The Red Fighter Pilot
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| Author | Manfred von Richthofen |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Rote Kampfflieger |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Series | Ullstein Kriegsbücher |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
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Publication date
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1917 |
The Red Fighter Pilot (German: Der Rote Kampfflieger) is a book written by Manfred von Richthofen, a famous German fighter pilot who is considered the top scoring ace of the First World War, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Richthofen's most common German nickname was Der Rote Kampfflieger.
The book details some of Richthofen's experiences during World War I. He finished the book in 1917, and as it was written during World War I, it was subjected to war-time censorship. Richthofen was killed in combat in 1918. The Red Fighter Pilot was the only book he authored. Written on the instructions of the "Press and Intelligence" (propaganda) section of the Luftstreitkräfte, it shows evidence of having been heavily censored and edited. There are however passages that are most unlikely to have been inserted by an official editor. "I am in wretched spirits after every aerial combat. I believe that [the war] is not as the people at home imagine it, with a hurrah and a roar; it is very serious, very grim." An English translation by J. Ellis Barker was published in 1918 as The Red Battle Flyer. Although Richthofen died before a revised version could be prepared, he is on record as repudiating the book, stating that it was "too insolent" (or "arrogant") and that he was "no longer that kind of person".
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