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Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Red Baron wasn't particularly patriotic - he just wanted to fly. He applied to both the German Army Air Service and the British Royal Air Force.


See also:
- NOVA: Who killed the Red Baron?

keywords: manfred albrecht freiherr von richthofen, military, history, famous people, government, fighter pilot, flying ace, dog fight, luftwaffe, oswald boelcke, pour le mérite, the flying circus, lieutenant wilfrid "wop" may, cedric popkin, australian 24th machine gun company, vickers gun, peanuts, snoopy, la baron rouge, le diable rouge, petit rouge, red knight, der rote kampfflieger, world war i, trivia, funa fact, fact of the day


5 Comments

  • In fact, the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, was so incensed at being rejected by the British RAF that he carried a grudge for the rest of his life. In the weeks before his death, he wrote a letter to his cousin that provided a detailed plan for conquering Europe. The last sentence in this letter was "Punish the British harshly for the injustice they have done me."

    The letter was sent on March 21, 1918, one month to the day before Richthofen was killed. His cousin, then 29 years old, was Adolf Hitler.

    This is every bit as true as the original fact.

    By Anonymous The Blue Duke, at November 10, 2007 2:58 PM  

  • LOL
    YES

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at August 06, 2008 12:27 PM  

  • Of course...

    Who wants to bet he applied to the Soviets as well?
    And the Mexicans?
    Anybody?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at May 25, 2009 1:49 PM  

  • the RAF wasn't formed until the first of April 1918. He must have been turned down by the Royal Naval Air Service/ Royal Flying Corps.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 23, 2009 5:37 PM  

  • Where did you find this fact? Does fun mean unfounded? Can anyone find a link to a legitimate source.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at May 04, 2010 3:33 PM  

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