Manfred von Richthofen Quotations

I never was good at learning things. I did just enough work to pass. In my opinion it would have been wrong to do more than was just sufficient, so I worked as little as possible.

As a little boy of eleven I entered the Cadet Corps. I was not particularly eager to become a Cadet, but my father wished it. So my wishes were not consulted.

Everything depends on whether we have for opponents those French tricksters or those daring rascals, the English. I prefer the English. Frequently their daring can only be described as stupidity. In their eyes it may be pluck and daring.

It is a pity that my collection of trophies contains not a single Russian.

I have had an experience which might perhaps be described as being shot down. At the same time, I call shot down only when one falls down. Today I got into trouble but I escaped with a whole skin.

Of course no one thought of anything except of attacking the enemy. It lies in the instinct of every German to rush at the enemy wherever he meets him, particularly if he meets hostile cavalry.

The English had hit upon a splendid joke. They intended to catch me or to bring me down.

It is better that one's customers come to one's shop than to have to look for them abroad.

There were sometimes from forty to sixty English machines, but unfortunately the Germans were often in the minority. With them quality was more important than quantity.

Of course, with the increasing number of aeroplanes one gains increased opportunities for shooting down one's enemies, but at the same time, the possibility of being shot down one's self increases.

All the papers contained nothing but fantastic stories about the war. However, for several months we had been accustomed to war talk. We had so often packed our service trunks that the whole thing had become tedious.

Now I am within thirty yards of him. He must fall. The gun pours out its stream of lead. Then it jams. Then it reopens fire. That jam almost saved his life.

I honored the fallen enemy by placing a stone on his beautiful grave.

In the heat of the Russian summer a sleeping car is the most horrible instrument of martyrdom imaginable.

One can become enthusiastic over anything. For a time I was delighted with bomb throwing. It gave me a tremendous pleasure to bomb those fellows from above.

My dear Excellency! I have not gone to war to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose.

We convinced him quickly that the possibility of war was absolutely nil and continued our festivity. On the next day we were ordered to take the field.

The important thing in aeroplanes is that they shall be speedy.

Whatever Boelcke told us was taken as Gospel!

What's the hurry? Are you afraid I won't come back?

Everything in the air that is beneath me, especially if it is a one seater . . . is lost, for it cannot shoot to the rear.

The aggressive spirit, the offensive, is the chief thing everywhere in war, and the air is no exception.

I started shooting when I was much too far away. That was merely a trick of mine. I did not mean so much as to hit him as to frighten him, and I succeeded in catching him. He began flying curves and this enabled me to draw near.

When one has shot down one's first, second or third opponent, then one begins to find out how the trick is done.

Sometimes, however, the Gaelic blood asserts itself. The Frenchmen will then attack. But the French attacking spirit is like bottled lemonade. It lacks tenacity. The Englishmen, on the other hand, one notices that they are of Germanic blood. Sportsmen easily take to flying, and Englishmen see in flying nothing but a sport.

If I should come out of this war alive, I will have more luck than brains.

Find the enemy and shoot him down. Anything else is nonsense.

The duty of the fighter pilot is to patrol his area of the sky, and shoot down any enemy fighters in that area. Anything else is rubbish.

Success flourishes only in perseverance ceaseless, restless perseverance.

The murder of a man is still murder, even in wartime.

The quality of the box matters little. Success depends upon the man who sits in it.

Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the heart.