Trench warfare epitomized the anonymity of warfare in the industrial era. Each side rained down countless artillery shells on the enemy lines, bringing death to men the gunners would never see. Machine guns were not aimed at individuals, but at crowds of men. The victims of poison gas were selected by chance, as shifting winds pushed gas clouds in one direction or another. The exceptions, at least in the public imagination, to this faceless war were found in the air. Each side lionized its “aces,” presenting them as knights from a bygone era who still lived by the code of chivalry. Their war was depicted as one made up of a series of aerial jousts, of single combat between two honorable individuals. As you examine the photographs included below, think about the contrasts they imply. How did Europeans respond to the anonymity of industrial warfare? Why was it important to celebrate the feats of men like Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron”?