On September 23, 1917, Imperial Germany lost one of its greatest flying aces when Leutnant Werner Voss was shot down and killed over West Flanders, outnumbered 8 to 1 and refusing to run! With 48 confirmed aerial kills, Voss was the fifth highest scoring German ace of World War I despite having a flying career that lasted less than 2 years.
Digging Deeper
The British opponents flying against Voss called him “The Bravest of German Pilots,” a moniker justified by the famous last flight of Voss when incredulous British pilots were stunned to have Voss repeatedly attack instead of taking the more reasonable tactic of fleeing. In that aerial melee (what future fighter pilots would call a “furball”) Voss damaged several enemy planes, forcing them out of the fight and to make hasty landings.
