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Tom Crean "Author" |
Gentlemen,
After consulting with Cobras R/C Club president Larry Puls,
I have extended an invitation to author Tom Crean
of Omaha
to do a short presentation on his new book detailing the
life of one of the most famous fighter pilots
of the German
Air Service during the Great War, ace Werner Voss.
On Wednesday, August 4th, Tom Crean will bring a 30 minute
presentation on his book and its subject to the
monthly meeting of the Cobras R/C Club, following the
show-and-tell displays. There will be a brief question-and-answer session
afterwards.
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Tom will also be a vendor at the 4th annual Western Front
Dawn Patrol on September 18-19, 2010 where he will be
offering signed editions of his new book.
The story of Werner Voss certainly deserves to be told. In
less than a year, he scored 48 aerial victories. A gifted
pilot, Voss was on his way to matching (and perhaps even
surpassing) the score of "The Red Baron", Manfred von
Richthofen. (In fact, Voss' skill was so highly respected
that when the first two Fokker Triplane prototypes were sent
to the front for testing, one went to von Richthofen and the
other went to Voss.)
But on September 23, 1917 his luck ran out when he tangled
with flights from the elite British unit, 56 Squadron. Even
though the British fliers included aces James McCudden (VC,
MC with Bar, DSO with Bar), Arthur Rhys Davids (MC with Bar,
DSO), and Geoffrey "Beery" Bowman (MC with Bar, DSO with
Bar), Voss single-handedly fought off the entire British
formation for ten minutes, putting several British planes
out of
action and putting holes in all of them during
what is considered one of the epic air battles of the Great
War. After a heroic struggle, he was finally brought down
by Arthur Rhys Davids. Voss was just 20 years old at his
death. |
"I
shall never forget my admiration for that German pilot, who
single handed, fought seven of us for ten
minutes . . . His flying was wonderful, his courage
magnificent and in my opinion he is the bravest German
airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight."
James McCudden
Until recently, much of Voss' brief life has been shrouded
in mystery. Perhaps this is because he has been
overshadowed by the "Red Baron" mythology, and because his
score was later surpassed by other German aces like Ernst Udet. Hoping to correct this, Tom Crean has written what
may well be the definitive book on the life of Verner Voss
and his squadron mates. With "Lieutenant der Reserve Werner
Voss and the Pilots of Jasta 10", Crean attempts to fill in
the blanks surrounding the career of Voss and the men he
commanded.
Anyone with an interest in WW1 aviation is encouraged to
attend Mr. Crean's presentation. We hope to see
you there!
Very Best Regards,
Dean Dingman, Event Director
Western Front Dawn Patrol 2010 |
