User blog comment:LB&SCR/GWM Episode 5: Rene Fonck vs. Manfred von Richtofen/@comment-35680048-20190205040328

Tybaltcapulet's "Another Richtofen,are we gonna bring the whole family now?"Edges:

Planes: This is tough to decide. The SPAD has a noticeable speed advantage, but the Triplane has much better climb and has a comparable max height to the SPAD. Weaponry is quite similar with two machine guns operating on both that I have no doubt will be effective on either plane. Something the Fokker has that Fonck will suffer through is its insane manuverability. The SPAD may move faster, but in changing direction, the Triplane reigns supreme. Though i'm keeping this even due to structure problems that the Fokker frequently faced, bringing it down a bit.Edge:Even

Tatics: The Red Baron all the way. There is no doubt in my mind that this'll end up being a dogfight and that Fonck's hatred of them will do him in. His strategy of deciding to find the perfect elevation to methodically attack and surprise his opponent will be a great starter, but once he starts diving, Richtofen will fly to face him, something I suspect that Fonck won't expect.The Dicta Boelcke is filled with little tricks and strategies to get Richtofen out of bad situations and keep the advantage. Fonck's strategy has no contingency, no other life line should it fail, and he'll be forced out of his element.Edge:Richtofen

Overall/X-factors: Yeah it may seem backwards to some but I did Tactics before X-factors. And before I get into it, i'd like to give the victory to '''Manfred Von Richtofen. '''Rene Fonck is by no means a bad pilot, he's a very methodical one though and not suited to a quickly changing skirmish like this one. Richtofen takes the critical advantage of Experience(i'd argue Fonck deserves a lower score based on the author's assessment of his experience) facing more enemies that are actual fighter planes. Perception is nice, but Fonck just simply hasn't met a pilot like Richtofen whose success is just about unparalled. His highly manuverable Fokker and the Dicta Boelcke will provide a pretty hard counter to Fonck's surprise attack, as once he strikes and the Red Baron notices, he can turn around and face him pretty quickly. And don't forget about the squads either, who Richtofen also has a plan for, while Fonck really just has the surprise attack. Sure if he strikes the Baron and his men, it'll suck, but I think Richtofen can sustain himself for long enough for him to swing the situation into his type of battle and into his favor.

Manfred Von Richtofen: 3000

Rene Fonck: 2000