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Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron
Using new research from East Germany, this is a biography of Baron Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, the celebrated flying ace of World War I. The book includes personal writings by the Baron plus new anecdotes and accounts from his contemporaries.
256 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 2, 2020
I bet writing this book was quite an effort. It is probably one of the most accurate and detailed biographies I've ever read.
It is not a light read, in the sense that it focuses heavily on battle reports and those can become tedious after a while, but the writing style is actually simple and enjoyable.
Among the endless, though necessary, accounts of battles you can find small gems that describe the personality of Manfred von Richthofen that really help to see the man behind the legend.
I take my hat off to mr. Kilduff for his amazing research job, I look forward to reading his other books too
It is not a light read, in the sense that it focuses heavily on battle reports and those can become tedious after a while, but the writing style is actually simple and enjoyable.
Among the endless, though necessary, accounts of battles you can find small gems that describe the personality of Manfred von Richthofen that really help to see the man behind the legend.
I take my hat off to mr. Kilduff for his amazing research job, I look forward to reading his other books too
March 23, 2022
Detailed bio covering combats, awards / recognition and quite a bit of family history. Includes his brothers' activities in the squadron, and a chronology of personal travels and public appearances. Quite a detailed examination of his death. Appendices reference his combats/victories, his own essay on aerial combat operations, and maps covering his operations.
May 25, 2020
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more … the Bloody Red Baron was rolling out the score … eighty men died trying to end that spree … of the Bloody Red Baron of Germany.
Peter Kilduff offers a compelling biography of one history’s greatest pilots: the German World War I ace Manfred von Richthofen, the Bloody Red Baron of Germany. In his signature red-detailed airplanes, Richthofen racked up eighty victories over the trenches of western front, double that of his closest aerial competitor, making him not only the deadliest ace of the era, but a wartime celebrity on both sides of the front.
Kilduff – in tracing Richthofen’s career in meticulous detail – delivers a compelling account of both the military aspects of the Baron’s career as well as insight into the personality of the man who would become leader, mentor, and inspiration to a generation of German aviators. Drawing heavily from primary sources (including Richthofen’s own writings), Kilduff paints a vivid picture not just of Richthofen, but of also of his fellow pilots; the two inseparable as combat evolves over the course of the war from singular knights jousting on flying steeds to massed aerial offensives pitting wings of fighters against one another.
It is perhaps one of the more fascinating aspects of the book: the transition from Richthofen as an independent, blue-blooded hunter, chivalrously taking to the air to duel, to Richthofen as air operational commander, wounded, raw, and undoubtably disheartened by watching man-after-man chewed to bloody pieces by bullets and fire in both the air and on the ground. The bitterness is clear in Richthfen’s remarks to his mother after his icily dismisses a few minor town functionaries:
I felt sorry for the people and asked if he would be a litter friendlier the next time. Manfred bolted up with an almost brusque movement, his eyes narrowed and hard [and said]: “When I fly out over the fortified trenches and the soldiers shout joyfully at me and I look into their grey faces, worn from hunger, sleeplessness and battle – then I am glad, then something rejoices in me. You should see it; often they forget all danger, jump out on to the roofing, swing their rifles and wave to me. That is my reward, Mother, my nicest reward.”
Perhaps the only drawback for the casual reader to Kilduff’s excellent biography is the density of military terms – most in German -- and the fine nuance of aircraft identification. While one can appreciate the great pains, Kilduff has taken to accurately identify every plane and pilot, the detail is often much to chew upon and feels like a bumpy interruption to the overall plot.
For history fans, tough, especially of aerial warfare, this is a good one.
June 20, 2020
If people are still writing books about you 100+ years later and people recognize the name 'The Red Baron', you are a legend. No doubt about it.
Over the years many books have been published about Manfred von Richthofen, but this is most certainly one of the best that I have ever read. This is because it succeeds in showing the man himself next to the famous pilot. During his career he kept in touch with his mother, writing her letters whenever possible, even apologizing if he did not have the time to do so. These letters, as well as the memories from his mother, show the personal side of this legendary pilot.
The book tells the story of his life, using his own writings, the stories of his fellow pilots and people that have met him, and really interesting correspondence from his family. All is mixed into a story that shows his military and personal side, as well as the history of the German Luftstreitkräfte during WWI. How the German pilots met their British and French (later also American) enemy over the trenches and how this air war became more and more a serious business, this after the 'lighter' start of the air war in the early years.
Considering his career and the intensity of being a fighter pilot, he must have suffered the effects from ptss (as we know it today). But his honor and the feeling that he could not let his fellow pilots fight the war for him kept him at the front. It is quite possible that the German high command would soon have grounded him, because he was essential as a propaganda tool and had to stay alive. Unfortunately he met his dead while disregarding one of his own rules for air combat. Rules that he had spelled out for other pilots to adhere to in order to perform at their best.
This book also corrects some of the claims made in his career, showing that some of the previous data needed correction. The author does a great job in this. There were a couple of mix ups in the serial numbers of aircraft that he had shot down, and sometimes claims were mixed up when more aircraft were downed in the same fight and same segment of the frontline.
Overall I came away impressed by the enormous effort the author put into this book. Highly recommended for any reader of books on air combat, WWI, and 'the Red Baron'.
Over the years many books have been published about Manfred von Richthofen, but this is most certainly one of the best that I have ever read. This is because it succeeds in showing the man himself next to the famous pilot. During his career he kept in touch with his mother, writing her letters whenever possible, even apologizing if he did not have the time to do so. These letters, as well as the memories from his mother, show the personal side of this legendary pilot.
The book tells the story of his life, using his own writings, the stories of his fellow pilots and people that have met him, and really interesting correspondence from his family. All is mixed into a story that shows his military and personal side, as well as the history of the German Luftstreitkräfte during WWI. How the German pilots met their British and French (later also American) enemy over the trenches and how this air war became more and more a serious business, this after the 'lighter' start of the air war in the early years.
Considering his career and the intensity of being a fighter pilot, he must have suffered the effects from ptss (as we know it today). But his honor and the feeling that he could not let his fellow pilots fight the war for him kept him at the front. It is quite possible that the German high command would soon have grounded him, because he was essential as a propaganda tool and had to stay alive. Unfortunately he met his dead while disregarding one of his own rules for air combat. Rules that he had spelled out for other pilots to adhere to in order to perform at their best.
This book also corrects some of the claims made in his career, showing that some of the previous data needed correction. The author does a great job in this. There were a couple of mix ups in the serial numbers of aircraft that he had shot down, and sometimes claims were mixed up when more aircraft were downed in the same fight and same segment of the frontline.
Overall I came away impressed by the enormous effort the author put into this book. Highly recommended for any reader of books on air combat, WWI, and 'the Red Baron'.
October 6, 2025
“Richthoven concluded his time amongst the high and the mighty that evening. Generafeldmarshall von Hindenburg hosted a formal dinner, an occasion never compete without a major speech. It was a heady experience that made just the right impression on the young hero of the air, who ‘would never have dreamed that on my 25th birthday I would sit at Hindenburg’s right hand and be mentioned in a speech by the Field-Marshal’.
A factual account of the wartime exploits of the famous Red Baron. He received many honours and gifts: “Kaiser Wilhelm II presented a bronze and marble bust of himself in martial splendour; it took two husky servants to carry it into the imperial dining room.”
He collected souvenirs from downed aircraft and created his own trophies: “Later that evening he wrote to a Berlin jeweller and ordered a special memento: a small plain, silver cup, about an inch across and two inches tall, with the lip sloping slightly toward the base. It was to be inscribed ‘1 Vickers 2. 17.9.16 to indicate his first victory, scored over a ‘Vickers-type’ two-seat aircraft on 17 September 1916. This cup was the first of 60 to be ordered to mark the ace’s victories before the jeweller was no longer able to produce them, owing to the acute shortage of silver by the time Richthoven had scored his 60th victory in September 1917”
He enjoyed the pursuits of a nobleman; when on leave and convalescing he was invited to go hunting on various estates, shooting stags, boars and bison.
The book is complete and thoroughly researched; no photographs, but he wrote a 10-page Manual of Air Combat Operations and this is included, with full notes on each chapter, maps, detailed list of his 80 victories, bibliography and index. It forms a very detailed account, of interest to enthusiasts but possibly tedious and repetitive to the ordinary reader.
A factual account of the wartime exploits of the famous Red Baron. He received many honours and gifts: “Kaiser Wilhelm II presented a bronze and marble bust of himself in martial splendour; it took two husky servants to carry it into the imperial dining room.”
He collected souvenirs from downed aircraft and created his own trophies: “Later that evening he wrote to a Berlin jeweller and ordered a special memento: a small plain, silver cup, about an inch across and two inches tall, with the lip sloping slightly toward the base. It was to be inscribed ‘1 Vickers 2. 17.9.16 to indicate his first victory, scored over a ‘Vickers-type’ two-seat aircraft on 17 September 1916. This cup was the first of 60 to be ordered to mark the ace’s victories before the jeweller was no longer able to produce them, owing to the acute shortage of silver by the time Richthoven had scored his 60th victory in September 1917”
He enjoyed the pursuits of a nobleman; when on leave and convalescing he was invited to go hunting on various estates, shooting stags, boars and bison.
The book is complete and thoroughly researched; no photographs, but he wrote a 10-page Manual of Air Combat Operations and this is included, with full notes on each chapter, maps, detailed list of his 80 victories, bibliography and index. It forms a very detailed account, of interest to enthusiasts but possibly tedious and repetitive to the ordinary reader.
November 21, 2022
As a child i remember the song about the Snoopy v Bloody Red Baron being played, '10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or more'... but as it was also a time when Catch The Pigeon was part of the daily after school cartoon feast, it all got a bit mixed up ... so i was looking forward to reading this, to learn a bit more about the man behind the myth (or novelty song, or indeed cartoon) ... and this curiosity made me persevere with the onslaught of often unexplained abbreviations, flight descriptions in the natural, untranslated german, and countless mnemonics the author liberally scattered throughout his book ... valuable, no doubt, to the researcher or fact checker, looking to verify sources or descriptions, but a tad annoying to the jobbing reader, just out to expand their knowledge out of interest, not academia.
The book whilst concentrating on the war years up to the Baron's death, also gives enough of the families history and background to help form the context of the man's life and motivations, and the pathos that the use of personal letters from Richtofen and his colleagues and family, many of whom also served in the war, made what at first read as a dry impersonal account, at times touching and deeply thoughtful. The technical aspects of the machines used by the Germans, also helped give context to the story, both in explaining german tactics, as well as exemplifying the sheer courage it must have taken to go aloft in those flying machines sorte after sorte, until death, disablement, capture or for the very few, peace finally took them from the skies ...
Would i read it again, probably not, but has it inspired me to read more, by other authors, probably, yes.
The book whilst concentrating on the war years up to the Baron's death, also gives enough of the families history and background to help form the context of the man's life and motivations, and the pathos that the use of personal letters from Richtofen and his colleagues and family, many of whom also served in the war, made what at first read as a dry impersonal account, at times touching and deeply thoughtful. The technical aspects of the machines used by the Germans, also helped give context to the story, both in explaining german tactics, as well as exemplifying the sheer courage it must have taken to go aloft in those flying machines sorte after sorte, until death, disablement, capture or for the very few, peace finally took them from the skies ...
Would i read it again, probably not, but has it inspired me to read more, by other authors, probably, yes.
January 22, 2024
A worthy introduction. Includes many primary sources, translated from the German. Covers his life and military career, cavalry as well, and the JG 1 after his death. His combat ops manual is an appendix. Worth owning.
February 18, 2024
A deep dive on one of histories most prolific airmen. A fantastic read for those that want the nitty gritty details on each of his victories. This was a surprising treat diving into the humanity and conflicted leader that The Red Baron developed into at the end of his life.
September 13, 2022
dull in parts , but overall it is a good history of a great fighter pilot and leader.
February 22, 2018
This was one of my favorite nonfiction books as a middle-schooler, so much so that my personal copy is falling apart. (Yeah, I was a weird girl.) This is a thorough biography of the famous Red Baron, although the prose can be dry, especially upon rereading. Includes photos, first-hand accounts, and a couple appedixes, which is a plus.
September 9, 2015
Prior to reading "Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron" by Peter Kilduff, the extent of my knowledge regarding the Red Baron was that he was Snoopy's arch-nemesis and that the name is used on a brand of frozen pizzas. In actuality, he was a very decent and honorable soldier (for Germany during WWI) who was credited with having shot down more enemy planes than any other flier during the war and a pioneer in military aviation tactics. When he was finally shot down and killed at the age of 25 (a young man in contrast to the grossly inaccurate depiction on the pizza box!) he had brought down 80 British and French airplanes, and was revered as a national hero in Germany and feared by his enemies elsewhere.
And while the book does a very good job at documenting those he shot down (names, places, dates and times, plane ID #s), that part of it wasn't terribly interesting. In fact I had a hard time getting into the book until about the mid-point. Although I'm not particularly interested in aviation history, I still found it an interesting story and I enjoyed the insights into the man behind the legend. And I agree with the author that his moodiness and change in attitude toward the end of his life had less to do with the head wound he had previously suffered (as is posited on several websites I've since read) and more to do with the fact that he was suffering from "battle fatigue" or "combat stress." Or, as Richthofen's mother put it, "I believe he has seen death too often."
And while the book does a very good job at documenting those he shot down (names, places, dates and times, plane ID #s), that part of it wasn't terribly interesting. In fact I had a hard time getting into the book until about the mid-point. Although I'm not particularly interested in aviation history, I still found it an interesting story and I enjoyed the insights into the man behind the legend. And I agree with the author that his moodiness and change in attitude toward the end of his life had less to do with the head wound he had previously suffered (as is posited on several websites I've since read) and more to do with the fact that he was suffering from "battle fatigue" or "combat stress." Or, as Richthofen's mother put it, "I believe he has seen death too often."
November 27, 2014
I am so glad I read this book. It was an excellent biography, filled with insight into Richthofen's life and leadership style. The penultimate paragraph perhaps says it best: "Within the span of his relatively short life, Richthofen earned a reputation of unquestioned bravery, and ability to inspire total loyalty from his comrades and respect from his adversaries. Add to those qualities the colorful personal style and combat success of 'the red baron', and the product is a larger-than-life figure who inspires interest to the point of fascination."
I also liked reading about several other pilots of interest, such as Ernst Udet and Werner Voss. I didn't realize how hand-picked Richthofen's squadrons were, and that he expected the best from everyone. I liked the supplementary materials, as well, including a list of his 80 victories, and his personal rules to aerial combat.
All in all, a great read for me.
I also liked reading about several other pilots of interest, such as Ernst Udet and Werner Voss. I didn't realize how hand-picked Richthofen's squadrons were, and that he expected the best from everyone. I liked the supplementary materials, as well, including a list of his 80 victories, and his personal rules to aerial combat.
All in all, a great read for me.
February 9, 2008
I don't think I need to explain why I read this book but I would like to say that it was very very informative and interesting. I wouldn't really recommend it to someone without specific interest in Manfred von Richthofen or WWI aviation since it can be a bit dry, but still, with interest it was quite good.
I found it to be better even than Richthofen's autobiography since it took in events reported in journals and reports on all sides. It was very comprehensive. I think if you were going to read only one book about the Red Baron, this one is a pretty good candidate.
- Kohl
August 13, 2007
I found it to be better even than Richthofen's autobiography since it took in events reported in journals and reports on all sides. It was very comprehensive. I think if you were going to read only one book about the Red Baron, this one is a pretty good candidate.
- Kohl
August 13, 2007
July 14, 2011
This was a decent read. It's a very concise, to the point biography of the ace of aces. After reading it, you have a much greater understanding of the man. It includes excepts from letters he wrote during his time in the first world war, and a very thorough list of his victories. It is packed with a lot of information in a relatively short book. But, it reads very dry. With the inclusion of the correspondences, you get to know Richthofen in his own words. However, the author does little else to add to it. Given the stature of Richthofen's legend, I feel as though this could have been a little more entertaining.
June 2, 2008
Excellent and detailed look at both the Red Baron's life, the WWI air war and the overall war. The author also delves into the pilots personal life, showing a man who had gone from a headstrong young pilot to someone who had lost all of his friends and appeared to be heading into a state of depression towards the end of his life.
This kind of personal touch is rare in books from this genre and coupled with the highly detailed and thrilling descriptions of the earliest aerial combat, this book gets five stars.
This kind of personal touch is rare in books from this genre and coupled with the highly detailed and thrilling descriptions of the earliest aerial combat, this book gets five stars.
February 2, 2016
The book thoroughly compiles all combats and sorties where Manfred von Richthofen took part. It is important to highlight that the book is aimed at aviation enthusiasts and not to the general public considering the amount of information it has on things like the detailed plate numbers of the different aircraft, the territories where the air conflicts took place, etc.
One of the best books I have read on the Red Baron. Kilduff did a wonderful research job including letters from Richthofen's mother, superiors and other fellow pilots.
One of the best books I have read on the Red Baron. Kilduff did a wonderful research job including letters from Richthofen's mother, superiors and other fellow pilots.
January 13, 2011
Didn't finish it. Wasn't as interested in WW1 aerial combat as I thought, but found Richthoven himself astonishing - such clear ambition and drive at such a young age.
January 25, 2015
The Schumacher brothers, Michael and Ralf, are the reincarnation of the Richtofen brothers, Manfred and Lothar.
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