‘Under the Guns of the German Aces’ by Norman Franks and Hal Giblin: published by Grub Street, London 1997 
ISBN 1-898697-72-8: this edition has a fuller – and more accurate - account!

CHAPTER 4
OBERLEUTNANT LOTHAR VON RICHTHOFEN

Almost two and a half years younger than his famous brother Manfred, Lothar Siegfried von Richthofen was born in Breslau on 27 September 1894. Unlike his elder brother who had followed his father into the Army as a cadet at the tender age of eleven, Lothar showed no particular inclination towards a military career. The Gods of War, however, had other ideas and would soon recruit not only Lothar but a whole generation into their ranks! By the time of the outbreak of war in August 1914,  Lothar was serving in the Imperial German  Army with the 4th Dragoon Regiment ‘Von Bredow's Own'.

The brothers kept in constant touch with each other and it surprised no one in the family when Lothar followed Manfred into the Air Service in 1915. Treading in his brother's footsteps, Lothar first became an observer and saw action with Kampstaffel 23 over the Somme front and during the Verdun offensive. Next he trained as a pilot and no doubt again inspired by his brother's example, requested service with a fighter unit. Normally, the German system would, at this stage of his development, have required Lothar to be posted back to his former, or some other two‑seater unit to gain further experience before going on to a Jastaschule. But by now, the rising star of the German Air Service, Manfred von Richthofen, was in command of his own Jagdstaffel (Jasta 11) and so had no difficulty in arranging for his brother to join him. Lothar arrived on 10 March 1917, with little time to get attuned to the demands of combat flying before the onset of what was to become known as 'Bloody April', the worst of the fifty‑two months of the Great War for his British opponents.

As is often the case between brothers, the two von Richthofens had entirely differing temperaments. Manfred, in manner and in posture, was the quintessential Prussian aristocrat, reserved and rigid but with the patience and cunning of the instinctive hunter. He would attack only from a position of advantage, rarely taking unnecessary risks and if thwarted, maintained a philosophy of 'another day, another opportunity'. Lothar, on the other hand, was by nature hotly impulsive and aggressive, keen to scrap and paying little heed to the strategic or tactical aspect of a situation before charging in, 'fangs out, hair on fire'! After observing Lothar's style with its lack of verve and finesse, Manfred dubbed his brother 'Butcher' ‑ not the most flattering of sobriquets, even for one whose sole raison d'etre was killing the enemy. Lothar's hot-headedness was undoubtedly a contributory factor in the number of wounds and injuries he received but seemed not to detract from his effectiveness as a scout pilot ‑ he achieved a remarkable 40 victories in just 77 days of actual combat flying. And, paradoxically, unlike his careful and methodical brother, he survived the war.

Lothar von Richthofen inflicted yet more grief on the beleaguered 48 Squadron. The Bristol Fighters were on an Offensive Patrol to the south of Arras when Jasta 11 struck. First to go down, out of control, was the F2b flown by Lieutenant W 0 B Winkler, the machine crashing at Izel, the occupants taken prisoner. Five minutes later Karl Allmenrőder accounted for another of the Brisfits over Beaumont. During their debriefing following their return from captivity in Germany, Winkler said that they had been attacked by seven enemy aircraft while their own formation of eight was split into four groups of two. 'The machine with me was hit and I endeavoured to protect him and was then shot in the engine and forced to land'. Moore, the observer, also reported: 'Escorting RE8s, (we were) attacked by seven enemy aircraft while in formation.... Engine hit and controls shot away. Crushed out of control and aircraft wrecked but we were not wounded'.

SECOND LIEUTENANT WILLIAM OTTO BRASH WINKLER, Mentioned In Despatches 
LOWLAND (CITY OF EDINBURGH) BATTERY, ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY (TF) 
AND 48 SQUADRON, ROYAL FLYING CORPS
The younger son of Mr and Mrs Winkler of 9 Ettrick Road, Edinburgh, William was born on 7 July 1895. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh (1903 – 1912). After leaving school, he joined the family's manufacturing furrier business in the Scottish capital. A keen volunteer, he joined, pre-war, the Lothian and Border Horse Yeomanry as a trooper. When war came, young Winkler had, for those days, a rare skill that the Army could use ‑ he could drive a motor vehicle. As a consequence of his driving ability, he was soon transferred to the Army Service Corps (Private, M2/049508). Winkler was gazetted Second Lieutenant to the Royal Garrison Artillery on 1 March 1915, going to France for the first time on 27 July 1915. Following a period with the BEF, a successful application for transfer to the RFC took effect from 28 August 1916. Having completed his pilot training, he was awarded his 'Wings' on 19 February 1917 and eventually sent out to strengthen the depleted 48 Squadron on 8 April 1917. William Winkler enjoyed a brief but extremely productive period as a Bristol Fighter pilot, claiming no less than six victories between 12 April and 2 May ‑ so becoming an ace himself. In later life, Winkler would ruefully recall that after his battle with Lothar von Richthofen, his Brisfit fell no more than 300 yards from the British lines. Unfortunately, however, it did actually come to rest just 50 yards inside the German lines! He was kept a prisoner in Strohen, Germany, where he acted as adjutant to the ‘escapes committee'. His outstanding work in that capacity was formally acknowledged by a Mention in Despatches, [see copy in Winkler Photo Album] the announcement of which appeared in the London Gazette of 16 December 1919, '...for valuable services whilst in captivity'. Repatriated on 30 December 1918, he was finally placed on the Unemployed List on 22 February 1919. Returning to his native city, Winkler went back to the fur business, married and had two sons, the family living at 13 Lochlanton Crescent, Edinburgh. Retaining his interest in the volunteer movement, Winkler became a founder and active member of 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve until he resigned his commission on 9 December 1929. William Winkler died in Edinburgh on 24 November 1952 at fifty‑seven years of age.