In search of good titles-Help Please

Hello,
I have recently developed an interest in WWI aces having gained the titles Under the Guns of the Red Baron and Under the Guns of the German Aces. I have the ability to gain the titles "September Evening", "German Knights of the Air" and "Knights of the Black Cross". I would be most interested in anyone's opinions of these titles. Are they worth purchasing?
Thank you all in advance!
Mike

[Gregvan]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Forum!! I hope you return frequently, and take part. The forumites who frequent this place include experts on just about any subject you could ask about in relation to WWI aviation.

Of the three books you mention, my own preference would be "September Evening". It's well-researched and an entertaining read about Werner Voss, though I don't agree with everything the author says.

As for the other two, well..."German Knights of the Air" is a decent introduction to the German airmen who won the Pour le Merite, but it's pretty dry and not particularly well-researched. I could say the same about "Knights of the Black Cross", which, if it's the book I'm thinking of, is by the same two authors and rehashes much of the same material.

If I may be so bold, perhaps you should check out Osprey Publishing's series of titles on WWI Aces at www.ospreypublishing.com. Go to that site and search around and you'll find many titles. These books are all in print and can be found at many, many outlets such as Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. They are affordable, well-illustrated and give a very good introduction into many different personalities and their aircraft. Any titles by Norman Franks or Jon Guttman are well worth obtaining.

If you're a von Richthofen enthusiast, any of the books by Peter Kilduff on the subject are extremely well-written and highly researched. If you should be interested in Allied pilots to provide a balanced perspective, I would suggest Charles Woolley's two books "First to the Front" (the 95th Aero Sqn) and The Hat in the Ring Gang (the 94th Aero Sqn). Both are not cheap but extremely well-illustrated and full of very deep and fascinating info. Both are available from Schiffer Publishing (or again, other outlets). As long as we're talking Schiffer, you can do no better than to pick up Mike Westrop's "A History of No. 10 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service" for an in-depth study of one of Britain's most famous fighter squadrons.

I'm sure other forumites will have many other suggestions. If you do a search through the forum archives, you can find several threads on "the best books" in our field. Or check out the book review section on this very site.

Best wishes,

Greg

[Ross_Moorhouse]

I can highly recommend Greg VanWyngarden's "Richthofen's Circus. Jagdgeswader Nr 1." Published by Opsrey. A great read and some outstanding colour profiles.

Those books are all great.

Thanks to all who responded, especially Greg. I appreciate the insight on the titles I mentioned. I am interested mostly in German aces and will probably go with "September Evening" since Voss was such a formidable pilot though he did seem to have a habit of strafing his victims once they were on the ground. Perhaps a bit off subject for this thread, but was that common practice? What little I know of WWI aces I thought it was a "gentlemen's war".
Thanks again for the insight and warm welcome,
Mike

[Ginger.]

"he did seem to have a habit of strafing his victims once they were on the ground."

Foxy old top, for a Sprog you show great perception, I like you already.

[EricGoedkoop]

Originally Posted by MFox

What little I know of WWI aces I thought it was a "gentlemen's war".

That's an oxymoron.

[Kirby]

Originally Posted by MFox

I am interested mostly in German aces and will probably go with "September Evening" since Voss was such a formidable pilot though he did seem to have a habit of strafing his victims once they were on the ground. Perhaps a bit off subject for this thread, but was that common practice? What little I know of WWI aces I thought it was a "gentlemen's war".

Once you've killed an enemy pilot, no matter the tactic, you can rest assured that dead pilot will never kill any of your comrades. How many German aviators' lives did Voss save by killing a downed pilot who, in all probability, would be in the air ASAP trying to kill as many Germans as he could?

You sound very young and somewhat innocent. There ain't no "gentlemen's war". The fact that Japanese aviators in WW II machine gunned American pilots while they were descending in a parachute was a wonderful propaganda tool. Of course, the fact that American pilots were under orders to do the same thing was never mentioned. Our pilots were even under orders to strafe a single enemy soldier when opportunity presented itself.

Gentlemen,
Let me clarify my statement about a "Gentlemen's War". On one occasion Voss visited a pilot he shot down in the hospital making sure he had gotten proper attention, giving him cigars and even an autographed photo of himself and then he would strafe individauls on the ground. I just found it interesting reference the different behavior. If you look at the air war on the Eastern Front during WW II there was no such activity as checking on your downed adversary if, by the off chance, he even survived being shot down and then captured. Early in the air war during WW II some Germans tried to keep the tradition of having dinner with a pilot they shot down but as the years went by this practice was no longer done on a steady basis that it seemed to have been done during WW I.
Sorry if my "oxymoron" offended anyone.
Mike

[Kirby]

Cheer up Mike. You haven't offended anyone.

The pilot Voss visited in the hospital was a POW and no longer a threat. The downed pilot who got strafed was still a potential enemy who would leap back into the fray with the sole intent of killing as many Germans as possible.
He be dead, he be no problem.

Anyway I wish you a very heartfelt welcome to the Aerodrome and hope you will contribute on a regular basis.