The Red Fighter Pilot: The Autobiography of the Red Baron [Paperback]

Manfred Von Richthofen (Author), J. Ellis Barker (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2007

The autobiography of the "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen, written shortly before his death in April 1918. New introduction gives a brief history of the birth of aerial combat.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Red and Black Publishers (February 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097918133X
• ISBN-13: 978-0979181337
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting and informative, May 30, 2007

By 

Make The World A Better Place (All Around The World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Fighter Pilot: The Autobiography of the Red Baron (Paperback)

Of course everyone has heard of the myths about the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, but this book tells the real story, in his own words. Richthofen tells us about his early life, how he joined the army as a cavalry officer before going to flight school, and his experiences as the top-scoring fighter ace in World War One.

This version of Richthofen's autobiography also has a number of interesting photos which illustrate the world in which the Red Baron flew, fought, and died.

It also includes a very nice introduction which gives a short historical background of the First World War and the development of the airplane as a military weapon. Richthofen's accomplishments are placed in the context of earlier air aces like Roland Garros, Max Immelman, and Oswald von Boelcke, the German ace who took the young Manfred von Richthofen under his wing and taught him the rules of air combat.

Although there are several different printed versions of Richthofen's autobiography available, the very informative introduction and the accompanying photos make this version the best I have seen.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Red Fight Pilot, March 8, 2009

By 

D. Russell (Florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Red Fighter Pilot: The Autobiography of the Red Baron (Paperback)

Very insightful book and well written. You get a pretty clear picture of Manfred Von Richthofen's short life, how he saw the war and his place in it. He had quite a sense of humor also. Kind of sad though when you realize he was bred for war. Interesting that his fighting tactics he learned from Boelcke are still used by fighter pilots today. Good introduction that gives alot of historical information on the war and the aces. I didn't know alot about WW1 when I got this book but I've certainly become interested enough to read alot more about it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars first hand account of life of The Red Baron, October 5, 2009

By 

Brian J. Lanahan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Red Fighter Pilot: The Autobiography of the Red Baron (Paperback)

This book is great, it was written by Manfred Von Richthofen himself. The book shows all the struggles and excitement of aerial warfare in its infancy, during the first world war. The book also gives us the story before Richthofen climbed in the cockpit, back when he was in the cavalry.