Editing Rheinholdt Dietrich

[[Image:Dietrich.jpg|frame|Dietrich in uniform, during the early days of the war.]]Dietrich started his professional career at age 18 as an infantryman for the German army in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I Great War], but switched to the Luftstreitkräfte, the German air force, within his first year of service.  He began as an observer on Halberstadt two seaters, but quickly learned to fly and switched to Fokker Eindeckers as part of Jasta ("squadron") 14.  He was wounded in combat the following year in aerial combat with [[Charles "Charlie" Desgrange]], but refused to retire despite doctors' suggestions.  In fact, he refused to let them remove a bullet from his arm, fearing that the time spent convalescing would keep him from the front for too long.  When doctors warned him that the bullet might slow his reaction time he said "better to die like a man than to live like a coward," and was consequently given command of Jasta 18.

Over the course of the next four years he shot down 44 enemy planes — most of them over the Belgian front - and continued his personal rivalry with Charlie, often seeking the Entente pilot out in the air despite the presence of easier targets.  Dietrich gained a reputation as a ruthless, fearless and, above all,  patriotic fighter.  He had a personal insignia of a winged sword painted on the side of the blue fuselages and red noses sported by all of his aircraft during the war and this has stayed true of every plane he's piloted for any length of time since.

After the war, Dietrich met [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_von_Sebottendorff Rudolf von Sebottendorff], the founder of [[The Thule Society]].  Already filled with nationalistic pride and still burned from Germany's defeat during the war, Dietrich was a prime cantidate for recruitment and has served for several years as the Society's most loyal and expert transport and fighter pilot.  Dietrich has most recently been seen in the company and service of [[Joseph Dippel|Doctor Joseph Dippel]].


----
[[Terra Occulta]]