THE RED THE BARON'S DEMONS

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was born into the Prussian nobility in 1892, in Kleinburg, Lower Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland). ‘Freiheer’ (‘Free Lord’) was an honorific allowed to all male members of certain families, and was fairly prolific. Although holders of that title were commonly addressed as ‘Baron’, it was not strictly speaking accurate. The son of a cavalry major, Richthofen grew up in relatively affluent surroundings, learning to ride, shoot and hunt, as well as excelling at gymnastics. At the age of 11 he began attending a cadet academy, where he did well at sports and athletics but struggled with academic subjects. In 1911 he was