27 Apr 2020
Last Photo of Richtofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, Photography, WWI
This last photo of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen, and most famously as the “Red Baron,” shows him playing with his beloved Great Dane, Moritz, just moments before he embarked on his last flight.
Arthur Roy Brown, the man who shot him down, wrote:
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“… the sight of Richthofen as I walked closer gave me a start. He appeared so small to me, so delicate. He looked so friendly. Blond, silk-soft hair, like that of a child, fell from the broad, high forehead. His face, particularly peaceful, had an expression of gentleness and goodness, of refinement. Suddenly I felt miserable, desperately unhappy, as if I had committed an injustice. With a feeling of shame, a kind of anger against myself moved in my thoughts, that I had forced him to lay there. And in my heart I cursed the force that is devoted to death. I gnashed my teeth, I cursed the war. If I could I would gladly have brought him back to life, but that is somewhat different than shooting a gun. I could no longer look him in the face. I went away. I did not feel like a victor. There was a lump in my throat. If he had been my dearest friend, I could not have felt greater sorrow.â€
Freiherr Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen was given a full military burial by No. 3 Squadron Australian Flying Corps, which included a memorial wreath inscribed with the words,“To Our Gallant and Worthy Foe.â€
(via sternvonafrika)