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Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read
Review: 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, but granting this, the presentation seems overly sparse. Other than an examination of his relationship with von Richthofen, the author gives us little insight as to his friendships and associations within the air service or how he was viewed by surviving contemporaries both in and out of the service. What we are left with is a valuable recounting of all the pertinent postings during his service career and thumbnail descriptions of his many aerial victories, but the author can't quite seem to breathe life into his subject. In the recounting of Voss' final Dogfight, the presentation is more complete. The author brings together the after-action reports and memoirs of the surviving paricipants and witnesses, to recount the battle in precise detail. He gives the reader a clear picture of this epic encounter, while examining in detail the numerous controversies surrounding the fight. This will be a valuable addition to every WW1 aviation bookshelf.
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