Build a movie plot around this: Who refuses to drink a toast to Von Richthofen? Roy Brown
Manfred von Richthofen (John Phillip Law) is a German cavalry officer newly assigned to an air squadron under the command of Oswald Boelcke (Peter Masterson). Richthofen quickly becomes an ace; his career is presented as a series of scenes intercut with those of another pilot across the lines, a Canadian named Roy Brown (Don Stroud), who arrives at a British squadron commanded by Victoria Cross holder Lanoe Hawker (Corin Redgrave).The two pilots are very different; Brown ruffles the feathers of his squadron mates by refusing to drink a toast to Richthofen, while the Baron awards himself silver trophies in honour of his kills, and clashes with fellow pilot Hermann Goring (Barry Primus) when Boelcke is killed after a mid-air collision and Richthofen assumes command of the squadron. Richthofen becomes outwardly energized by the war. Outraged by an order to camouflage his squadron's aircraft, he paints them in bright conspicuous colours, claiming that gentlemen should not hide from their enemies.The toll on both squadrons is highlighted when Richthofen is wounded during an aerial battle and Lanoe Hawker is killed. The war becomes personal for both when Brown and his squadron attack Richthofen's airfield, destroying their aircraft on the ground. Revenge comes when Richthofen, with the help of a batch of new fighters from Anthony Fokker (Hurd Hatfield) launches a counterattack on the British airfield. Back at their aerodrome, Richthofen rants at Goring for leaving the formation and strafing medical personnel. He says: "You're an assassin!" Goring defends himself by saying: "I make war to win." Richthofen tells him: "Get out of my sight!", threatening that if Goring does something similar again, he will personally go to the Kaiser to make sure Goring is shot.Richthofen's passion for the war fades, becoming dismayed and depressed that his squadron is losing so many pilots. He even starts to realize that Germany might lose the war. Caught between his disgust for the war, and the responsibility for his fighter...