Reinhard about the Richthofens
Event ID: 670
17 August 1917
Source ID: 55
‘Richthofen’s friend, whom he himself had designated as his successor, once wrote the following about the Richthofens: Richthofen’s father was commonly referred to as ‘the flying father’ in the squadron, and rightly so. After all, two flying heroes were his sons. The number of aerial victories achieved by these two reached the impressive total of one hundred and twenty. A third son is still at the Wahlstatt Cadet Academy. Richthofen’s father also flew, not over the enemy, but to visit his sons, and not just once, but often. Such a visit was a day of honour for the squadron. When our emperor was told about this, he was very pleased and said to those around him: ‘What, the old man flies too?’ Despite his age, Father Richthofen had placed himself at the disposal of the state; but as he was hard of hearing, he could no longer fight on the front lines and became a local commander. It was a wonderful sight when Father Richthofen, surrounded by his two sons, stayed with us. Three sturdy soldier figures! Father Richthofen was tall and broad-shouldered, not stooped despite his age, with a striking face; our cavalry captain was somewhat stocky but of strong build, and Lothar was slim and sinewy, a horseman’s figure. And just as their appearance immediately identified them as old Prussian officers, their character and nature were also thoroughly military.
Both sons had received exemplary training for their profession. Our cavalry captain had been class president in the cadet corps, proof that even then he was already the first among his peers. Father Richthofen, like his sons, loved openness and straightforwardness. In typical Silesian fashion, he was somewhat reserved towards strangers. He took a particular interest in aviation and its officers. He never told his sons to slow down or preached caution to them. Only once – and this was after his eldest son’s seventy-fifth aerial victory – did he say that enough was enough and that he should take his time with shooting down planes. One could call this an omen. However, our cavalry captain was of the opinion that, as squadron commander, he was obliged to inspire the gentlemen with his example and daring. In the mess hall, our flying father sat among his comrades for hours on end, listening to stories of aerial combat. He rejoiced at every daring feat of flying, and since he himself had often been an eyewitness to many aerial battles from the ground, he showed us great understanding. He was also familiar with our flying jargon and shared with us the joys and sorrows of the fighter pilot. Father Richthofen visited us particularly often when we were stationed in Flanders, because he was not far away from us, and many festive occasions gave him reason to come. One such occasion was the 200th aerial victory of Jasta 11. Like his sons, he loved conviviality very much. Just as we maintained loyal camaraderie in the air, we did so in our mess hall, and in this Richthofen was an example to us all. To give Father Richthofen a special treat, the commander-in-chief appointed him local commander of the larger town near us, so that he could be even closer to his sons and visit them often. But as fate would have it, we were transferred to another section of the front shortly afterwards, and unfortunately our flying father was unable to follow us. Instead, he was a welcome guest at Staffel Boelcke, with which his son also had close ties, as he had shot down his first fifteen opponents there. His favourite in this squadron was the squadron commander, First Lieutenant Lörzer. We often asked our flying father to have his photograph taken with us as a lasting memento. However, Father Richthofen had a great aversion to being photographed; only once did we manage to capture him on film with cunning and trickery. That was when Fokker visited us at our airfield and wanted to film him. His sons were the same. All the pictures we have of our cavalry captain are not posed and certainly stand out for their naturalness. The Richthofens hated any outward display. They never dressed conspicuously, and we rarely saw our cavalry captain wearing all his numerous medals. The only medal he liked to wear was the Pour le mérite, the highest award for a soldier. His demeanour was simple and unpretentious, the son of his father. In his local district, our flying father was often given ovations, which he declined on his own behalf. It will be clear to everyone that we greatly admired our flying father and took him into our hearts.
Our cavalry captain was a real man. He had a well-rounded personality, but at first glance and for someone who had only known him for a short time, he was difficult to understand. In typical Silesian fashion, he was slow to open up to strangers. But once he had taken someone into his heart, he would go through fire for them. There were many, especially in the air force, who thought our cavalry captain was proud and unapproachable. It may well be true that he first observed his people, judging them not by their appearance but only by their actions. He was a true ‘military soldier’. An infantryman who endured daily barrage fire or had weathered many difficult storms was certainly just as important to him as a pilot with aerial victories. He was reserved by nature, and his inner self was only open to those whom he had come to appreciate as personalities over time. In his spare time, he sought to further his education. However, he could never have been described as a bookworm. Conversations with him were always stimulating. His book ‘Der rote Kampfflieger’ (The Red Fighter Pilot), which was intended primarily as an inspiration and incentive for young people, shows that he was also active as a writer. I often saw him writing detailed military reports. Shortly before his death, he wrote down his thoughts on what he considered to be a good fighter pilot, how he fought in the air in small and large formations, in short, what a fighter pilot should and should not do. He was a very determined person. What he demanded of others, he demanded first and foremost of himself. He sought to inspire us by his example and to train us to become capable pilots. He was often the first at the airfield, and we arrived after him, ashamed. He also knew what he wanted from his superiors. Once he had decided that something was right, he pushed it through with iron determination. He was not a one-sided personality. He was interested in everything, especially military matters, of course. He enjoyed talking to infantrymen who had just come out of the trenches from battle, and listened to their stories about what had happened to them and what they had seen of German and enemy aircraft. When he passed artillery observation posts, he liked to get out and look at the battlefield through his binoculars. He particularly enjoyed visiting air defence officers, listening to detailed reports of air battles and watching them himself through his binoculars, especially during the period when he was unable to fly himself. He also enjoyed talking to the gentlemen from the airship divisions. His interest was not limited to fighter aviation; he was also familiar with the concerns and difficulties of the infantry, combat and artillery aviation divisions and enjoyed talking to these gentlemen about the interaction between the different types of aircraft. In short, he was not only a specialist in fighter aviation, but he also took an interest in the entire military structure and was a born general staff officer. Once he had set his mind on something, he carried it through to the end. However, if he saw that something was inappropriate, he quickly put an end to it and did not hold back with his opinion. He preferred superiors with whom he could speak freely and who did not take offence at his frankness. Just as he spoke freely what he thought, he also liked his subordinates to do the same. He never took offence at these gentlemen expressing a contrary opinion and told them quite openly: ‘That’s how I like it.’ This aspect of his character caused offence to some, because not everyone can tolerate an open opinion. His book, in which he openly said what he thought, also caused
some head-shaking. Richthofen was clever. If he recognised that a person could not tolerate the truth, he was closed off to such people, which was sometimes misinterpreted. He did not like talkativeness. If you confided a secret to him, you could count on him to be as silent as the grave. He was also popular as a superior because he represented you with his whole person. The result was that we would have walked through fire for him. The fact that he was appointed to the responsible position of squadron commander at such a young age required him to act accordingly.
He never had anything to reproach himself for, neither towards a superior nor towards a subordinate. He had simply been a military soldier from his youth.
Among comrades in the officers’ mess, he showed a completely different side. There he was cheerful, enjoyed the company of young people, and loved to joke. He never took a friendly joke the wrong way. One evening, we placed an English soldier with a fixed bayonet in his room to scare him, and he greatly enjoyed it. He knew his comrades well and immediately realized it was a joke.
In the mess, he was our equal, a comrade who drank and had fun with us, but never to excess. He loved social gatherings and was happy to welcome any guest; but he did not like those who wanted to interrogate him, especially reporters. In such cases, he became closed off, withdrew into himself, and did not say a word. This was often misunderstood.
With all his heart and his fine soul, he was deeply attached to Jasta 11. Only the very best was good enough for this squadron. It is entirely thanks to him that this fighter squadron became the best and the foremost. If someone asks me why, I can only say it was because he carried everyone along through his example.
He explained to us how air combat should be done, he demonstrated it to us in the air, and he demanded that we copy him. If we did not – whether because we lacked the nerves or the boldness that he demanded from every fighter pilot – he would speak to us openly about it. He would say that he had expected something different and that it would probably be wiser to choose another military career.
That he was particularly close to the members of his Jasta 11 is explained by the camaraderie shared in the air. That was our Richthofen. He judged his men not by what they said, but by what they achieved as fighter pilots. After the first flights, he already knew exactly what each man was capable of – they did not even have to have fought in the air.
“Not by what someone says, but by what he achieves do I judge him,” he said.
When asked how he himself had started as a fighter pilot, he always referred to his teacher, the grand master Boelcke, who had given him the motto: “The main thing is: get close to the enemy! After that, a bit of shooting and hitting is still required!”
It was precisely in this that Richthofen was our master, for from his youth he had loved hunting and was an excellent marksman.’
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