Over the years there has been controversy, much of it ill-informed, concerning the validity of the German fighter aces' victory claims. Major Erich Hartmann, the top scorer in the Luftwaffe, is credited with 352 victories, 35 German pilots are credited with victory totals exceeding 150. On the other hand, Group Captain 'Johnny' Johnson, the RAF top-scorer in the late-war period, is credited with 'only' 38 victories; Major Richard Bong, the top-scoring US Army Air Forces pilot, is credited with 40; and Guards Colonel Ivan Kozhedub, the top-scoring Soviet Air Force pilot, is credited with 62. If the German pilots' victory claims are accurate, why was there such a great disparity in the claims of the different nations' pilots? Were the top German fighter aces eight or nine times as good as those of the Allied Air Forces?

This author has no evidence that the top German fighter pilots were any better than their Allied counterparts. The main difference between them was that German pilots had greater opportunities to amass large scores than Allied pilots - if they survived long enough. During the early part of the war the Luftwaffe often went into action against opponents with inferior training and equipment, and these opponents suffered accordingly. The days of the easy victories soon passed, however, and from the beginning of 1943 the Luftwaffe faced a hard fight on all fronts. To survive for any length of time against numerically superior enemy forces, a German pilot needed to be good and he needed to be lucky. For those who knew their business, however, there were usually plenty of enemy aircraft to pick off.

Another important factor that assisted German fighter pilots to amass large scores was that they did not fly limited tours of combat duty like those in the RAF or the USAAF. Take the top scorer, Erich Hartmann, who joined JG 52 on the Eastern Front in October 1942. He flew on operations almost continually from then until the end of the war, with only short breaks for leave. By the end of October 1943 his score had reached 148 and in March 1944 it passed the 200 mark. He flew more than 800 operational missions, an average of nearly one per day over the 2 1/2-year period, and on average gained one victory per 2 1/2 sorties. No British or American pilot was allowed fly combat missions for such a long period without a break. At the peak of their scoring careers there were several Allied fighter pilots who achieved victories at the same rate as Hartmann. However, none did so for more than a few months before being sent on a rest tour.

Some writers have suggested that Dr Goebbels' propaganda service inflated. the victory scores of individual German pilots. This author has studied these claims in detail and can assert with confidence that this was not the case. The Germans are nothing if not good bureaucrats. Before a victory claim was confirmed it underwent rigorous checking by the Abschusskommission (the Commission for the Adjudication of Victory Claims). No claim was even considered unless there was an independent witness of the action, or a wrecked enemy aircraft that appeared to link with the claim. If the action took place over German-held territory and no wreck was found, a pilot would have considerable difficulty getting the victory confirmed. No credit was given for shared or probable victories. If more than one fighter had engaged the enemy aircraft shot down, the pilot judged to have played the major part in its destruction received the credit.

This is not to say that every German pilot's victory score was 100 per cent accurate. The Abschusskommission was not perfect. Sometimes mistakes were made, and in all air forces there were some pilots who claimed dishonestly in action. But the German organisation was as effective as could be expected in time of war, and it was more thorough than any counterpart run by the Allies.

To sum up, the German fighter pilots' victories were recorded as accurately as could be expected in time of war - and certainly more accurately than those of their British or American counterparts. The German pilot's scores were higher than those in other air forces because they had greater opportunities to achieve victories, and they spent longer periods on front-line operations.

Luftwaffe Pilots Credited With More Than 100 Victories

HauptmannErich Hartmann Major Gerhard Barkhorn Major Günther Rall Oberleutnant Otto Kittel Major Walter Nowotny Major Wilhelm Batz Major Erich Rudorffer Oberstleutnant Heinrich Bär Oberst Hermann Graf Major Theodor Weissenberger Oberstleutnant Hans Philipp Oberleutnant Walter Schuck Major Heinrich Ehrler Oberleutnant Anton Hafner Hauptmann Helmut Lipfert Major Walter Krupinski Major Anton Hackl Hauptmann Joachim Brendel Hauptmann Max Stotz Hauptmann Joachim Kirschner Major Kurt Brändle Oberstleutnant Günther Josten Oberst Johannes Steinhoff Oberleutnant Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert Hauptmann Günther Schack Hauptmann Emil Lang Hauptmann Heinz Schmidt Major Horst Ademeit Oberst Wolf-DietrichWilcke Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille Hauptmann Heinrich Sturm Oberleutnant Gerhard Thyben Oberleutnant Hans Beisswenger Leutnant Peter Düttmann Oberst Gordon Gollob Leutnant Fritz Tegtmeier Oberleutnant Albin Wolf Leutnant Kurt Tanzer Oberstleutnant Friedrich-Karl Müller Leutnant Karl Gratz Major Heinrich Setz Hauptmann Franz Schall Oberleutnant WalterWolfrum Hauptmann Rudolf Trenkel Oberst Adolf Dickfeld Hauptmann Horst-Günther von Fassong Oberleutnant Otto Fönnekold Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Weber Major Joachim Müncheberg Oberleutnant Hans Waldmann Major Johannes Wiese Alfred Grislawski Major Adolf Borchers

352 301 275 267 258 237 222 220 212 208 206 206 204 204 203 197 192 189 189 188 180 178 176 174 174 173 173 166 162 158 158 157 152 152 150 146 144 143 140 138 138 137 137 138 136 136 136 136 135 134 133 133 132

Major Erwin Clausen Hauptmann Wilhelm Lemke Oberst Herbert IhIefeld Oberleutnant Heinrich Sterr Major Franz Eisenach Oberst Walther Dahl Hauptmann Franz Dörr Leutnant Rudi Rademacher Oberleutnant Josef Zwernemann Leutnant Gerhard Hoffmann Oberst Dietrich Hrabak Oberst Walter Oesau Oberleutnant Wolf Ettel Hauptmann Wolfgang Tonne Fj. Obeifeldwebel Heinz Marquardt Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer Hauptmann Robert Weiss Oberstleutnant Friedrich Obleser Oberstleutnant Erich Leie Leutnant Franz-Josef Beerenbrock Leutnant Hans-Joachim Birkner Leutnant Jakob Norz Leutnant Heinz Wernicke Oberleutnant August Lambert Oberst Werner Mölders Leutnant Wilhelm Crinius Major Werner Schroer Leutnant Hans Dammers Leutnant Berthold Korts Oberstleutnant Kurt Bühligen Oberst Helmut Lent Oberleutnant Franz Woidich Major Kurt Ubben Major Reinhard Seiler Hauptmann Emil Bitsch Major Hans Hahn Oberst Günthcr Lützow Oberleutnant Bernhard Vechtel Oberst Victor Bauer Hauptmann Werner Lucas Generalleutnant Adolf Galland Leutnant Heinz Sachsenberg Major Hartmann Grasser Major Siegfried Freytag Hauptmann Friedrich Geisshardt Oberstleutnant Egon Mayer Oberleutnant Max-Hellmuth Ostermann Oberleutnant Herbert Rollwage Major Josef Wurmheller Hauptmann Rudolf Miethig Oberst Josef Priller Ulrich Wernitz .

132 131 130 130 129 128 128 126 126 125 125 125 124 122 121 121 121 120 118 117 117 117 117 116 115 114 114 113 113 112 110 110 110 109 108 108 108 108 106 106 104 104 103 102 102 102 102 102 102 101 101 101 .

The Luftwaffe Data Book: Table of Content

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