This was a cheap book for which I had very low expectations. I did not expect to find out much new – he was shot down by Snoopy wasn’t he? How wrong could I be.

Richthofen was shot down and killed near Vaux-sur-Somme on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death this is explored in great depth by the author, Leon Bennett.

Fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen lacked innate aerobatic ability. As a tyro, he attempted to solve this problem through denial, going so far as to sneer at stunting as pointless. Great War air combat experience proved quite the reverse, and so we would anticipate a short and sad fighting life for the fellow. Yet the Red Baron became the Great War’s single greatest scorer, as measured by total victories.

This book is concerned with tactics, especially those tactics used by the Red Baron and his opponents. It offers the how and why of Great War aerial combat. The author provides many line drawings of these tactics explaining them in great depth in a very readable style. Whilst the author does not dismiss popular theories he offers instead the logic surrounding those elements determining success or failure in the Red Baron’s air war.

Gunnery experience led to the machine gun as the weapon best suited for aerial combat. Joined with a suitable aircraft, the extremely successful Fokker diving attack resulted. In reaction, effective defensive techniques arose, using forms of shrewd tactical cooperation by two-seater crews: pilot and gunner. These are detailed. Numbers mattered, establishing the level of assault firepower. Tactics of machines flying together in formation are given, as well as those of ‘formation busters’, intent upon reversing the odds and turning large numbers into a disadvantage.

A pilot’s nature and emotions had much to do with choosing between the options defining tactics, and what worked for one ace would not necessarily work for another.

Similarly, the author turns his attention to examining the cause of von Richthofen’s death, employing the tools of logic, rather than merely accepting one of the many conflicting eyewitness reports as truth. In doing so, much testimony is exposed as unlikely. The bullet scatter to be expected from ground anti-aircraft fire matters greatly, and is developed, along with the odds against lone riflemen hoping to hit a fast-moving low altitude target. The most dangerous altitude for front-line crossing is established. The author concludes by rating the possibility of a rifleman downing the Red Baron as quite realistic – certainly as likely as any of the more celebrated possibilities.

This is an important book, offering a groundbreaking account of WWI aerial tactics, and a thorough examination of the final combat and death of the Red Baron. The quality of the referencing and fact checking is a highlight. I highly recommend this book that I picked up from Helion and Company.

PS Alas for Eric it has almost nothing on the Flying Circus.