Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Three Eagles
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Hans and Luise's wedding concluded in grand style, after which the newlyweds set off for a month-long honeymoon in British Malta.
But while our young bride and groom were enjoying their lovey-dovey newlywed life atop the walls where the Knights of St. John and the Ottoman Empire had once fiercely clashed under the scorching Mediterranean sun, gazing out at the azure sea, Manfred von Richthofen was en route to his posting after being commissioned as a lieutenant.
'Damn it, Hans is off frolicking with a beautiful princess in the Mediterranean, while I'm stuck riding in a truck with a bunch of smelly guys headed to the barracks.'
Becoming an officer had been his dream since entering cadet school as a kid, so why did it leave such a bitter taste?
Maybe it was because just recently, Hans had sent a letter from his honeymoon that read "overflowing with honey" but might as well have said "salting the wound."
'Shit, I'll get a girlfriend too!'
Richthofen, who had spent his school days involuntarily single due to the cadet school's strict rules that didn't hesitate to dole out corporal punishment for even minor infractions, was determined now.
He secretly clenched his fist, vowing to find a girlfriend before the year was out.
Of course, as anyone could tell from the surviving photos, Manfred von Richthofen was a blond German heartthrob who naturally drew compliments on his looks, so to others, it probably just seemed like empty talk.
Screeech—!
"Aviation officers, please disembark here!"
At the driver's shout, Richthofen hopped off the truck—now a common sight in the military as the automobile industry boomed—and gasped in awe at the vast airfield stretching before him, momentarily forgetting Hans's salting.
Today, he officially became a member of the Imperial German Air Service.
He had realized his long-held dream of becoming a pilot, sparked by watching a film of Prince Heinrich flying.
Of course, Hans's subtle nudge to get the Red Baron in the air sooner had played a part in his decision to pursue flying seriously.
But sooner or later, Richthofen would have chosen the path of a pilot anyway.
He was an eagle, and eagles couldn't live without the sky.
Of course, the road to joining the Air Service hadn't been smooth for Richthofen.
The aviation branch still lacked prestige in the German military, so when he first announced his intention to apply, his family had strongly opposed it.
If his uncle—Major Manfred von Richthofen, who shared his name—hadn't backed him up, saying there was nothing prouder than a man walking straight toward his convictions, it would have been a real headache.
"So this is the Air Service!"
As Manfred silently thanked his uncle, someone nearby exclaimed in thrilled wonder.
The man wore the same officer's uniform and lieutenant's insignia.
Distracted by the airfield, Manfred hadn't noticed, but apparently, he wasn't the only oddball applying to the Air Service.
"Hey, friend! You a new lieutenant in the Air Service too?"
"Yeah, Manfred von Richthofen. You?"
"Figured you had that noble air about you. I'm Max Immelmann. Nice to meet you."
Richthofen chuckled at Immelmann, who was beaming like a puppy wagging its tail, and shook his hand firmly.
But unlike Richthofen, who saw Immelmann as just an amusing guy, Hans would have been freaking out inside if he'd been there.
Max Immelmann, the Eagle of Lille.
Anyone into air combat would know him as the creator of the Immelmann turn, one of Germany's legendary pilots who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Oswald Boelcke until his death in 1916.
Of course, right now, he was just a greenhorn like Richthofen.
"You lieutenants? Aren't you going to report for duty?"
"Oh, right!"
A sentry, tired of watching the new lieutenants loiter at the gate, called out as legends recognized legends and Richthofen and Immelmann hit it off, chatting away oblivious to time.
They hurried to the Air Service headquarters before getting disciplined on day one.
"Second Lieutenant Manfred von Richthofen, reporting for duty as ordered to the Imperial German Air Service!"
"Second Lieutenant Max Immelmann, reporting for duty as ordered to the Imperial German Air Service!"
"Welcome to the Imperial Air Service, Lieutenants Richthofen and Immelmann."
The two saluted crisply upon entering headquarters.
A stern-faced elderly colonel and a younger, portly major returned their salutes and welcomed them.
"I'm Colonel Ernst Hoeppner, commander of the Imperial German Air Service. And this is my chief of staff, Major von der Lieth-Thomsen."
"Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen. Looking forward to working with you."
Ernst Hoeppner and Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen.
In original history, both had served as commander and chief of staff of the Imperial German Air Service during World War I; Thomsen even secretly helped build the Soviet air force postwar and influenced the creation of the Luftwaffe.
They might have been in other posts originally, but here, with the Air Service forming early, they took charge sooner.
"The Air Service is still a small outfit in the army, but it's growing, so the role and responsibility of enthusiastic officers like you two are crucial. I hope you'll contribute to its development in every way."
"Yes, sir!"
"Haha, such spirited voices, just like young men should have. Adjutant, fetch Fahnenjunker Boelcke."
"Yes, Colonel."
Satisfied with their vigorous reply, Hoeppner smiled.
Moments later, his adjutant brought in a young officer candidate about Richthofen and Immelmann's age.
"You wanted me, Colonel?"
"This is Oswald Boelcke. He's been here a month ahead of you. Not a cadet school grad, so he's still an officer candidate, but he joined around the same time and will be commissioned a lieutenant like you next year. Treat each other informally."
"Understood."
"Then, Fahnenjunker Boelcke, would you show our new lieutenants around the Air Service?"
"Yes, Colonel."
Boelcke saluted and eyed Richthofen and Immelmann with curiosity.
Thus began the bond between the Red Baron Richthofen, the Eagle of Lille Immelmann, and Oswald Boelcke, father of air combat and author of Boelcke's Dicta, Germany's first ace pilot.
"Oswald, how'd you end up in the Air Service?"
"Been obsessed with airplanes and airships since I was a kid. When I heard the Air Service was forming, I joined the army without hesitation."
Richthofen and Immelmann bonded with Boelcke just as quickly as they had with each other.
Similar ages (Immelmann '90, Boelcke '91, Richthofen '92) and best friends/colleagues in original history made it inevitable.
"That's our hangar over there, where our precious planes are housed."
"Whoa, when can we fly?"
Immelmann, itching to get airborne, asked eagerly.
But Boelcke shook his head with a wry smile, as if to say no way.
"Takes months. You have to learn to fly first."
"Can't you skip it if you already know how?"
"What?"
Richthofen's offhand remark made Immelmann and Boelcke's eyes go wide.
Boelcke's dad was a school principal, Immelmann's a businessman—decent families, but neither had flown a plane themselves.
"No way nobles have personal airplanes, right?"
"Huh? Of course not. I'm 'best friends' with Hans Choi. Thanks to that, I visit the Wright company often and get plenty of flight time."
"Whoa, awesome..."
Immelmann and Boelcke looked at Richthofen enviously.
So that's how famous nobles roll—friends with the boy who saved the Kaiser.
"Manfred, is it true Hans Choi dueled 17-to-1 after Princess Viktoria Luise ditched him?"
"Pfft?!"
Richthofen nearly burst out laughing at Immelmann's bizarre gossip from who-knows-where.
Hans in a 17-on-1 duel?
Ridiculous. The Hans he knew would hire 16 guys just to take out one.
But instead of correcting him, Richthofen decided to tease his friend, probably sweet-talking his bride on a Mediterranean beach right now.
"I'll introduce you later—ask him yourself. Feels wrong spilling personal privacy like that."
"For real?!"
Immelmann lit up at the noble connection, grinning ear-to-ear. Richthofen smirked evilly, imagining Hans's dumbfounded face at the weird rumors.
"Anyway, we can at least look at the planes, right?"
"Of course. What's the point of joining if you can't even check them out?"
Boelcke led them to the nearest hangar.
Inside, planes were arrayed with precise German military spacing.
"This is the Wright-Pfeiffer D.III monoplane, our most common type now."
"Wow~."
Immelmann, who'd only seen photos, films, or distant airmail planes, stared wide-eyed at the Wright-Pfeiffer.
Richthofen had seen plenty at Wright's, but viewing as an Imperial pilot felt different.
"It's for reconnaissance. We have a few Austrian-Hungarian Taubes too, but performance-wise, Wright-Pfeiffer's way ahead."
"No armament? What if enemy fighters show up?"
Boelcke nodded, as if expecting the question.
Germany lagged, but with Taubes showing others like France were building planes too.
These soldiers had to prepare for dogfights with enemy pilots.
"Neither Wright-Pfeiffer nor Taube has fixed armament. If enemies get close, you shoot at their pilots with rifles or pistols."
"...Like a jousting match on horseback?"
Immelmann muttered, a bit disappointed, but Boelcke grinned like there was more.
"Too early to be let down."
Boelcke led them deeper into the hangar.
There stood a sleek biplane, streamlined unlike the boxy Wright-Pfeiffer, standing proudly.
"This is..."
Richthofen stared, mesmerized.
Even he, a Wright regular, hadn't seen this one.
Immelmann gawked too as Boelcke spoke.
"Die Adler D.I fighter. Brand-new, just entering service. Production's barely started, so only one here."
"Whoa... Is that machine gun up front?"
"Yeah, MG10—an aviation-modified MG08. Built purely for combat. Rumor is, later Wright-Pfeiffers will get machine guns too."
"Incredible..."
Richthofen muttered, dying to hop in.
Immelmann nodded furiously in agreement.
"Air power will soon decide wars. The Adler fighter heralds that era."
Like the air combat pioneer advocating fighters for air superiority, Boelcke declared it confidently.
And with Germany, France, Britain forming air services, it was becoming reality.
Rumors even said the Navy, under Prince Heinrich, was developing carriers.
He who controls the skies controls the war.
The future eagles gathered here gazed at the Adler fighter, convinced, awaiting their war—whenever it came.