An Essay On Manfred Von Richthofen

Manfred's Story

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     Most people don’t think of a person from a foreign country's when they think of heroes, they think of their own countries heroes. What most people don't realize is that heros are all around us, not just locally, but internationally. One example is Manfred Von Richthofen, a German pilot of World War One. The biography, The Red Baron, written by Manfred himself and edited by Stanley M. Ulanoff, takes the reader through the life of Manfred Von Richthofen, one of the most skilled pilots to ever live. Manfred Von Richthofen was a joyful, fearless, and truthful soldier who changed the tide of World War One.

     Manfred Von Richthofen showed much joy during his life, which kept spirits afloat in Manfred’s squad. Manfred’s fellow soldiers in Manfred’s squad always spoke of him as a joyful individual, who often in the darkest hours of his life, was smiling, or making a game out of the most gruesome requirements Manfred had to preform as a pilot. Manfred’s squad mates also spoke of how calming and relaxing his good attitude made them. “After one fight with a ‘friend’, I was injured for the first time in combat, removing a piece of flesh from my scalp, still, I was able to sneak out of bed, and join my squad once more in celebration, rather then mourning over  me.” ( B Richthofen 78) Manfred Von Richthofen has always been an optimistic and confident individual, which lead him to seemingly always be in a good mood, bring all those around him to join him in such celebrations of life, and curing sadness and fear wherever Manfred went.

     Manfred was always a fearless man, even from a very young age. When Manfred was child, his mother and younger sister snuck up to the attic of their home, and convinced him a servant had hung himself there, and still haunted it, and waited for Manfred. Manfred’s mother convinced him to try and stay the entire night in the attic without leaving, to test Manfred’s fearlessness. After he got in bed and was asleep, his mother and sister rolled walnuts across the floor near him. To make a noise like something moving in the attic with him. Rather than running or quivering in fear, he came at them with a crude club screaming, and they had to reveal themselves to Manfred or else he would have beaten them with it. showing that Manfred truly lacked all human sense of fear. “Manfred was always a confident fearless boy, but we wanted to see if it was true, so after convincing him a servant hung himself in the attic, we told him to stay the night in the attic to prove his speech, after rolling walnuts across the floor to spook him away, he actually came at his sister and I with a club!” (Manfred B 165) Manfred Von Richthofen always was on the top of his squad, almost never received damage to his craft, and yet having the most enemies shot down. Over eighty-five enemy crafts fell to his skills as a fearless and gifted young pilot. He is called “The Red Baron”  because at one point he actually painted his craft a distinctive bright red to mark himself and to show his opponents who Manfred was out of the group, and to challenge them to combat, showing no sense of fear to any of his opponents.

     Manfred was always very truthful with everyone he met. Once as a boy he snuck outside with a small rifle at his grandmother's home and shot two of her ducks she was raising in a small farm in the German countryside. When she brought this to his attention, he did not lie, nor did he hide this. He simply gave her the birds and told her what he had done.This  was an odd characteristic of a boy his age, but a good one, showing that he saw no reason in hiding the truth, and made him a very honest individual. Without people like him to set an example, the world would not be the same place. Manfred Von Richthofen’s story has inspired me beyond any normal effect, and changes my views on many things in life, and how crucial it is to be truthful and honest a person gets much farther in life. 

     In conclusion, everyone should look out of their way for heros, not just locally, and know that inspiration can be found in the least likely of people or places.