Richthofen's War was definately pre 79, because I remember a friend buying it in the used game bin around 78. I even think it may have been released much earlier, because I don't remember it having the AH complexity rating and I think that started around 1975. Of course, trying to pull things that old out of my brain is painful.
I still have my box of labeled baby food jars full of Third Reich pieces. By the time you spent the 4-5 hours setting that game up, there wasn't any time left to play even if you somehow still had the motivation.
Now you monkeys stop making me feel old.