- The Flying Circus -
by Richard Taylor
| A special edition, matted with the original signature of Baron Manfred von Richthofen |
The most successful air Ace of World War I, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, was
better known to friend and foe alike as Soon to be known as ‘Richthofen’s Flying Circus’ due either to the distinctive colours of their aircraft or because they travelled up and down the front using makeshift airfields like a ‘travelling circus’, the four squadrons that comprised Jagdgeschwader 1 quickly established themselves as one of those most admired, and feared, by the men of the RFC with whom they duelled on a daily basis in the war-torn skies over the Western Front. In his stunning graphite work Richard Taylor brilliantly recreates a scene at an airfield in Flanders shortly before the German Spring Offensive of 1918. Flying his distinctive, highly-recognisable red-painted Fokker Dr.1 tri-plane, Richthofen leads his men away from their makeshift base towards the British lines. As they prowl the skies above the Front an encounter with the RFC will surely happen and the pilots of the ‘Flying Circus’ will once again be wheeling and turning in yet another death-defying cauldron of one-on-one, close-combat dog- fights. A few weeks after the scene portrayed in Richard’s drawing the Red Baron took to the air for the last time. On 21 April 1918, flying his iconic tri-plane and with 80 confirmed aerial victories to his credit, Richthofen was killed by a single bullet during a low-level dogfight over the Somme. |
| Overall size: 17½" x 20¼" | Available in the following editions | Image size: 8½" x 13½" |
| 15 | Limited edition | Signed & remarqued by the artist - conservation matted with the signature of Manfred von Richthofen | $2495 |
| SOLD OUT |
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Completing these very special portfolios and adding great historical importance, the prints are then mounted to full conservation standards to include the original and |
 Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was born on 2 May 1892 in Breslau. The son of Major Albrecht von Richthofen, a Prussian nobleman and his wife, Kunigunde, he enrolled at age 11 at the military school at Wahlstatt, and then attended the Royal Military Academy at Lichterfelde. He was a better athlete than he was a scholar, and applied his horseback riding skills to become a cavalry officer. He was commissioned in April 1911 in the 1st Regiment of Uhlans Kaiser Alexander III, and promoted to Lieutenant in 1912. Richthofen served briefly in the trenches before transferring to the German Air Force in May 1915. The star pupil of Oswald Boelcke, Richthofen learned quickly and achieved immediate success. He took his first solo flight after only 24 hours of flight training, on 10 October 1915. A month after receiving his first Albatros, Richthofen had scored six ‘kills’ against Allied aircraft. After scoring 80 confirmed kills, Richthofen was finally shot down as he flew deep into British lines in pursuit of Wilfrid May on 21 April 1918. Although Canadian flyer Arthur ‘Roy’ Brown, who was flying to May’s aid, was officially credited with the victory, controversy remains over who actually shot Richthofen down; other evidence suggests he was hit by a single bullet fired by Australian gunners in the trenches. In any event, Manfred von Richthofen crashed into a field alongside the road from Corbie to Bray. He was 25. He was survived by his brother Lothar, also a noted ace. Due to the colour of his Fokker Dr-1 and his noble title, Richthofen was dubbed 'The Red Baron' by his British adversaries. It was a title later also adopted by the Germans. |
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