Event
The red fighter plane
May 20, 1917
‘Now I have written a book. It has been published by Ullstein and is called ’Der rote Kampfflieger" (The Red Fighter Pilot).Every day I receive letters and cards from peo...
Event type
MvR correspondance
Browse the timeline by historical event classification.
Event
It's all about the fight
July 18, 1917
"The commander of a fighter wing must be in close proximity to his troops. It is unacceptable for him to reside somewhere in the rear, communicate with his pilots by tele...
Event
Asking for new airplanes
April 2, 1918
"That evening, Richthofen wrote to his old friend Oberleutnant Fritz von Falkenhayn at the Kogenluft office in Berlin: After a long time I come once again with a quest...
Event
MvR on rotary engines
February 27, 1918
"a letter to Fritz von Falkenhayn. A few days ago I sent you a report about the Rizinus Ersatz relative to rotary engines. I am of the opinion that, owing to the poor...
Event
A flight in a tethered balloon
February 17, 1918
"On a beautiful February day, I finally realised my long-held plan to ascend in a tethered balloon. A young gentleman from my squadron who shared the same desire joined m...
Event
Ms. Bitsenko
December 29, 1917
"I almost got Frau Bitsenko as a table companion. It would have been a grand, amusing conversation. I would have enjoyed it, for she had also hunted down some of her enem...
Event
Condolence letter to Gerhard Böhme, brother of Erwin Böhme
December 1, 1917
"I have just received the painful news of the death of your brother. One becomes firm and hard in war, but this blow hits me right in the heart. You know yourself how clo...
Event
Letter to Fritz von Falkenhayn
November 6, 1917
"(because of the initial problems with the Fokker Dr. 1) Richthofen's only recourse was to protect his resources. That evening he wrote to Fritz von Falkenhayn in Berl...
Event
Thank you note to Voss' father
June 19, 1917
"Letter from the Voss family via a private source. "I would be grateful if I could learn the addresses of both of the charming young ladies. I think that within eight...
Event
MvR writes to his friend von Falkenhayn
July 18, 1917
"Dear Falkenhayn, We are facing a greater cause! Last night, the artillery barrage began quite gently, but I think we'll have a hell-of-a-mess here on the 20th. (Our f...
Event
Meetings and medals at HQ
June 9, 1917
"During Richthofen's second visit to Bad Kreuznach he met Czar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, who made a special impression on him: "The Czar is a tall, stately gentleman with an...
Event
What do you say to your two wayward sons?
May 9, 1917
" Dear Mum! I'm sure you're very angry with me for being in Germany for almost eight days now without writing to tell you where I am. I'm here in Freiburg on a caperca...
Event
In response to the 'anti-Richthofen' squadron
May 6, 1917
"I do not want to over-react, but I have the sinister feeling that the gentlemanly British will not be able to settle the matter quite so according to plan as they have i...
Event
A frustrated MvR writes home
June 20, 1916
"A few days ago I nose-dived into the ground with my Fokker. Witnesses were more than a little astonished when, after quite some time, I crawled out of the heap of rubble...
Event
Boredom before Verdun
November 2, 1914
"Dear Mum! We are now lying in shifts like the infantry in the trenches, with the French two thousand metres in front of us. It's quite boring in the long run, because...
Event
Lothar's crash
March 23, 1918
"You have now received my telegram informing you of Lothar's fall. Thank God he is doing very well. I visit him every day. So please don't worry about anything. He is alr...
Event
Brest-Litowsk
January 15, 1918
"You must be wondering why you haven't heard from me for so long, but that's always a sign that I'm doing well. In this case, however, I have experienced a great deal. As...
Event
Very little activity
December 11, 1917
‘There is very little activity here at the moment, which makes it terribly boring. Today I am travelling to Speyer to visit an aircraft factory. I intend to spend Christm...
Event
Giving the English a hard time
September 30, 1917
I was delighted about Lothar's sudden recovery. After the holidays, we can get back to giving the English a hard time, and I'm in the same squadron as Lothar. My haul ove...
Event
I am very happy about Lothar’s health
August 28, 1917
"I am very happy about Lothar's health. However, under no circumstances should he be allowed to return to the front until he is physically back to full strength. Otherwis...
Event
About victory 41
April 13, 1917
"As a matter of fact, I had been allowed to bag only forty-one. Anyone will be able to guess why the number was fixed at forty-one. Just for that reason, I wanted to avoi...
Event
Immelmann
June 22, 1916
"Dear Mum! What did you say about Immelmann's death? In the long run, everyone believes in it – even Boelcke. The commander of Lothar's fighter squadron also didn't re...
Event
A Nieuport down
April 27, 1916
"Dear Mum! Just a quick note to share some good news: take a look at the army report from 26 April 1916! One of the planes my machine gun has on its conscience."
Event
Cheese and eggs
May 1, 1915
"So it was that toward the 1st of May, he received instructions to prepare himself for another duty in the service of supply, still farther back from the front lines. Str...