Baron Manfred von Richthofen Quotes in Von Richthofen and Brown (1971)

Reporter: You started the war as a cavalry officer, yeah?

Baron Manfred von Richthofen: Yeah.

Reporter: So, now, how does it feel to fly? To fight in the sky?

Baron Manfred von Richthofen: My ancestors were Teutonic knights; I've merely exchanged my horse for an airplane.

Reporter: [laughing] I see, so the flying is just a means to an end?

Baron Manfred von Richthofen: The flying is wonderful! But it's the hunt that I find most satisfying: the stalking, the chase, and finally the kill. The climax.

Reporter: Oh, so you enjoy it sir?

Baron Manfred von Richthofen: What should I say? War is the father of nations. It makes them slaves or it makes them free. Victory brings with it a climax, a sense of fulfillment.

Reporter: But the danger! Every day, every minute! While you are in the air...

Baron Manfred von Richthofen: I never think of it. It's like the weather: always there. But when you hunt, you think about your hunting, don't you?