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(born May 2, 1892, Breslau, Ger. — died April 21, 1918, Vaux-sur-Somme, France) German World War I ace. Born to a famous and wealthy family, he began his military career in 1912 as a cavalry officer. In 1915 he transferred to the air force and in 1916 took command of a fighter group that came to be known as "Richthofen's Flying Circus" for its decorated scarlet planes. He had been acclaimed Germany's greatest aviation ace, credited with shooting down 80 enemy airplanes, before he himself was shot down at age 25.