Conspiracy

[Chris_Tydlacka]

A previous thread stated that Werner Voss was involved in a conspiracy against a superior officer. Is there any credible evidence to support this claim?

Many Bios also state that Voss was of Jewish heritage. However his family was Lutheran. How can this be?

[EdStevens]

It has been stated here that Voss was not in fact Jewish. I'm sure others will provide more details. IIRC, I think the confusion stems from the fact that the community his family came from was largely Jewish, and a book on Jewish/German aces included his name.

Alternatively, we know that MvR lost the tip of a finger to a propeller...perhaps Werner lost the tip of something else?

[Mac]

Voss was a good pilot but a lousy leader. Unlikely to have the capacity to conspire let alone the motivation. He was only interested in flying and 'planes. I can't recall reading that he was a conspirator against a superior officer.

I read the conspiracy was against a Jasta commander who Voss and another pilot didn't feel was aggressive enough. If memory serves, both were transfered out. I can't recall where I saw this. I'll try to locate it.
DD

[Rick]

Hptm. Franz Josef Walz, C.O. Jasta 2.

And no, for the umpteenth time, Voss was not Jewish. R.

[Chris_Tydlacka]

Thanx Denny,


If memory serves me correctly they were transfered and their former leader was forced to resign. I am wondering if this is just another myth similar to the one about him being a Jew. I hope you find something on this.

[Volker_Nemsch]

Here you will find some further information about Voß (I don´t know if this is a new info for you):

http://blindkat.tripod.com/voss/voss.html



Best regards!
Volker Nemsch

[Amy]

And no, for the umpteenth time, Voss was not Jewish. * * R.

Hee hee Rick's correct, Voss was not Jewish. He was an Evangelical Lutheran--says so in his war record.

[Cigogne]

Sometimes it get's tiring answering the same questions over and over again. Perhaps there should be a new thread section called Myths Answered that should be required to be read when new folks log on!!!

Here is what an expert researcher, namely Neal O'Connor wrote in his authoritative, definitive work "Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in WWI, Vol. IV" pp. 54-55

"...The problem of the morale of Jasta Boelcke and its anemidc scoring record except for Bernert and Voss centered around the uninspired leadership of the man who had taken over Jasta 2 when Kirmaier was killed on November 22, 1916. He was the Vavarian Hptm. Franz Walz. He accomplished the quite remarkable feat of downing six enemy planes between April 9 and July 29, 1916 while the leader of Kamplstaffel 2 of KG 1. But as a fighter pilot he had failed to live up to that early promise and was considered a failure. As of May 5, 1917, both in his earlier incarnation as the CO of Jasta 19 and in Jasta Boelcke, "Walz had not been able to add a single victory to his score. With Bernert gone, Voss, quite rightly if looked at only in terms of numbers, must have felt he was carrying the whole load. He and another member of Jasta Boelcke, Ltn. Rolf Freiherr von Lersner, openly campaigned to get Walz ousted with Voss, presumably, being his successor. In the German military, such politicking by subordinates could not be tolerated. Both Voss and von Lersner were reassigned...
Voss, a Pour le Merite man, was treated with kid gloves and given the command he wanted, but it was Jasta 5, not Jasta Boelcke. Von Lersner was returned to his old unit, KG 3, where he was killed on August 25, 1917. Ironic, too, was the fact that Walz scored his only victory as a fighter pilot, and the last of his in the war, when he dwoned a D.H.2 in the middle of all this on May 14."

Walz was transferred out of Jasta Boelcke and served as commander of Jasta 34 and then went on to the Middle East as leader of Flieger-Abteilung A 304b Pascha. (I need to double check this, I am going from memory here, but believe I am correct.) He rendered excellent service there.

[Cigogne]

Sorry about that, I should have reread the copy before I hit send. anemic, Kampfstaffel, and other words were mispelled.

My apologies...