Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar von Richthofen | |
|---|---|
 Lothar von Richthofen wearing the Pour le Mérite. | |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Service/ | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Years of service | 1914-1918 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant |
| Unit | KG 4, Jasta 11 |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite, Iron Cross First and Second Class |
| Relations | Manfred von Richthofen |
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 – 4 July 1922) was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) and a cousin of Luftwaffe Field Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen.
Early career and Jasta 11
Like his brother Manfred, Lothar began the war as a cavalry officer with the 4th Dragoon Regiment. In October 1914, while stationed at Attigny, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for valour. The following month, his regiment was transferred to the Eastern Front.
Richtofen joined the German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) in late 1915. He served from January 1916 as an observer with Kasta 23 and saw action during the Battle of Verdun. He won the Iron Cross 1st Class in December and then began training as a pilot.
His first posting as a pilot was to his brother's Jasta 11 on 6 March, 1917. His first victory claim followed on 28 March for an FE 2b of No. 25 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.
Taking part in the period of German dominance called Bloody April by the British, Lothar had won 15 more victories by the beginning of May. When his brother went on leave, Lothar von Richtofen assumed command of the squadron. The Red Baron considered his brother's combat style to be reckless, describing him as a "shooter" rather than a "hunter", and worried about his safety.
Richtofen and Albert Ball
During the first week of May 1917, Lothar von Richtofen scored three more kills. On the evening of 7 May near Douai, he led a flight of 5 Albatros D.III's from Jasta 11 that encountered 11 SE 5s from the "elite" No. 56 Squadron RFC, including the top English ace of the time, Captain Albert Ball, as well as a SPAD from No. 19 Squadron, and a Sopwith Triplane of No 8 (Naval) Squadron. In a running battle in deteriorating visibility in the middle of a thunderstorm over Bourlon Wood, both sides became scattered. Ball was seen to lose control of his plane and crash, fatally. Richtofen engaged in single combat with a Triplane, and received credit for shooting it down. Though forced to land his damaged aircraft, Richtofen escaped injury.
Even now, the details of the encounter are unclear. Pilots of No. 56 Squadron told of seeing Ball chasing an all-red Albatros before he crashed. There is also doubt about Richtofen's victory, since the Sopwith Triplane involved in the action returned to base undamaged. The propaganda value of Ball's death was obvious, however, and the German High Command awarded a victory to Lothar. Later research suggests that Ball became disoriented by vertigo, accidentally entering an inverted dive which choked his plane's carburator and killed the engine, causing him to crash.[1]
Pour le Mérite
Richtofen raised his total to 23 by 13 May when, after shooting down a BE.2, he was wounded in the hip by anti-aircraft fire and crash-landed. On 14 May he was awarded the Pour le Mérite, but his injuries kept him out of combat for five months. He resumed command of Jasta 11 in September 1917. In early 1918 he suffered a severe ear infection and was hospitalised in Berlin.
Returning to his unit in February, he claimed 3 Bristol Fighter F2.Bs on 11 and 12 March, before he was again forced down on 13 March by a Sopwith Camel flown by Captain Augustus Orlebar of No. 73 Squadron. Nursing his crippled Fokker Dr1 Triplane into a landing, Richtofen clipped a high-tension wire and crashed heavily, suffering serious head injuries. He was still recovering when he learned of his brother's death.
Lothar returned to service with Jasta 11 in July 1918. He scored his final victory (a DH-9a) on 12 August 1918, flying a Fokker D.VII. The next day he was again wounded in action against Sopwith Camels, probably by Captain Field E. Kindley of the 148th Aero Squadron USAS.[2] He was promoted to Oberleutnant, but saw no further combat before the war ended in November.
Considering the amount of time Lothar von Richtofen spent on the front and in hospitals, he was one of the most combat efficient and prolific flying aces of the war, perhaps even more so than his brother Manfred. Of his total of 40 confirmed victories, Lothar scored 33 in just 3 months: he had 15 kills in April 1917, 8 in May 1917, and 10 in August 1918.
Post war
With the return of peace, Lothar von Richtofen worked briefly on a farm before accepting an industrial position. He married Countess Doris von Keyserlingk in Cammerau in June 1919, fathering two children before the marriage was dissolved. He then became a commercial pilot, carrying passengers and mail between Berlin and Hamburg. On July 4, 1922 Richtofen died in a crash of his LVG C VI at Fuhlsbuettel due to an engine failure. Also on board were actress Fern Andra and her director Georg Bluen. Bluen died the following day, but Andra survived, spending a year recovering from her injuries.
Notes
Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as 'Baron'). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
In popular culture
- Lothar von Richtofen and his brother Manfred are featured as WWI German Aces in the popular PC game Red Baron
- In the 1971 Von Richthofen and Brown, Lothar von Richtofen is portrayed by Brian Foley
- In the 2008 biopic The Red Baron (film), Lothar von Richthofen is portrayed by actor Volker Bruch
- He and his brothers also appeared in the 2006 video game Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
- He may appear in the 2010 sequel Snoopy: WWI Flying Ace
References
- Terry C Treadwell & Alan C Wood, German Knights of the Air
- Norman Franks & Hal Giblin, Under the Guns of the German Aces
- Chaz Bowyer, Albert Ball VC