Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Hi Guys

Nice to see lots of interest. I take on board that the other Staffels mights be doing less strenuous tasks. Actually looking at the whole Staffel's claims it was just all about Lang. Hoffmann was injured in September 1943, as soon as he returns to combat the Lang/Hoffmann super claiming starts, and continues until they are presumably on leave after the Ritterkreuz/DKiG awards. Moreover in Hannig's book he does state Lang would choice just one wingman, when it's Hannig Lang's claims are noticeable few, when Hoffmann both claim huge numbers. Not sure about Alfred Groß, but guess we should give him the benefit of the doubt!

So not(in my opinion) just general "overclaiming", as usual a couple of guys bucking the system.

Kind Regards

Johannes

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Hello Johannes,

was it sufficient during that period to provide one eye witness for claim confirmation ?

Have a nice afternoon,

Michael

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Hi Michael

Almost all claims sheets I have viewed have but a single witness, a little story about the attack, and information about ammunition used, but yes one witness.

Most likely is that these guys were opportunists. But I know Lang took Hoffmann to 9./JG 54 with him. III./JG 54 generally made accurate claims, but with Hoffmann as his wingman I assume the same thing continued, though more likely the opportunity to do so was less often due to larger groups flying together.

Again not so sure about Groß, but he was Lang's wingman at JG 26. This Geschwader was generally very accurate in it's claims, though I do recount a former JG 2 pilot and Ritterkreuzträger continuing his bad habits with them.

Kind Regards

Johannes

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Hello Johannes,

thanks for your post.
Cross-checking I found Adolf Galland's 1940 score rather to be 57, not 58, unless his 20May1940 claim was confirmed after 1941, was it ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Good morning Gentlemen,

the list needs an update with all the corrections and additions gathered so far:

Year / Top ace of the calendar year / victories
1915 Max Immelmann & Lanoe Hawker 7
1916 Oswald Boelcke 34
1917 Manfred von Richthofen 48
1918 René Fonck 56

1936 Joaquin Garcia-Morato 15,5
1937 Joaquin Garcia-Morato 13
1938 Werner Mölders & Tetsuzo Iwamoto 14 and/or Sergei Gritsevets 7+24
1939 Hiromichi Shinohara 58
1940 Adolf Galland 57
1941 Günther Lützow 83
1942 Hermann Graf 160
1943 Walter Nowotny 194
1944 Erich Hartmann 177
1945 Walther Dahl 43 (dubious), maybe rather Günther Josten 39

1950 Stepan Naumenko & Li Don Gu 5
1951 Nikolai Sutyagin 19
1952 Frederick Blesse 10
1953 Joseph McConnell 16

1967 Nguyen Van Coc 6

1970 Abraham Shalmon 5,5

1972 Richard Ritchie & Randall Cunningham 5
1973 Giora Epstein 12

1980 Yadollah Sharifirad 5

1982 Amir Nahumi 6

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

You forgot about M M Alam.

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Good morning Franek,

you may be right. Some sources indicate 9 kills for Alam in 1965.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Mahmood_Alam
http://users.accesscomm.ca/magnusfamily/ip65pak.htm
Is 9 his official score acknowledged by his Pakistani authorities ?

Michael

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Good evening Gentlemen,

I just finished working through István Toperczer's "MiG-17/19 Aces of the Vietnam War" and wonder if a 1966 ace can be indentified.
Nguyen Van Bay is officially credited with seven victories but on page 91 eight claims are listed:

• 26Apr66
• 29Apr66
• 29Jun66
• 5Sep66
• 16Sep66
• 21Jan67
• 24Apr67
• 29Apr67

Can anybody tell me which of those claims does not belong to his official score of seven ?

Michael

Re: Top ace of the calendar year
 

Good evening Gentlemen,

I'm still interested in Walther Dahl.
When did he suggest his 100. kill was claimed ?

Michael