The Red Baron

by Nicholas Wright

A biography of the World War I ace known as the Red Baron who shot down 80 Allied planes before he himself was killed, a month before his twenty-sixth birthday.

Genres: Biography

116 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Nicholas Verney Wright (1940, Cape Town, South Africa) is a British dramatist. He was born in Cape Town, attended Rondebosch Boys' School and from the age of six was a child actor on radio and on the stage. He came to London in 1958 to train as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and subsequently worked as a floor-assistant in BBC Television and as a runner in film, notably John Schlesinger's "Far From the Madding Crowd." He started work at the Royal Court in 1965 as Casting Director and became, first, an Assistant Director there and then the first Director of the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs, where for several years he presented an innovatory programme of new writing. From 1975 - 1977 he was joint artistic director of the Royal Court and he was subsequently a member of the Royal Court Theatre's Board. He is former literary manager and associate director of the Royal National Theatre, and a former member of the National Theatre Board. In 2014 and 2015 he will be the judge of the Yale Drama Series competition for playwrights. His publications include 99 Plays, a survey of drama from Aeschylus to the present day, and Changing Stages, co-written with Richard Eyre.

Reviews

[Seth owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say that the author’s purpose for writing this book was to tell the life story of the greatest pilot of WW1. Also to tell what Manfred did before flying and before the military. He also wanted to tell that Manfred may have been a good pilot but that wasn’t the only thing that he ever did during the war, Manfred all over Germany rallying the troops and helping the war effort.

The Theme of this book is that Manfred wasn’t a blood thirsty killer that scored the skies just to kill for fun I mean sure he did that sometimes but he was also a person that liked being with his family when he was on leave. On page 103 in the book there is a picture of his room in the house that is covered all over with pieces of planes that he downed including a light fixture mad from part of an engine of a plane as well as many differ Serial numbers from planes.

I would say that The Red Baron is a narration because the author is telling Manfred’s story through a series of event that are in chronological order that also used some foresight in the beginning.

I think that The Red Baron was a very good book that portrayed Manfred’s life and death very well. I like the book mainly because there was a lot of action, the author didn’t waste time putting every single little detail about the gore of the scene, it shows that greatness can come from unlikely places (because he originally wanted only to be in the cavalry but then switched and learned how to fly expertly) and because the book showed the how much honor and respect the different sides had for each other. The only thing that I disliked was I thought there should have been more pictures. I don’t think that I would change anything in this book nor could I since its about real events in history. It reminds me of the biographies in middle school that I read about Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent biography of the Red Baron for kids, albeit one focused mostly (but not entirely) on his military career. It's long since out of print, of course, but I remember borrowing it from the library in third grade because I was a big fan of Peanuts and wanted to learn more about this person that Snoopy was always trying to shoot down, and I enjoyed it so much that I went back and borrowed it again to re-read a couple more times over the next few years.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a biography about a german ace in World War I, and Nicholas Wright focuses on not only his war career but also his life. It was interesting to learn about WWI and the air battles instead of just the ground. It really informs you on how it happened and how he did it. It takes you through the life of a great pilot who shot down 80 ally planes before he was shot down right before his 26th birthday. The author wants to inform people on how good of a pilot he was so he will be remembered.
The book has a war theme because its mostly about fighting in the air but he also talks about life on the ground. I think shooting down 80 planes is a big achievement, and he was one of the greatest fighter pilots to have ever lived. I think he wanted to make sure people knew about the german hero and what he did.
It’s written step by step in the red barons shoes through his life as a pilot. It is easy to understand what’s going on. It isn't a very long book so it’s easy to read and I recommend it. He describes the intense fights in the air and the fear he must have felt when he was shot down. It was like experiencing it first hand through the eyes of the red baron.
I thought it was an ok book only because I barely read anything and no book really seems to interest me. It was an action packed book and I liked that because it kept me reading. I didn’t like the parts about his life that much because it wasn’t interesting. Overall it was good but I probably wont read it again.

[Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book was about the red baron. It told of his life leading up to is time in the air-force. For me it seems like the author is trying to explain who an what made Manfred von baron Richthofen who he was and why.It also seemed pretty straight forward their wasn't really any hidden things. My book is written in essay for really it tells about his life has some quote's and tel by letters of his life as a Prussian.
I strongly suggest that you read this book because it is overall well written and is hard to put down.It also showed that the author was a good historian it show pictures of the baron his plane and some others.told about his studies and time in the cavalry.
All in all this to me was a wonderful book if you like history then this book will be great if you don't its not all about war. It is allot about his life. So i strongly suggest this book to everyone it is an extremely good book and i look forward to reading it again.