Hi Graeme,
>Thanks Henning! Did he ever vocalise what he considered his "best" mount was, or has popular folklore decided for him?
I'm not a Richthofen expert, but from the list in the abovementioned book, he scored all 19 of his last 21 victories in the Fokker Dr. I, with the two exceptions falling into the time when the Dr. I was grounded.
Hm, let's see - comment on his fight against A.F. Bird (POW), who put up a spirited fight near ground level in his Sopwith Pup:
"The Fokker triplane F1 102/17 was undoubtedly better and more reliable than the English machine."
He is also quoted with comments on the Albatros, showing that he valued turn rate, roll rate, speed and diving ability, while criticizing the Albatros D. III for not being able to climb in a turn, mediocre roll rate and doubtful strength for a 1000 m dive.
From memory, in "The Red Combat Pilot" (obviously written by a hack writer, and published during wartime so that it cannot be expected to contain tactical information) Richthofen also praised the Sopwith Pup for its ability to hold altitude or climb in turns, but apparently considered it not strong enough for dives, asking "What good is a machine that climbs well if it can't dive?"
Richthofen started his career as observer, aspiring to join the bomber units at the Western Front. However, when he had a look at their large "Combat Aircraft" (as the Germans called their bombers), he concluded that these "Flying Fortresses" (his words, in WW1!) were not fit for combat, and became a single-seater pilot instead.
Regards,
Henning (HoHun)