(C. J. von Dühren, public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Today marks the 98th anniversary of the final two kills by German World War I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron.
Here are some things you might not know about the Red Baron:
First: Richthofen didn’t start the war as a pilot.
He was originally a cavalryman, which was not a very useful position given the advent of trench warfare. Eventually he transferred to the Air Service, beginning pilot training in October 1915.
Second: Only 16 of his 80 kills were made while flying the red triplane which is most commonly associated.
He didn’t begin flying the Fokker DR-1 until November of 1917. He won his final 19 victories in the DR-1 before being killed on April 21, 1918.
Third: Richthofen was killed by a single shot, likely from the ground while fighting with Canadian pilot Wilfrid May. He managed to land the plane, which was soon torn apart by souvenir hunters.
Our question: The Fokker DR-1 is the most well-known German plane of World War I, what was the best-known Allied warplane of the war?
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