One name epitomises the spirit of the air war over and above the trenches of Flanders – Baron Manfred von Richthofen. Richthofen's own autobiography The Red Air Fighter is now to be published as a trade paperback by Greenhill. To quote from the memoirs of this leading and internationally famed World War I ace fighter pilot: We had just arrived at the Front when we recognised a hostile flying squadron that was proceeding in the direction of Cambrai. Boelcke was of course the first to see it, for he saw a great deal more than ordinary mortals. Soon we understood the position, and everyone of us strove to follow Boelcke closely. It was clear to all of us that we should pass our first examination under the eyes of our beloved leader. We approached slowly the hostile squadron. It could not escape us. We had intercepted it, for we were between the Front and the opponents. If they wished to go back they had to pass us. We counted the hostile machines. They were seven in number. We were only five. All the Englishmen flew large bomb-carrying two-seaters. In a few seconds the dance would begin. Boelcke had come very near the first English machine, but he did not yet shoot. I followed. Close to me were my comrades. The Englishman nearest to me was travelling in a large machine painted in dark colours. I did not reflect very long, but took my aim and shot. He also fired and so did I, and both of us missed our aim. A struggle began, and the great point for me was to get to the rear of the fellow because I could only shoot forward with my gun. He was differently placed, for his machine-gun was moveable. It could fire in all directions. My Englishman twisted and turned, flying in zig-zags. I did not think for a moment that the hostile squadron contained other Englishmen who conceivably might come to the aid of their comrades. I was animated by a single thought: 'The man in front of me must come down, whatever happens.' At last a favourable moment arrived. My opponent had apparently lost sight of me. Instead of twisting and turning he flew straight along. In a fraction of a second I was at his back with my excellent machine. I gave a short burst of shots with my machine-gun. I had gone so close that I was afraid I might dash into the Englishman. Suddenly I nearly yelled with joy, for the propeller of the enemy machine had stopped turning. Hurrah! I had shot his engine to pieces; the enemy was compelled to land, for it was impossible for him to reach his own lines. In The Red Air Fighter Richthofen tells not only his own story but also that of his contemporaries, their duels in the sky, ever present danger, fame, honour and spiralling death. Richthofen began the war as a cavalry officer, skirmishing with Allied troops during the German push for Paris. He joined the flying service in May 1915 to escape the boredom of ground warfare and quickly showed complete mastery of the art of the fighter pilot and a keen instinct for the kill. As his victories mounted, his fame was assured and the legend of the Red Baron and his flying circus was born. Credited with eighty victories, Richthofen was just twenty-five when he was killed on 21 April 1918 whilst flying over the Somme valley. This book has an introduction by Norman Franks, plus an important appendix by him about Richthofen's kills. This appendix has been updated with the latest research on the Red Baron's victims, especially for this trade paperback edition. Norman Franks is an acknowledged expert on aviation history with a special interest in the air war over the trenches of the Western Front, and has written many applauded books, most recently published by Grub Street. Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 89 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Greenhill Books This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com