached to Frieda's reputation in war time England. Frieda's sister
Else von RichthofenElse Freiin von Richthofen , a distant relative of the "Red Baron" Manfred von Richthofen, is known as one of the first female social scientists in Germany, wife of the German economist Edgar Jaffé as well as lover of the economists and sociologists Max Weber and Alfred Weber. Her sister Frieda von...
was the first female social scientist in Germany. Their grand-nephew, Baron Dr.
Hermann von RichthofenDr. iur. Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen is a German diplomat.He was ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1993, and his name made him a media favourite...
, was German Ambassador to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
from 1989-1993, and his name made him a media favorite.
Other
Other well-known family members include:
- Ferdinand von Richthofen
Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen was a German traveller, geographer, and scientist.-Biography:He was born in Carlsruhe, Prussian Silesia, and was educated in Breslau and Berlin. He traveled or studied in the Alps of Tyrol and the Carpathians in Transylvania...
(1833-1905), German traveller, geographer and scientist.
- Else von Richthofen
Else Freiin von Richthofen , a distant relative of the "Red Baron" Manfred von Richthofen, is known as one of the first female social scientists in Germany, wife of the German economist Edgar Jaffé as well as lover of the economists and sociologists Max Weber and Alfred Weber. Her sister Frieda von...
(1874-1973), German social scientist and feminist
- Bolko von Richthofen
Bolko von Richthofen was a German archaeologist and the brother of fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron"...
(1899-1983), German archaeologist
- Hermann von Richthofen
Dr. iur. Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen is a German diplomat.He was ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1993, and his name made him a media favourite...
(born 1933), German diplomat