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 Baron
Manfred Von Richthofen or better know as the Red Baron,
was born in Breslau to a prosperous family. Richthofen and
his younger brother Lothar followed their father into military
careers. In 1912 Richthofen became a lieutenant in the 1st
Uhlan Cavalry Regiment of the Prussian Army. Where he fought
in Russia after the outbreak of World War I and then participated
in the invasion of Belgium and France. When trench warfare
settled in and the cavalry became sidelined, Richthofen
joined the infantry. In 1915 he transferred to the Imperial
Air Service and in September 1916 entered combat as a fighter
pilot. There he became commander of Fighter Group I and
led the unique group of fighter pilots who became known
as "Richthofen's Flying Circus" because of their decorated
planes. Richthofen painted his plane red to show off his
prowess in the air and thus earned the nickname of the Red
Knight of Germany or the Red Baron. He was credited with
the destruction of 80 Allied planes before being shot down
in his red Fokker triplane when caught in a barrage of Australian
enemy ground fire during a battle near Amiens. According
to another account, he was shot down by Captain A. Roy Brown,
a Canadian in the Royal Air Force.
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