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It's October 10th, 1915, at an airfield near Champagne, France,

one year into World War I.

23-year-old Manfred von Richtohlen feels a lurch in his stomach as his airplane leaves the runway.

Although planes are still a relatively new invention in 1915,

flying is not an unusual pastime for Richtohlen.

For the last five months, he's worked for the German Air Force as an observer,

a passenger who monitors enemy troop movements and drops bombs while a pilot flies the aircraft.

But this flight is different because today, Richtohlen is the pilot at the controls.

He's on his first solo flight with a simple mission to take off,

circle around, and come in for a landing.

He feels a rush of elation as his plane climbs to a few hundred feet.

Richtohlen moves the control stick and sends his plane into a tight turn.

He definitely maneuvers in a neat half-circle and aims for the airfield he just took off from.

But as he comes in for the landing, Richtohlen realizes that the plane's nose is too low.

Panic, he jerks the controls, but it's too late.

Plane bounces on the landing strip, causing the rear of the plane to lift up.

The fuselage slowly flips over the nose and the plane crashes onto its back before sliding to a stop.

Richtohlen dangles upside down for a few seconds before he releases his straps and crawls

out of the cockpit, thankfully unharmed.

...