Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen, was the top ace of the First World War, with eighty confirmed victories. He is also one of the most famous fighter pilots of all time. A Prussian nobleman, he started the war as an officer in a Uhlan cavalry unit, serving on both the Eastern and Western fronts. In May 1915 he joined the flying service, initially as an observer then as a pilot, flying two-seaters. In August 1916, ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke recruited von Richthofen into a fighter squadron he was forming. He would later take command of Jasta 11, and then of Jagdgeschwader 1, the famous Flying Circus . Manfred von Richthofen would be shot down and killed on 21 April 1918.Using period images with captions taken from von Richthofen s 1917 autobiography, Der Rote Kampfflieger, this book will illustrate his story."