Amazon Quiz (August 10, 2021): What was the nickname of the German fighter pilot who became famous for flying a plane like this in World War I?
Here are your options:
a. Red Demon
b. Red Baron
c. Red Warrior
d. Red Devil
Answer : B. Red Baron
Manfred von Richthofen, a German fighter pilot who was the deadliest flying ace of World War I, was known as the Red Baron. Between 1916 and 1918, the Prussian aristocrat shot down 80 Allied planes, earning him worldwide acclaim for his scarlet-coloured planes and ruthlessly successful flying technique. Richthofen’s renown increased after he became commander of the Flying Circus, a German fighter wing, but his time in the cockpit was cut short when he was killed in combat over France in April 1918.
Baron Manfred von Richthofen was born on May 2, 1892, in what is now Poland, to a wealthy family of Prussian aristocrats.
He had an affluent background and spent his childhood hunting and participating in sports before enrolling in military school at the age of eleven. Richthofen was commissioned as an officer in the Prussian army’s 1st Uhlan cavalry unit in 1911, following eight years as a cadet.
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Richthofen’s bloodiest moment in the cockpit occurred in the spring of 1917. During the month of April alone, he shot down nearly two dozen Allied planes, bringing his total to 52 and solidifying his position as Europe’s most fearsome fighter.
In Germany, he became a popular propaganda icon, receiving multiple military honours and being featured in numerous news pieces and postcards.