Political Correctness

The Star of David was used on churches even,and are still.Ones that arent Jewish either.So,for them to be on a plane,and the plane of a Jewish flyer is not a problem.As to Von Richthofen crying over his friend,why wouldnt he? He was,after all,only a boy of 25,..not an older man,capable of hiding it all. He lost every one of his friends in real life,and by then,he might have been jaded,..but not before.
"If it's death from a Saxon sword that frightens you,..stay home"

The character Friedrich Sternberg was the only fictional character in the film and was meant to be a composite character representing the Jewish flyers that fought for the Kaiser. I doubt any pilot actually had a Star of David on his scout, but since that was the First World War and not Hitler’s Nazi Germany, it was not altogether impossible. The German flyers (unlike their British counterpart), were allowed much liberty in the painting of their planes. Many “patriotic” Jewish financiers supported the German war effort by buying war bonds and were impoverished when Germany lost. The Star of David was unlikely, but might not have been as offensive to the eye as, say, two decades later.

I agree with you completely, however, that the reaction of Richthofen to the deaths of his comrades (Sternberg, Wolff, and Voss) was totally unrealistic. The problem was not that he broke down once, but rather that he behaved consistently in that manner. Had that really happened, he would have been relieved of his command immediately. A leader had to be able to control himself, and the way he acted was certainly no way to inspire his men. Other films on the air war like The Blue max, Aces High, 633 Squadron, had in general been far more realistic (and more accurate) – as we learn from accounts from those eras – in depicting how the airmen behaved. They talked about losses in a matter-of-fact manner and then went on to spend the nights drinking and frolicking as if nothing had happened. They needed to relieve their tension, and also they were realistic enough to realize that they didn’t really have the luxury to mourn for the fallen when tomorrow they would probably meet the same fate.

When people here talk about anachronism in a film, they often refer to equipment, dresses, etc. But for this film the greatest anachronisms are in social customs, attitudes, and codes of behavior. Other than what you mentioned, it was unimaginable that the Kaiser would allow a captain, no matter how many planes he had shot down, to question Germany’s cause. Richthofen would have been reprimanded severely, labeled a coward, and probably had his ranks removed and sent to hard labor. It was equally ridiculous that the same lowly captain had a "nurse" staying with him, and that she emerged from his tent wearing a nightgown on the day of his last flight.

Sternberg is a completely fictious charcater. He should represent all Jewish pilots who have fought in WWI for Germany.
On the other hand Göring was omitted and Richthofen's view of the war was changed to that what liberal think of it today.



Ich bin kein ausgeklügelt Buch, ich bin ein Mensch mit seinem Widerspruch.
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer

Here ya go:

http://www.warandtactics.com/smf/world-war-1-pictures/bi-plane-with-star-of-david-and-german-markings-help-identify-please1/




"Hitler! C'mon, I'll buy you a glass of lemonade."