Manfred von Richthofen (1892–1918)
Born 1892 CE, died 1918 CE.
Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (German: [ˈmanfreːt fɔn ˈʁɪçthoːfn̩]; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen, discovered by Oswald Boelcke, transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of the fighter squadron Jagdstaffel 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917, he became the leader of Jasta 11. He eventually rose to command the larger fighter wing Jagdgeschwader I, better known as "the Flying Circus" or "Richthofen's Circus" because of the bright colours of its aircraft and perhaps also because of the way the unit was transferred from one area of Entente air activity to another – moving like a travelling circus with their aircraft loaded on railroad flatcars and frequently setting up in tents on improvised airfields.
Text from the Wikipedia article Manfred_von_Richthofen, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.