SEPTEMBER EVENING: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss [Hardcover]

Barry Diggens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

This is the first full-length biography ever written on the life and death of the nineteen-year-old Werner Voss, who was a legend in his own lifetime and the youngest recipient of the Pour le Me'rite, Germany's highest award for bravery in WWI. At the time of his death he was considered by many, friend and foe alike, to be Germany's greatest ace and, had he lived, he would almost certainly have overtaken Manfred von Richthofen's victory total by early spring 1918.

Voss is perhaps best remembered for his outstanding courage, his audacity in the air and the prodigious number of victories he achieved before being killed in one of the most swash-buckling and famous dogfights of the Great War; a fight involving James McCudden and 56 Squadron RFC, the most successful Allied scout squadron.

Yet the life of Voss and the events of that fateful day in September are surrounded by mystery and uncertainty and even now aviation enthusiasts continue to ask questions about him almost on a daily basis.

Barry Diggens was determined to find out the truth and his book unearths and analyses every scrap of information concerning this extraordinary young man. His conclusions are sometimes controversial but his evidence persuasive and this study will be welcomed by, and be of great interest to, the aviation fraternity worldwide.

Includes an excellent photographic section.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Grub Street Publishing (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904010474
• ISBN-13: 978-1904010470
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,863,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, February 8, 2004

By 

Steven Smith (Castle Rock, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SEPTEMBER EVENING: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss (Hardcover)

First off, let me say this is a "Must Read" for anyone remotely interested in the aerial campaigns of WW1 and/or the career of Werner Voss. The subtitle of the book: "The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss" neatly describes the organization of the book with 77 pages devoted to his life and wartime career prior to September 23, 1917, while the final 89 recount the climatic dogfight and its aftermath.

I must say that I was a bit disappointed with the depth of coverage dealing with his wartime career. The author explains that much family and archival material was lost during the Second World War and other than an examination of his relationship with von Richthofen, his personal and professional life remains indistinct. What we are left with is a valuable recounting of all the pertinent postings during his service career and thumbnail descriptions of his 48 aerial victories.

In the recounting of Voss' final Dogfight, where he fought nearly single handed against nine British aircraft, the author gives the reader a clear picture of this epic encounter as well doing some first rate detective work examining the numerous controversies surrounding the fight. The appendices which include the after-action reports of the particpants and a fine selection of photographs are a highlight of the book. This will be a valuable addition to every WW1 aviation bookshelf.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TEENAGE ACE, October 25, 2005

By 

J. PARKER - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SEPTEMBER EVENING: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss (Hardcover)

I GOT THIS BOOK AND I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH IT.FOR THE FIRST TIME ANYWHERE YOU CAN NOW FIND THE REAL STORY OF THE TEENAGE ACE WERNER VOSS.HE WAS THE BETTER PILOT THAN THE RED BARON SOME SAY AND EVEN THE BARON HIMSELF SAID HE WAS THE ONE TO WATCH.THIS BOOK TELLS THE STORY OF A GREAT KID TO HIS LAST BATTLE WITH THE 7 S.E.5A SCOUTS ON THAT SEPTEMBER EVENING.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good reading., November 9, 2006

By 

M. Fonseca "carmarthen" (Thunder) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SEPTEMBER EVENING: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss (Hardcover)

This book not only serves its purpose (examining the life of German ace Werner Voss) but serves as a good introductory book for anyone interested in lear something about World War I dofights and aces, because the author talks about a lot of aces, including Richthofen, Ball, Mannock, Collishaw, Lothar Richthofen, etc.

The photos (all in black and white, of course) are also stunning, with great restoration job upon them.