Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron [Hardcover]

Peter Kilduff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 1994 | ISBN-10: 047100877X | ISBN-13: 978-0471008774 | Edition: 1

Praise for Richthofen Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron "A lively, three-dimensional account of the world’s most famous fighter pilot. Peter Kilduff’s exhaustive research makes this the book on Richthofen." —John Toland "This book is not only an exciting true story for the general reader but also is a valuable research tool for the World War I aviation specialist. Even the Red Baron would be proud." —Peter M. Grosz, leading German aviation authority.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kilduff, a former editor of Over the Front magazine, has combed recently released records in Germany for this life story of WW I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen. A quintessential man of war, Richthofen was killed in action in 1918 at the age of 25; he left behind a record of 80 downed planes but nothing significant in the way of diaries or correspondence. His inner life is correspondingly obscure. Richthofen's public roles as pilot, leader and heroic symbol made him a national hero whose mystique endures to the present day. As a commander he used his reputation to secure the best pilots and equipment, and his Jagdeschwader was arguably the most accomplished fighter unit on either side of the air war, just as he was arguably the war's greatest fighter pilot. Kilduff focuses on details, clarifying Richthofen's victory list and analyzing the circumstances of how he was shot down. But a discussion of the dynamics of Fighter Wing 1 and the impact of Richthofen's elitism on Germany's air force would have made this more than a routine, though useful, military biography. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

German nobleman Manfred von Richthofen was the archetype of the enemy ace: efficient, cunning, and seemingly invulnerable. His death in April 1918 may have marked the end of hope for the German cause. Kilduff, a celebrated aviation historian who translated the writings of Richthofen for a 1969 history, brings a thoroughness to his subject it has never seen. Kilduff describes the dread German fighters felt as they went up against the growing number of increasingly superior Allied machines as well as the uncomfortable, hectic but exhilarating patrols over hostile trenches and the routines of life. Together with diary entries, letters, and archival materials, these descriptions form a vivid picture of World War I air combat. A valuable treatment of a remarkable life; recommended for aviation collections.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 2, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047100877X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471008774
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,520,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting even for non-historians, January 25, 2006

By 

J. Green (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron (Paperback)

Prior to reading "Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron" by Peter Kilduff, the extent of my knowledge regarding the Red Baron was that he was Snoopy's arch-nemesis and that the name is used on a brand of frozen pizzas. In actuality, he was a very decent and honorable soldier (for Germany during WWI) who was credited with having shot down more enemy planes than any other flier during the war and a pioneer in military aviation tactics. When he was finally shot down and killed at the age of 25 (a young man in contrast to the grossly innacurate depiction on the pizza box!) he had brought down 80 British and French airplanes, and was revered as a national hero in Germany and feared by his enemies elsewhere.

And while the book does a very good job at documenting those he shot down (names, places, dates and times, plane ID #s), that part of it wasn't terribly interesting. In fact I had a hard time getting into the book until about the mid-point. Although I'm not particularly interested in aviation history, I still found it an interesting story and I enjoyed the insights into the man behind the legend. And I agree with the author that his moodiness and change in attitude toward the end of his life had less to do with the head wound he had previously suffered (as is posited on several websites I've since read) and more to do with the fact that he was suffering from "battle fatigue" or "combat stress." Or, as Richthofen's mother put it, "I believe he has seen death too often."

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good bio, but frankly not much new ground here, June 21, 2002

By 

J. Collins (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron (Hardcover)

"Richtofen" purports to "use the newly released archives of the former East Germany" to add some detail to basic outline of Manfred von Richtofen's life. The book does justice to its subject; no doubt about that. The narrative has many first-person accounts, and copious footnotes. But for all that, there's frankly not much REALLY new here at all. Most of what is new is minutae: this victory is not RE8 S/N 05638 but RE8 S/N 61645-type statements.
The author does include the latest research on the Fokker Dr1 and demythologizes that aircraft at least. (Richtofen wasn't overly enchanted with it, contrary to legend, but the fighter he really wanted the DVII wasn't ready.) I was frankly surprised to see a serious gap in the research that I read while living in Germany. The Luftwaffe Surgeon-General pulled Richtofen's medical records out of the archives and made a possibly crucial psycho-physiological profile of him ca 1917/18.
This profile concludes that his head injury sustained in 1917, was serious enough to permanently ground him (even at the time; German medicine in WW1 led the world). He also found evidence that the famous nurse who attended him, Kaetie Obersdorf was a compromise between the Surgeon-General's office and Richtofen/High Command. Finally, and most relevant for Kilduff's book, the profile's author proposes that chronic symptoms from the injury may have impaired Richtofen's judgement: leading to his fatal mistakes on 21 April 1918.
If you have a casual interest in Richtofen or WW1 fighter aviation, this book might be worthwhile. Serious students/enthusiasts of Richtofen will learn nothing substantially new.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't expect to smell castor oil, but..., November 22, 2008

By 

Wily (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron (Hardcover)

M. v.Richthofen may well end up being a boring Hero. Disciplined, methodical, practical...and opportunistic, The Red Baron's airplane and title were more exciting than the "real" man. Kilduff plays it for history, not drama. No sex scandals, no rakish behavior, no grandstanding, no arrogance - The Red Barron was simply a guy who decided to be good at his job of killing other people with his airplanes - at least that's how Kilduff records him.

Based on history, Kilduff is probably right on, too. Nevertheless, don't let the warning of "dryness" scare away. Kilduff brings to light many interesting, periodic details that will tickle aviation, history and general readers alike. Surely, this book is worth buying - for self or as a gift. Just don't expect Sagittarius Rising - now THAT is a WW1 story (but no where near as legendary).

Credit goes to Kilduff for telling it like it is. Thank you.