Memorial speech by Dr. Bülow
Event ID: 667
05 May 1918
Source ID: 55
“Memorial speech by Dr Bülow at the funeral service at the grammar school in Schweidnitz
Honourable attendees!
We are now living in an enormously significant, perhaps the most significant, but also one of the most difficult periods in the history of our people, a time in which the sword of which Jesus of Nazareth spoke to Mary, his mother, has pierced the hearts of thousands upon thousands of German mothers, and in which a sea of tears has flowed from the eyes of the wives, brides, sisters, fathers, brothers and friends of our fallen heroes. In this most solemn time, we have gathered here today in the auditorium of our venerable grammar school for a dignified, solemn memorial service that touches us all deeply in our hearts. And our solemn and melancholy mood is heightened by the thought that the person to whom today’s memorial service is dedicated is our fallen flying hero and king of the skies, Cavalry Captain von Richthofen, who often spent time in this hall seventeen years ago as a small, cheerful sixth-grader. And even though he was only a member of this school for a year before he went to Wahlstatt to attend the officer training academy, from which he then joined the army, our renowned school will always remember him; it proudly and wistfully engraves his name in its annals as one of its best sons, alongside the many names of capable and important men who emerged from it. The poet who wrote the verses just recited, Dr. Glaser, is also one of these former students. And even though he was not born here in Schweidnitz, our old balcony town still considers Manfred von Richthofen one of its children, as he himself states in his famous book ‘Der rote Kampfflieger’ (The Red Fighter Pilot). And in his expression of condolences to the hero’s mother, the local magistrate expressly mentions Schweidnitz twice as the great aviator’s hometown, which reserves a special honour in memory of the dear departed.
And indeed, he was actually at home here; his father’s house stands here, where he repeatedly and gladly stayed as a guest. What tributes and honours were bestowed upon him by our citizens when he flew here last year in his world-famous red aeroplane! How our young people in particular cheered him, looking up to him with glowing enthusiasm and admiration. And when our dear pupils hear the legend of Achilles, the glorious favourite hero of the ancient Greeks, who preferred a short, glorious life to a long, idle existence, or when they listen to the song of Siegfried, the radiant Germanic hero, who fell to the murderous sword in the prime of his youth and beauty, then a third shining figure rises before their minds: our native flying hero, Manfred von Richthofen! He resembles both Achilles and Siegfried in his short but brilliant heroic career. Fourteen days ago today, on Jubilate Sunday, he met a treacherous, merciless death in battle, and three days ago, on 2 May, he would have completed the cycle of twenty-six years of life. At the end of May, it will be three years since the then Uhlan lieutenant joined the air force. And in this short span of two years and eleven months, he has achieved one success after another and risen to become Germany’s first and most popular flying hero, indeed the world’s first pilot, whose chest was adorned with the highest decorations. The commander of the air force, General von Hoeppner, calls him ‘the best, the leader of the fighter pilots’ in his telegram of condolence. Hindenburg said of him: ‘As the master of the German air force, as a role model for every German man, he will live on in the memory of the German people,’ and Ludendorff called him ‘the embodiment of the German spirit of attack.’ With admiration, but also with trepidation, the whole of Germany, and especially we here in Schweidnitz, followed his eventful and successful heroic career.
The feelings that inspired us all were best expressed by our Empress in her telegram of condolence to the parents, when she said: ‘So often, with every news of a victory by your son, I trembled for his life, which he had dedicated to the King and the Fatherland.’ He was victorious eighty times in aerial combat, on this most difficult and dangerous battlefield, and thus far outshone the two greatest and most famous German fighter pilots before him, Boelcke and Immelmann! Having surpassed both of them and standing undisputedly at the top of the German fighter pilots, he could well have been more cautious and spared himself.
No one would have blamed him for doing so; indeed, many, perhaps all of us here, hoped and wished for it, especially since our ignoble enemies had repeatedly put a high price on his head. But his restless drive and unyielding heroism would not allow this. It was not vain thirst for glory that drove him, but that unchanging, simple, self-evident sense of duty that lived and worked in the hearts of all the great men of Prussia, and to which Prussia and Germany owe their current greatness. Thus, his young life followed in the footsteps and spirit of the great Frederick, Bismarck, Moltke, Wilhelm I and our current emperor, men whose lives were guided by the magnificent Roman motto: ‘Patriae inserviendo consumor’ – ‘I consume myself in the service of my fatherland.’
The significance and main merit of Richthofen’s eighty aerial victories lies not only in the high number of defeated opponents and destroyed enemy aircraft, however painful and painful their loss may be for our enemies, but above all in the example and role model he set for his comrades in the Air Corps, and through which he irresistibly inspired them to emulate him. If our army now maintains air superiority in the war, this is in no small part due to Richthofen’s merit. And we all know how important, indeed
crucial, air superiority is in modern warfare. Our Richthofen therefore deserves a full share of the laurels that adorn the foreheads of our battle commanders and victors. But just as great, perhaps even greater, more important and more lasting than our hero’s military victories and glorious deeds is the tremendous boost he gave to aviation as a whole. Through his actions, he proved how safely and relatively dangerlessly an aeroplane can be handled even under the most difficult conditions, and how unerringly the man-guided ‘glider of the skies’ follows its course. This is the greatness and immortality of Richthofen’s short but successful flying career. In this sense, the newspaper ‘Die Ostschweiz’ calls him a pioneer in the field of aviation, this new and powerful area of human culture, and places him alongside Zeppelin. The beneficial consequences of both men’s work for air transport will only become apparent in times of peace. It should not go unmentioned that shortly before his death, as if he had foreseen it, our hero wrote a short compendium on aerial combat. In it, he systematically presented his rich experience in aerial warfare and left his comrades, students and successors a precious wealth of teachings as an invaluable legacy.
What makes Manfred von Richthofen’s personality particularly appealing are the two virtues of simplicity and modesty that adorned this glorious, formidable fighter pilot. These qualities were praised by all who came into personal contact with him; they are also evident in his book ‘Der rote Kampfflieger’ (The Red Fighter Pilot), which also demonstrates a distinct talent for technical, vivid description. Our Empress also sent a telegram about Manfred to his parents: ‘I can still see your son before my eyes in his modesty and with his simple descriptions when I had the pleasure of greeting him in May last year.’ The youthful, magnificent hero and human being is no more. He, the noble, chivalrous warrior, died undefeated. This fact seems certain, although otherwise a mysterious darkness shrouds his death, a darkness that we will probably never be able to completely illuminate, nor do we want to. His Siegfried-like figure now sleeps the eternal sleep in enemy soil. The grief here, as throughout Germany, was great and genuine when the news of his heroic death arrived. Heartfelt, honourable and uplifting expressions of condolence poured in from all sides, from the highest and most important personalities of our people, to his parents.
Perhaps this shared grief of the entire German people will serve to alleviate their deep and justified sorrow somewhat. Comfort can also be found in the simple, pious wisdom that Manfred himself expressed in his book with the words: ‘Nothing happens without God’s providence. That is a comfort that one must repeat to oneself so often in this war.’ Furthermore, his relatives and all of us must take comfort in the thought that his deeds and achievements are immortal and will remain unforgotten. As long as the memory of this great and most terrible of all wars lives on in our people, we will also gratefully remember Germany’s greatest flying ace, our Manfred von Richthofen! His deeds and his example will continue to have an impact, especially on German youth. And as long as his heroic spirit, his spirit of bold daring, faithful duty and self-sacrifice inspires and captivates the hearts of our youth, Germany will not perish!
So we have every reason to mourn our Manfred von Richthofen, but we do not want to lament him, who left us in the prime of his life and at the height of his glory. Those whom God loves, he lets die in youth and happiness! Let us think and feel as Alfred Wlotzka expresses in his poem ‘Ikaros-Richthofen’ with the following words: Hero Richthofen dead! – He who blazed most gloriously, The star rose to the starry sky from whence he came! His death a loss? – Too early for him? Oh, no! Whose glow heralds such glorious deeds, He begets gigantic heroes in his wake! Hail Richthofen! Hail to your fatherland!” And so, in conclusion, I call out to his spirit: Farewell, brave and great hero, you good and noble man! We will not forget you! The memory of the
righteous remains forever! Amen.”
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