DerRittmeister

s). When he rose to the level of Air Service Captain, he retained his "Rittmeister" rank (rather than changing to "Hauptmann"), because he was still considered an Uhlan. (When first reassigned, all transfers into the Imperial German Air Service retained their original regimental ranks). Manfred von Richthofen was Germany's leading ace, a dedicated hunter/pilot who scored 80 confirmed victories before he was killed on April 21, 1918. The star pupil of Oswald Boelcke, the father of air combat tactics, von Richthofen is the most written-about German fighter-pilot of either World War. In addition to "Der Rittmeister," von Richthofen was known as the "Red Baron" (Der Rote Kampfflieger) because of his penchant for flying an all-red plane. He remains extremely popular, with his autograph being the most sought-after and expensive of any 20th century German figure.