Manfred von Richthofen today
Event ID: 507
Categories:
01 October 1990
Source ID: 28
“by NATO Secretary General Dr Manfred Wörner.
I must describe my relationship with Manfred von Richthofen as very personal – and I have had this relationship since my childhood. I was certainly influenced by my mother. Shortly before I was born – that was in 1934 – she read Manfred von Richthofen’s book “Der Rote Kampfflieger”. This made it clear to her at the latest: “If it’s a boy, he’ll be called Manfred”.
And this choice of my first name was not at all a whim. My mum talked to me about Manfred von Richthofen very early on. For her, he was a model of chivalry and fairness. Incidentally, my mother never flew until she was 68; my father maybe once or twice.
As a boy, flying was the big dream for me – no wonder after this pre-initiation. I knew all the great fighter pilots of the First World War. Of course, Manfred von Richthofen was right at the top of my list. I grew up admiring this man. There is no doubt that I idealised Manfred von Richthofen as a child. The more I learnt about him over the years, the more realistic my image became – more realistic, but not worse!
I read von Richthofen’s “Red Baron” myself for the first time when I was 15 or 16. That was in 1949, at a time after the catastrophe of the Second World War, when civil aviation was unthinkable in Germany. I’ve read the book several times to this day with interest and emotion. This also applies to Kunigunde von Richthofen’s memoirs and reflects the spirit of the time perfectly.
It was clear to me very early on that I wanted to become an aviator myself, and of course also a military pilot. As it was forbidden for Germans to train as pilots until the mid-1950s, this initially had to remain a pipe dream. Eventually, however, I was able to obtain my gliding licence in 1953.
When I spent a few semesters in Paris during my studies, I was able to take the examination for motorised aircraft in France. When I returned to Germany, I obtained my German civil pilot’s licence. As a reservist in the German army, I was finally able to fly jet fighters. I received my first training on a jet aeroplane – it was a Fouga Magister – in a reservist club. The Luftwaffe later retrained me on fighter types.
The personality of Manfred von Richthofen has captivated me to this day. This also applies to the time during my membership of the Defence Committee of the German Bundestag and, of course, during my time as Defence Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany. Even as Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, I occasionally have points of reference to Manfred von Richthofen. After all, a NATO squadron of the German Air Force in Wittmund bears Manfred von Richthofen’s name.
Incidentally, I have often realised in conversations that he enjoys a great reputation among the air forces of all allies, and that he is met there without reservation. Von Richthofen is valued as an excellent fighter pilot – which he indisputably was. He has become a symbol of chivalry, irreproachable behaviour and flying skill.
It is my conviction that such symbolic figures have a unifying character that transcends the borders of individual nations. I was able to observe this at large traditional airmen’s meetings with participants from many countries. Former enemies got to know and appreciate each other as people. This is of great importance for the peaceful coexistence of nations. And if the memory of Manfred von Richthofen helps with this, then that is one of the greatest compliments imaginable.
Manfred von Richthofen’s human integrity was not damaged by the interrogation of his person during the Third Reich – and in particular by Hermann Göring. The attempts to abuse von Richthofen at that time do not speak against him in my eyes. On the contrary, I am convinced that, had he still been alive at that time, he would have distanced himself with disgust from the atrocities committed. Anyone who thinks they can read anything else out of “Red Fighter Pilot” is simply failing to recognise the historical context in which von Richthofen wrote his book. Of course he was a child of his time. And it was precisely at the beginning of the First World War that nationalism was celebrating a joyous revival. In all countries, not just in Germany. Of course, people thought differently back then than we do today. But that cannot devalue this man.
When you consider that Manfred von Richthofen was just 22 years old when the war broke out and not even 26 when he fell in April 1918, it is astonishing how differentiated his judgement of the events of the time was. Who is left untouched when he writes: “Now the battle that is taking place on all fronts has become devilishly serious, there is nothing left of this “fresh, cheerful war”, as our activities were called at the beginning….I now have the dark impression that a completely different Richthofen shines out of the “Red Fighter Pilot” to the people – than I myself feel.”
Manfred von Richthofen’s flying success was certainly due in large part to his personal courage, but this should not be confused with blind bravado. At least as important was his tactical skill, which was all the more noticeable as he had to take on increasing responsibility. In April 1918, just a few days before his death, von Richthofen set out the essential principles of successful aerial combat in the First World War in his “Flying Testament”. Richthofen’s tactics were shaped not least by his concept of military honour. It was based on respect, even towards the enemy. This respect forbade the senseless destruction of human life. If possible, you landed next to the downed enemy and took him prisoner personally. There was not the ideologically based hatred of later times, but in many cases chivalry, which in individual cases even survived into the Second World War.
I am by no means romanticising or even idealising the warfare of the First World War. Every war is terrible and destructive. It therefore remains the foremost duty of our generation to prevent it once and for all. But that is precisely why, in my view, it makes sense to reissue and read a contemporary document such as Manfred von Richthofen’s “Red Fighter Pilot”. And if, as is to be expected, much will be written in second or third hand for his 100th birthday, the original should also be available.”
Comments (0)