KITS 11/2023
425/17 Rtm. Manfred A. Freiherr von Richthofen, CO of JG 1, Lechelle, France, March 1918
Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen is rightfully
considered the greatest fighter pilot of the First
World War as he knocked eighty enemies down
prior to his death on April 21, 1918. On contrary to
the general perception, the Fokker Dr.I was not
his typical mount, as he shot down only 17 out of
his 80 victims while flying the Dreidecker for the
short period of March and April 1918. Manfred von
Richthofen was assigned to the Luftstreitkräfte
on his own request in 1915 after his service with
a cavalry unit. He became an observer but when
he met Oswald Boelcke, the charisma of this
fighter ace made him to request pilot training.
On completion of that, he became pilot of
observer aircraft, but after another meeting
with Boelcke he joined the newly formed Jasta 2
fighter unit. In January 1917, von Richthofen was
awarded the highly coveted Pour le Mérite and
was subsequently made CO of Jasta 11. In June
1917, he received orders to form Jagdgeschwader
1 from Jasta 4, 6, 10 and 11 units and led this “wing”
until his death on April 21, 1918. Von Richthofen
had his aircraft painted red from January 1917
when he led Jasta 11 and flew the Albatros D.III. He
carried this practice over to the Fokker Dr.I which
he flew as JG 1 Commanding Officer. According to
some sources the aircraft obtained its red color
in factory and so the finish was therefore of good
quality.
404/17, Hptm. Adolf Ritter von Tutschek, JG 2, Toulis, France, February 1918
Adolf Ritter von Tutschek was born on May 16, 1891,
in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt. He joined the
army even before the war, and its outbreak found
him serving with the 3rd Infanterie-Regiment “Prinz
Karl von Bayern” as a lieutenant. He would see
combat on both the western and eastern fronts.
For his service against the Russians, he was awarded
the Rittenkreuz des Militar-Max-Joseph-Ordens
(the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Max-Joseph)
which bestowed upon him the title of Ritter. As an
November 2023
infantryman, he was seriously wounded several
times (grenade, gas). Afterwards, he requested
a transfer to the Luftstreitkräfte and after training,
he served as artillery spotter from October 1916
till January 1917 with FA 6b. Subsequently, he was
transferred to Jasta Boelcke, where he gained
three kills, and on April 28, 1917, he was named
CO of Jasta 12. On August 11 he was seriously
wounded in combat with C. D. Booker of No. 8
Squadron RNAS. After being released, he was
named the first CO of Jagdgeschwader 2 and on
March 10, 1918, he reached his 27th victory. Five days
later he was shot down and killed by H. B. Redle
from No. 24 Squadron RFC. The aircraft in which
Hptm. von Tutschek died carried a standard Fokker
Dr.I “streaked” camouflage and a turquoise color on
the lower ones. The rear part of the fuselage was
overpainted with black and the engine cowl was
white, which was typical for Jasta 12, one of the
JG 2 units.
INFO Eduard
75