Manfred von Richthofen

Born in 1892 in Breslau, Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland) Richthofen was the son of a hereditary baron. A daredevil for life, he was an avid hunter and mountain climber.

With Germany's Entrance into WW1 in 1914, Richthofen mobilized in a Silesian cavalry unit, and survived the first battle of Verdun in 1915. Soon after, he transferred to the Luftwaffe (Imperial German Air Force) as a bombardier.

By 1916, however, he was tapped for training in the then-new art of fighter combat, flying an Albatros D.

2 in March, 1916.

By the end of 1916, Richthofen was a certified ace, having downed over 20 aircraft, including the number one British ace up to that time, Maj. Lanoe Hawker.

Due to his tally, Richthofen earned the medal "Pour le Merite" (yes, the official name's in French) in December 1916.

During combat in late 1917, he was hit in the back of the head by fire from another aircraft: he survived (the bullet did not penetrate his skull) and he returned to combat in January 1918.

After von Richthofen was shot down and killed, he was buried with full military honors by his enemies. A metal plate was placed on his casket that read in English and German "Here rests Captain Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, fallen on the field of honor at twenty-five years, in an aerial combat on 21 April 1918.".

Snoopy's imaginary World War I antics and pursuit of von Richthofen in his Sopwith Camel (actually, on top of his dog house) inspired the 1966 hit song "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron" by The Royal Guardsmen.

His memoirs were published right after the war ended and have since gone through several editions. The first American edition was released in 1969 and has gone through 2-3 editions here since.