Manfred von Richthofen (General)

Manfred von Richthofen
von Richthofen coat of arms
Born	(1855-05-24)24 May 1855 Gut Barzdorf, Silesia (now Bartoszówek, Poland)
Died	28 November 1939(1939-11-28) (aged 84) Bersdorf, Silesia (near Targoszyn, Poland)
Allegiance	German Empire
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1874–1918
Rank	General der Kavallerie
Commands held	Guards Cavalry Division 6th Infantry Division I Cavalry Corps XXXVIII Reserve Corps XXV Reserve Corps 53rd Corps Deputy commander of Guards Corps
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of the Frontiers First Battle of the Marne Battle of Łódź
Awards	Pour le Mérite Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John
Relations	Karl von Grolman (grandfather) Manfred von Richthofen (great nephew) Wolfram von Richthofen (nephew and adoptive son) see Richthofen for more

World War I

Karl Ernst Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen (24 May 1855 – 28 November 1939) was a German General der Kavallerie (General of the Cavalry) during World War I and recipient of the order Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max. Richthofen was a great uncle of his more famous namesake Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, who was his godson and named after him.

Manfred von Richthofen was born on 24 May 1855 in Gut Barzdorf, Silesia (now Bartoszówek, Poland). He entered the Imperial German Army in 1874 as an Ensign in the 4th (Westphalian) Cuirassier Regiment. By April 1902 he had risen to Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the Gardes du Corps Cavalry Regiment, personal bodyguard of the German Emperor Wilhelm II; and was assigned as his aide-de-camp in the following year.

In 1906 he was promoted to Oberst (Colonel), and in March 1908 took command of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Brigade in Potsdam. In 1910, he was promoted to Generalmajor (Brigadier-General), and in February 1913 he took command of the Guards Cavalry Division with a promotion to Generalleutnant (Major-General). In February 1914 he moved on to command the 6th Infantry Division at Brandenburg.

At the beginning of World War I, Richthofen became commander of I Cavalry Corps (composed of 5th Cavalry and Guards Cavalry Divisions) preceding 3rd Army. These formed part of the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front and took part in the Battle of the Frontiers and the First Battle of the Marne.