[Juha]

Hello Dan
I agree and that 15-17th Nov 43 wasn’t only case when that happened, I recall at least one case in Italy. when LW overclaimed badly while combating over their own a/f.

On the 15 and 17 Nov cases, IV./JG 27 was a new unit, its CO had came from the position of the CO of 5./JG 3. So to a new unit in new environment as his first Kommandeur posting. Maybe those facts had something to do with its heavy overclaiming even if Kirchner was a nice man and excellent pilot.

And BTW Kirchner was in fact shot down by P-47s from 57th FG, on 17 Dec IV./JG 27 seems to have first a combat with Spits and then with 57th FG and it was during the latter when Kirschner was shot down.

And on 20 Dec at least part of the claims were made by pilots from 82nd FG which also lost 3 pilots as POWs. So III./JG 27 claims seemed to have been accurate at least against P-38s. Hammel’s book isn’t the best source but handy. I cannot check 14th FG claims/losses because database of armyairforce.com is down.

Juha