29 April 1917
Source ID: 55
“A description by the Berlin correspondent of the Allgemeines Handelsblad
The reporter observed the flirtatious manoeuvres of an English pilot who, enveloped by the bursting shrapnel of German anti-aircraft guns, seemed to be challenging the German pilots. Suddenly, a strikingly coloured aircraft with black crosses on its wings shot past the enemy aircraft. ‘Richthofen!’ cried the soldiers. A wild chase began, with serpentine turns, loops and circles. But the German aircraft remained constantly above the Englishman and pushed his opponent ever lower towards the ground, no matter how skilfully he manoeuvred. The anti-aircraft guns fell silent. Like two birds in love on a spring evening, the two aircraft played with each other. But the enticing flute-like sound of both was gruesome: the tat-tak-tak of their onboard guns sounded harsh and cruel at breakneck speed. Suddenly, however, the Englishman shot diagonally towards the ground. Deeper and deeper… Several kilometres away from my observation post, he hit the ground. He lay crushed beneath his machine. Richthofen had neutralised his fiftieth opponent. That same evening, he added two more victims to his glorious series.
A few days later, I spoke to the cavalry captain in person. He was still a young man, no more than twenty-five years old, with light blue, good-natured eyes and a cheerful smile. What could he tell me? He had only been flying for a short time. He had been lucky. The German aircraft now in use are in no way inferior to the French and English ones. The German pilots are not lacking in boldness either. And von Richthofen attributes the fact that his squadron was particularly lucky – it shot down 140 enemies, while only two of his squadron did not return – mainly to the better shooting skills of the German pilots. But all credit to the English pilots. They are brave fellows, tough sportsmen, who now regard flying not only as a sport, but also as a science. They are to be taken more seriously as opponents than the French, who certainly do not lack courage and confidence, but who rely too much on their elegant intuition. The young cavalry captain recounted all this without any boastfulness. A man who has experienced the seriousness of life in hundreds of air battles is well aware of his fame, but he knows that the moment may come for him too, a moment that did not spare Boelcke and Immelmann. Anyone who must be ready day and night to undertake the most dangerous venture of war, no matter how young and famous he may be, has no understanding for boasting. His nerves are like the tension wires of his aircraft, strong and always taut. His mouth remains closed, his gaze calm. It was therefore very difficult to get von Richthofen to speak. Why are the planes in his squadron painted so brightly? Coincidence. His first planes, heaven knows why, were brightly coloured. The English therefore recognise him and his comrades at first glance. He performed his fastest feat just a few weeks ago. One morning, he was still in bed in a nearby town. He was awakened with the news that an enemy plane was in sight. Get up? Stay in bed? He got out of bed. He threw his fur coat over his pyjamas and quickly put on his helmet. He raced to the hangar in a car. Up into the air. Fifteen minutes later, von Richthofen was back in his bed. The Englishman had been killed. Shortly afterwards, Richthofen’s shed contained a ‘Spad’ aircraft, the latest model of the Entente air force. The pilot’s seat, the wings, the machine gun were covered in bloodstains. The bullet must have hit the Englishman in an artery. With such images in his mind, the daring young man became a serious, taciturn man.”
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