Who was the Red Baron?

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (May 2, 1892 – April 21, 1918) is a legendary German fighter pilot of the WW I, who managed to shoot down 80 enemy aircrafts and is regarded the ace-of the-aces. Many people know him by the nickname Red Baron (Der Rote Baron) which Manfred got after he painted the body of his plane (first Albatros D.V and later Fokker Dr.I ) red!

Richthofen made a meteoric career in the army. At the beginning of the war, he served as a cavalryman, but soon he got bored and asked for transfer to the Air Service. In 1916, he became one of the first members of Jasta 2 and a year later, was appointed the leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 ("Flying Circus"). By 1918, he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and highly respected and admired even by his enemies. He was shot down and killed near Amiens in 1918.

The story of this extraordinary man is a subject of many books, films and TV series.