Manfred von Richthofen famous quotes

04-05-2025

Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the heart.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Military #Heart #Fighting
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Fall #Swag #Skins
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Sports #Blood #Hands
The murder of a man is still murder, even in wartime.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Men #Murder #Wartime
What's the hurry? Are you afraid I won't come back?
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Last Words
Everything in the air that is beneath me, especially if it is a one seater . . . is lost, for it cannot shoot to the rear.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Air #Lost #Combat
In the heat of the Russian summer a sleeping car is the most horrible instrument of martyrdom imaginable.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Summer #Sleep #Car
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Opportunity #Self #Numbers
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Bombs #Pleasure #Throwing
My dear Excellency! I have not gone to war to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#War #Eggs #Cheesy
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Sky #Enemy #Pilots
Find the enemy and shoot him down. Anything else is nonsense.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Military #Enemy #Nonsense
The quality of the box matters little. Success depends upon the man who sits in it.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Men #Quality #Littles
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Littles #Opinion #Enough
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Father #Boys #Wish
The English had hit upon a splendid joke. They intended to catch me or to bring me down.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Splendid #Bring Me Down #Catch Me
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Mean #Curves #Flying
The aggressive spirit, the offensive, is the chief thing everywhere in war, and the air is no exception.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#War #Air #Spirit
Success flourishes only in perseverance ceaseless, restless perseverance.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Perseverance #Restless #Combat
If I should come out of this war alive, I will have more luck than brains.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#War #Luck #Brain
Whatever Boelcke told us was taken as Gospel!
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Taken #Combat
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.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Eye #Swag #Stupidity
When one has shot down one's first, second or third opponent, then one begins to find out how the trick is done.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Done #Opponents #Firsts
It is a pity that my collection of trophies contains not a single Russian.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Trophies #Pity #Collections
I honored the fallen enemy by placing a stone on his beautiful grave.
-- Manfred von Richthofen

#Beautiful #Enemy #Stones

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