The Flying Hussar
The continuing story of Werner Voss, exponent of the Fokker triplane
The Hussar’s Albatros
With his C.O’s permissionVoss painted his Albatros in a distinctive checkerboard design to complement the death’s head Hussar’s insignia on the fuselage. The checkerboard Albatros became a familiar sight on his forays over the British lines. His tactics were likened to those of Ball and Guynemer in their audacity. By early April his score had reached 23 and it seemed possible that he might challenge Richtofen whose score at that stage was 33.
Voss’s aspirations received a setback when Jasta 2 was transferred south to the quiet French sector. In the north the RFC was suffering a loss rate of four to one in a period remembered as ‘Bloody April’. Its consequences enabled Richtofen to increase his score to 52 in that grim month.Voss was also over-taken by several others; making his goal seemingly unattainable.
The Dreidecker
New British designs were entering service; classic types such as the SE5, Sopwith Camel and Bristol Fighter; and the RFC was anxious to avenge its earlier losses. Since the introduction of the Albatros scout, Anthony Fokker’s current designs were rendered obsolete, and he was anxious to redress that situation with a radical new concept. It was the notorious DR1, an agile triplane configuration that Richtofen had sampled earlier and summarily rejected. Voss on the other hand, tested and fell in love with it; recognising it as a machine to challenge the now superior British aircraft.
His own capabilities were recognised with an appointment as C.O. of Jasta 10; to be equipped with the ‘Dreidecker’. He was only 20 at the time but looked well into his thirties: three years of combat had taken their toll. Werner Voss and the DR1 seemed to be made for each other. By September his score stood at 48 and significantly the majority were scouts.
The Last Combat
On 23 September he took off on a solo patrol; not in his personal DR1 but a silver and blue example belonging to one of his pilots. At 18,000 feet the day was strikingly clear, and from his lofty position he was witness to intense aerial activity. The sky was stacked with British machines, without a German plane in sight.
With the sun behind him Voss edged closer and closer to a formation of SE5s. His daring attack took them by surprise, with one of them falling away out of control. His attack was perfectly executed but it was not Voss’s lucky day. He was confronted by another batch of SE5s and unknown to him they were from No.56 with 5 aces in their number. James McCudden V.C. later wrote: His flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent and in my opinion he was the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight.
But the odds were too great; the great Werner Voss fell; overwhelmed by superior numbers.
Werner Voss
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Fokker DR1
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