Manfred von Richthofen

Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot of the First World War and is regarded as the war's leading ace, officially credited with 80 air combat victories. He began as a cavalryman, transferred to the air service in 1915 and was among the first pilots of Jagdstaffel 2 under the guidance of Oswald Boelcke. In 1917 he took over Jasta 11 and later commanded the larger fighter wing Jagdgeschwader I, nicknamed the Flying Circus for its brightly painted aircraft and its travelling way of moving between sectors. Admired as a tactician and leader, he was shot down and killed over France near Vaux-sur-Somme on 21 April 1918, and the exact circumstances of his death are still debated.