3 May
(UTC+1)
Events on this day in the life of Manfred von Richthofen
Holck's funeral
Ein Heldenleben, Ullstein & Co, 1920??p. 190??
“Dear Mum!
Thank you very much for your birthday wishes. I had a very nice birthday here. In the morning, I had three very thrilling dogfights, and in the evening, I sat with Zeumer, my first pilot, until one o’clock in the morning, drinking May punch under a blossoming apple tree. I feel very comfortable in my new job as a fighter pilot; I don’t think any other position in the war could appeal to me more than this one. I fly a Fokker, which is the aircraft with which Boelcke and Immelmann have had their huge successes. I am very sorry about Holck’s death. I had visited him three days before he fell, and we had such a good time together. He told me about his capture in Montenegro. It is impossible to imagine that this man, who was bursting with health and strength, is now no more. I was an eyewitness to his last air battle. First he shot down a Frenchman in a squadron, then apparently had a jam and wanted to fly back over our line. Then a whole swarm of Frenchmen latched onto him. With a shot to the head, he plummeted from three thousand metres. – A beautiful death. – Holck with an arm or a leg would be unthinkable. Today I am flying to his funeral.”
Fighter pilot!
Richthofen, der beste Jagdflieger des großen Krieges, Italiaander, A. Weichert Verlag, Berlin, 1938??p. 87??
‘As can be read in a letter dated 3 May 1916, he felt ‘very comfortable in his new occupation as a fighter pilot’ – ‘I believe that no other position in the war could appeal to me more than this one.’
MvR breakfast with Kaiser Wilhelm II
Der rote Kampfflieger von Rittmeister Manfred Freiherrn von Richthofen, 1917, 351.000 - 400.000, Verlag Ullstein & Co, Berlin-Wien??p. 159??
‘The next day I was invited to lunch with Her Majesty and travelled to Homburg for this purpose. There I had breakfast with Her Majesty, was also presented with a birthday present, and I had the great pleasure of performing a take-off for Her Majesty. In the evening I was once again invited by Field Marshal General v. Hindenburg.’
Breakfast with the Kaiser
Richthofen, Beyond the legend of the Red Baron, Peter Kilduff, Arms and Armour, 1993??p. 109??
“Richthofen found his midday appointment at the Kurhaus much more to his liking. He recalled: “It was my birthday and someone must have divulged that to His Majesty and so he congratulated me. First on my success, then on my 25th year of life. He also surprised me with a small birthday present.
The description of the gift is understated. Kaiser Wilhelm II presented a bronze and marble bust of himself in martial splendour; it took two husky servants to carry it into the imperial dining room. It was a rather immodest gift, but Richthofen graciously accepted it as a singular distinction. He had it shipped home to Schweidnitz, where it was displayed proudly for many years when his family residence became the Richthofen Museum.
“The Kaiser talked with me for about a half hour after the meal; the conversation was very one-sided. The theme of the dialogue was anti-aircraft guns.” Then, switching roles from Supreme War Lord to Father of the Nation, Kaiser Wilhelm wagged his finger at Manfred von Richthofen and playfully threatened: “I have heard that you are still flying. You be careful that nothing happens to you!” Turning to his aide-de-camp, Kapitän zur See Nikolaus Graf zu Dohna-Schlodien, the monarch asked: “How could that be? Have I not forbidden him to fly?” The aide responded: “Majesty, in the interests of the whole situation, we cannot do that. We need Richthofen as an example and as a Geschwader-Kommandeur, we need him as a combat pilot…””
The Kaiserin
Richthofen, Beyond the legend of the Red Baron, Peter Kilduff, Arms and Armour, 1993??p. 110??
“Richthofen, too, was no courtier, but he knew the role he had to play. The following day Ltn Krefft, who delayed his own leave to enjoy life among the luminaries of the German Empire, flew Richthofen to Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. The old spa city, northeast of Frankfurt am Main, was one of the great playgrounds for Europe’s rich and royal families. The most important guests arrived at the Kaiserbahnhof, a special wing of the main railway station. It therefore caused a local commotion when Krefft and Richthofen arrived in a great open field in an LVG C.V two-seater.
Lothar von Richthofen recounted what Manfred told him about the reception: “The Kaiserin had such interest in aviation that she herself appeared at the airfield. During the flight my brother wore the old leather jacket in which he had achieved all of his aerial victories. Right after landing he reported to the Empress. In order to justify to some extent that he had dressed in his old leather jacket for this ceremonious occasion, he told her that he had won 52 aerial combats with it. The Empress stroked the jacket and said: “The good jacket, you have gone through 52 aerial victories with it.”
Bad Homburg had been spared the wartime deprivation of other German cities and, much to the Empress’s liking, was almost devoid of the blur of uniforms seen in Bad Kreuznach. The arrival of the famous flyer became a marvellous diversion. Although forbidden to fly, Richthofen could not resist starting the two-seater’s engine and taxiing across the broad lawn, raising a wind at every turn.
Empress Auguste Victoria presented Richthofen with a belated birthday present, ‘a gold and white enamelled cigarette case inscribed with her name’, a reminder of his new status as a national hero. With that status came a greater degree of comfort and even affection for his hostess, as he recalled: “One had a feeling, as it was with Hindenburg; one was in the presence of a charming old lady, with whom one could compare an old aunt or one’s own grandmother, and easily forget that she is the Empress.””
