Customer Reviews

The Illustrated Red Baron: The Life and Times of Manfred von Richthofen

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This book is a gem. Peter Kilduff has done an extraordinary job in compiling a wide variety of contemporary photos of the men and machines that made up the brief life of Manfred von Richthofen. What can you say about a man who shot down 80 allied aircraft, killing 59 men, was himself shot down once, and then killed in combat at 25? It was a brief spectacular warrior's life and the photos give it all substance. The photos are given extensive captioning which makes for the narrative flow. It is almost like watching a documentary film. Something I found particularly interesting was the possibility that von Richthofen was shot in the head and almost killed by friendly fire as he was attacking an FE2. The observer of the 20 Squadron aircraft has long been credited with wounding the Red Baron, but Kilduff, using photos albeit briefly, makes a case for the wounding shot being fired from behind. Also missing is the usually drawn out argument of who actually killed von Richthofen, Captain Roy Brown or Australian ground gunners. Personally, I favour the ground fire theory. At any event, this is a great book well-presented and a worthy additon to the literature about the Red Baron.

A wonderful addition to the von Richthofen files. Peter has done it one more time. Another wonderful book on Germany's greatest ace of the Great War. It is refreshing to read about the man and see many pictures which are completely new. Most MvR books hash and rehash how he died and who killed him. In my library, I have almost every book and article (good and bad) that have been published. Peter's other two books complete the most infomative, well researched and well documented history of a German hero who, until now was more myth than substance. Thanks to Peter's efforts, we now have substance of von Richthofen's short life. The histor of the Geat War is better for Peteer Kilduff's efforts.

A recent addition to my library, Peter Kilduff's newest offering on the life and times of Avations most legendary 'Ace' is already a gem and a great tool for historians and aviation enthusiasts. It was pains takingly researched and documented and every part of Manfred von Richthofen's life, his family and friends comes together in word and photo. Many of the photos have never been published before, making this book a unique and highly useful research tool. Mr. Kilduff obviously has a great respect for the subject and his objectivity is admirable. The Illustrated Red Baron is a remarkable historical document of German aviation through the camera lens and eyes of Germanys foremost fighter pilot of the Great War. The reader discovering the intricacies of a heroes rise to fame, war and the making of a legend and military genius.

An excellent book that allowed both the emotion and success of Richthofen's career to come through. The author correctly allowed the images to speak for themselves.

Everybody has heard of The Red Baron, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen - the most famous of all of the World War One flying aces. This wonderful book is the work of American von Richthofen expert, Peter Kilduff. It contains many excellent picture of the great ace, along with large and well written captions.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent book on Manfred von Richthofen. I liked seeing so many pictures of him, and found the captions to be as good as any biography. So, if you are interested in The Red Baron, then I would highly recommend that you get this book - you won't regret it!

Well, I expected more. What we have here is little more than a collection of photographs and captions. You REALLY must be a Richthofen buff to enjoy it fully. In all fairness, many of the photos are ones not usually seen and they do provide an insight into the life and times of a WWI ace.

As a history buff, but a not an authority on Richthofen, I was looking for a bit more on the man, his time and the unique character he represents.