WAR “ACE’S” ROMANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 916, 8 March 1930, Page 27

WAR “ACE’S” ROMANCE

CONVENT GIRL’S LOVE FOR “RED KNIGHT” RICHTHOFEN’S DEATH DUELS A romantic story of the secret love affair of Germany’s greatest war hero, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, tj.ie flying “ace,” who killed 85 airmen in single combat, is told in “The Red Knight of Germany,” by Fiiloyd Gibbons (Cassel), published in the last two months in London. The 25-year-old hero, during the height of his exploits, was besieged by love-sick frauleins, whose letters made up the bulk of his mails. Richthofen had a sweetheart, however, but kept it a secret. One of his admirers "was a girl in a convent. She wrote that she had hung up a picture of him in full uniform and decorations in her cell, and had been ordered to remove it | by the Superior. She overcame the difficulty by painting a nun’s gown over the uniform, and a nun’s veil round his handsome face. So her hero gazed down at her unchallenged! Mother’s Greatest Treasure After the Baron’s death in one of « the most thrilling air duels of the war, his British adversaries wrote of him: —• “Richthofen w r as a brave man. a decent adversary, and a true nobleman.” That British tribute his mother treasures most of all the eulogies that were heaped upon him. Compiled from the Baron’s secret papers and from authenticated records, the book tells the story of his 80 air victories, and of his death, which has been the subject of bitter controversy. There have been disputes as to whom the credit of defeating the “Invincible” belonged, and the Germans at one time believed the ugly story that their hero had been shot on the ground after being forced to descend. The story told in the new book j leaves no room for dispute.

It shows the Baron, jubilant over his SOth victory, glorying in his 26th decoration, the Order of the Red Eagle, going confidently out to lead his famous “Red Circus” in his allred fighter. On the British side Captain jtoy Brown, a Canadian, himself an “ace,” a physical wreck after his 14 months of air fighting, led out his flight to keep the first of their two daily appointments with the Richthofen : “Circus.” The Baron had that morning been . i making arrangements to go game- j hunting in the Black Forest, and there were suggestions that he was so vital to the German morale that he would not be allowed to return t.o active service in case he was killed. The t Fate that had been extraordinarily kind to him in 20 mouths of hand-to-hand lighting decreed otherwise. The fight at Corbie began by the German circus attacking two British reconnaissance planes. The British lighters, flying two miles above, swooped down to their rescue. Under Brown’s command was Lieut. | W. R. May, of Melbourne, who was having his baptism of fire. He had been ordered to keep out of the “dog

fight,” and to attack only isolated planes. He found one, and while the rest were engaged in a fierce indefinite melee he brought down his opponent in flames, and made for home according to orders. Just then, in the red Fokker that had become the symbol of death to British airmen, the redoubtable Baron detached himself from the fight, and darted after May. He got behind the lieutenant and poured bullets into his plane. The “Baby” looked round, and saw the eyes of the deadliest marksman of the air peering at him from behind the gun. He tried desperately to shake him off, looped and side-slipped, but still the Fokker kept behind. Then Brown, himself closely engaged, looked around for his fledgling, and found him in the claws of the eagle. He swooped. This aerial encounter was watched anxiously by the .German and British soldiers in the trenches, and by the Australian gunners trying to train their guns on the “Red Death.” One Lewis gun sent chips flying from the plane as Brown attacked. Richthofen did not realise that he was being attacked, and Brown’s tracer bullets penetrated the cockpit. The Red Knight of Germany went down. i His Fokker hit uneven ground, but straightened on to an even keel. The Germans had seen it make a safe landing, and from that began the story that Richthofen had been shot in cold blood on the ground. British Tribute i The British airmen, who had a proi found admiration for the Baron, buried I him with full military honours. Six i lighting pilots acted as pall bearers; j the coffin was covered with wreaths. In 1925, the body was exhumed, and ! taken to Berlin, where thousands passed it as it lay in state. It was I buried in the presence of his mother, his brother—sole survivor of the four males who went to war—and President Hindenburg. It is difficuut to decide from the book what was the real character of I this great champion, who killed 85 | airmen and took prisoner over 20 j more. His Trophies After his baptism of fire he discovered a lust for distinction. When he brought down his first victim he ordered a Berlin jeweller to ] make a silver cup inscribed with the | number of the victory, the description ! of the machine and the date. Each 1 victory was marked in the same way. j Every tenth “kill” was commemor- ! ated by a cup twice as large, until at; the 60-th Germany’s supply of silver; gave out and the manufacture was sus- ! pended. His 11th victim earned him great j distinction, as he brought down Major i Hawker, V.C., the British “ace.” After his 50th victory he returned to j Germany to be feted and worshipped, j He was received by Ludendorff, Hindenburg and the Kaiser himself. The “ace's” home in Upper Sijesia is a museum where his trophies are kept, including his cups. Hawker’s machine gun. and a gold bust vhich the Kaiser presented him with. His brother Lothar, also au “ace.” who claimed to have brought down the British hero. Captain Ball, V.C., was j killed in a flying accident after the ! war.