Lothar von Richthofen

[Manfred von Richthofen HU]

I have a question the lothar children! what hapenned his children after he was died in aircraft accident?

Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 – 4 July 1922) was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) and a cousin of Luftwaffe Field Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen.

Like his brother Manfred, Lothar began the war as a cavalry officer with the 4th Dragoon Regiment. In October 1914, while stationed at Attigny, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for valor. The following month, his regiment was transferred to the Eastern Front.

Richtofen joined the German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) in late 1915. He served from January 1916 as an observer with Kasta 23 and saw action during the Battle of Verdun. He won the Iron Cross 1st Class in December, and then began training as a pilot.

His first posting as a pilot was to his brother's Jasta 11 on 6 March 1917. His first victory claim followed on 28 March for an FE 2b of No. 25 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.

Taking part in the period of German dominance called Bloody April by the British, Lothar had won 15 more victories by the beginning of May. When his brother went on leave, Lothar von Richtofen assumed command of the squadron. The Red Baron considered his brother's combat style to be reckless, describing him as a "shooter" rather than a "hunter", and worried about his safety.

Richtofen raised his total to 23 by 13 May when, after shooting down a BE.2, he was wounded in the hip by anti-aircraft fire and crash-landed. On 14 May he was awarded the Pour le Mérite, but his injuries kept him out of combat for five months. He resumed command of Jasta 11 in September 1917. In early 1918 he suffered a severe ear infection and was hospitalised in Berlin.

Returning to his unit in February, he claimed 3 Bristol Fighter F2.B's on 11 and 12 March, before he was again forced down on 13 March by a Sopwith Camel flown by Captain Augustus Orlebar of No. 73 Squadron. Nursing his crippled Fokker Dr1 Triplane into a landing, Richtofen clipped a high-tension wire and crashed heavily, suffering serious head injuries. He was still recovering when he learned of his brother's death.

Lothar returned to service with Jasta 11 in July 1918. He scored his final victory (a DH-9a) on 12 August 1918, flying a Fokker D.VII. The next day he was again wounded in combat against Sopwith Camels, probably by Captain Field E. Kindley of the 148th Aero Squadron USAS.[2] He was promoted to Oberleutnant, but saw no further combat before the war ended in November.

Considering the amount of time Lothar von Richtofen spent on the front and in hospitals, he was one of the most combat efficient and prolific flying aces of the war, perhaps even more so than his brother Manfred. Of his total of 40 confirmed victories, Lothar scored 33 in just 3 months: he had 15 kills in April 1917, 8 in May 1917, and 10 in August 1918.

With the return of peace, Lothar von Richtofen worked briefly on a farm before accepting an industrial position. He married Countess Doris von Keyserlingk in Cammerau in June 1919, fathering two children before the marriage was dissolved. He then became a commercial pilot, carrying passengers and mail between Berlin and Hamburg. On July 4, 1922 Richtofen died in a crash of his LVG C VI at Fuhlsbuettel due to an engine failure. Also on board were actress Fern Andra and her director Georg Bluen. Bluen died the following day, but Andra survived, spending a year recovering from her injuries.

R.I.P Lothar

[steven brown]

MvR HU,
It's my understanding that Lothar only spent 77 days flying at the front to claim his 40 victories. He was certainly prolific and aggressive to a fault. I'm surprised he isn't better know to the general public. Of course that can be said of almost all WW1 pilots.

[Epee]

In her book the Baroness von Richthofen states that Lothar's squadron mates refer to him as a Berserker in the air. When Manfried enigmatically states that Lothar is the kind of man, "who would hunt elefants with a machinegun" I rather got the same impression.

While Manfried was a cunning, cool-headed, stalker Lothar's air combat strategy seemed to be, "jump in the middle and shoot our way out".

[Gregvan]

Lothar had two children: Carmen Viola, born 12 May 1920, and Wolf Manfred, born 25 March 1922. I don't know if either of them are still living, but I'm sure someone here does.

[FliegerJG1]

Someone writing on another forum in 2007 said that Wolf Manfred had passed away not long ago....no more information.

FliegerJG1

[Manfred von Richthofen HU]

thanks the information!

Has anybody got a picture his chidlren or wife?

and whats happened his wife?

[Bulldog90]

I have seen a picture of his wife, apparently taken on his wedding day. I'll look through the books I have and see if I can find and post it.

Bulldog 90

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hi Greg:
Do you know if Wolf Manfred Frhr. von Richthofen served in the Luftwaffe during WW2. He would be 87 years old today, it is possible that he is still alive.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Manfred von Richthofen HU]

so Wolfram Manfred is live today? or he was dead?
And the Lothars wife and daugther?

[Epee]

Lothar and his wife divorced after only a few years. It was an arranged marriage as I understand it (but that can mean a lot of things when you think about it) and Lothar had trouble settling down after the war. His experiences, wounds and, of course, the loss of his brother and many friends, appearantly left him unable to hold a "steady" job for very long and he always gravitated back to flying.