Was the Red Baron's last triplane completely red?

Short answer

Yes: the 425/17, Manfred von Richthofen's triplane, is described as entirely red and painted fully red at the Fokker factory, with no camouflage and no light blue, though one description details it in solid vermilion with a white rudder. Not all his aircraft were entirely red.

Published: November 2, 2026 · Updated: November 2, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Was the Red Baron's last triplane completely red?

Manfred von Richthofen's red Fokker Dr I on the ground, 1917-1918

The 425/17, factory red

The 425/17 was an aircraft painted entirely red and was flown by Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. That triplane was painted completely red at the Fokker factory for Richthofen, with no camouflage and no light blue. Some descriptions indeed describe it as painted entirely red, while another describes it in solid vermilion with a white rudder.

Not all his aircraft were entirely red

Richthofen habitually flew aircraft painted red, though not all of them were entirely red, and that "red" was not necessarily the bright scarlet favoured by model and replica builders. His Albatros D.III with serial number 789/16 was the first to be painted bright red, in late January 1917.