The "Red Baron" was the nickname of famed World War I German fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen. Displayed is a signed Red Baron (von Richthofen) postcard, with the Red Baron signing his photo on the unmailed postcard. The Red Baron was from Prussia and was in the German cavalry at the beginning of World War I. Trench warfare made the cavalry virtually obsolete, and after being assigned supply duty away from the front lines, von Richthofen, seeking an active fighting role, volunteered to join the German Air Force. After learning the rudiments of flying and air combat, von Richthofen quickly became a skilled fighter pilot and soon became a squadron leader. He was not a flamboyant fighter pilot, and instead of aerial theatrics, he relied on strategy. He perfected the maneuver of attacking an enemy plane while he was high in the sky and he would swoop down, shielded by the sun as he attacked. Once, while on leave, his mother asked him why he wanted to fight, and he answered, "For the man in the trench. I want to ease his hard lot by keeping the enemy planes away." The Red Baron earned his nickname because a loose interpretation of his title in German nobility meant "Baron" and because he painted his plane red, very unusual at the time. To make it harder for the enemy to identify von Richthofen's red plane, other pilots in his unit painted their planes red. Other planes in the group were in various bright colors, and that bright "circus" coloring and the way von Richthofen's group traveled around the war zones, often pitching tents on improvised airfields, led to his unit being nicknamed "von Richthofen's Circus." His self-reported aerial victories (shot down planes) was 80, and 73 of those planes corresponded to reported British losses, so his total of 80 seems to be about right. The Red Baron was shot down and killed on April 21, 1918, near Vaux-sur-Somme, France. Although Canadian pilot Captain Roy Brown was given credit for the downed aircraft, controversy still reigns about how von Richthofen was shot down, and most opinion now favors the conclusion that the Red Baron was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire from the ground. The Red Baron was awarded numerous medals, including Prussia's highest military honor, the Pour le Merite. The 3.3x5.25" postcard was signed by von Richthofen on the picture side. His signature is very scarce. His signature is neatly signed, in black ink from a fountain pen, and the signature rates an 8/10. The postcard appears to be in EXCELLENT condition. The postcard has been encapsulated and the signature PSA/DNA certified as AUTHENTIC AUTO.