The Red Baron
..., he was accepted into the Royal Military Academy at Lichterfelde. He feared that it would be like Wahlstatt, but he was wrong. The harsh discipline was gone, and instead he was treated like a young gentleman. By 1910, After completing his study at Lichterfelde he continued his military training at the Berlin War Academy where he also studied about politics for one year. Although he was not interested in politics, he knew it was important and a necessary part of his training. He graduated in 1911. Following his graduation, he immediately enlisted to join a Calvary unit, the 1st regiment of Uhlans (light combat troops used mainly for spy work). Soon after being accepted into the Calvary unit, Manfred soon became bored riding the horses knowing his brother Lothar a calvary officer was winning glory elsewhere. When his orders were received, he saw that he was reassigned to Supply Corps. Furious he wrote a note requesting a transfer to the air service. When Manfred’s got his first test flight, he was very anxious. His first flight was so thrilling that he couldn’t wait to go up again. Manfred was in a dinning car when he met Oswald Boelcke, who flew a Fokker, a plane that was able to fire bullets though the propeller blades, without shooting itself down. Soon he became better friends with Boelcke, and was trained to become a pilot. The first attempt on his flight test failed, when he crashed his plane on landing. The second try he landed fine, and became a pilot. Manfred Albrecht Richthofen was a hero to himself, his family, and of course his country. Manfred was a hero to himself, because he set high goals, that he was able to achieve. receive the Pour Le Merite, (The Blue Max). It was Germany’s highest and award for courage and bravery. He set that goal when In June of 1916, Manfred was greeted by his hero Boelcke who had just raised his tally of enemy aircraft to 19. Another one was to fly a Fokker DR- tri-plane. He was a hero for his family especially his father, because he followed in his fathers footsteps and became a famous, well known Military figure. Finally, he was a hero to his country because he shot down eighty planes, and he died for his country. Also his death made younger men who joined the air service urge to live up to his high standards. The “Red Baron” was a nickname given to Manfred by captured enemy pilots because of his distinctive m...