Manfred Von Richthofen Quotes

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.

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.

Success flourishes only in perseverance ceaseless, restless perseverance.

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

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

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.

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

Whatever Boelcke told us was taken as Gospel!

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.