[GuerraCivil]

Luftwaffe could win big air battles in West yet in 1943 and up to early 1943 I think it could replace more or less its losses. The combat skills of average LW fighter were still decent which can be seen by numerical "kill/loss" -stats. For example the following have been verified by the loss records of both sides (AFAIK):
- the bombing of Münster on 10.10.1943: USAAF losses 37 heavy bombers and 1 fighter, LW losses 25 fighters.
- the bombing of Schweinfurt on 14.10.1943: USAAF losses 60 heavy bombers, LW losses 33 fighters. Admittedly these figures were possible due to limited range of P-47 fighter escorts at the time.

One could argue that a loss of heavy bomber was a bigger loss for USAAF than a loss of single fighter for Luftwaffe. If heavy bomber was lost over German controlled area, its whole aircrew was usually lost whereas LW fighter pilots could parachute in safety or make forced landing at own territory.

Fighter vs. fighter -combats in 1943 went not so badly for Germans when verifying the claims comparing the loss records of both sides of same combat - just few examples (Caldwell 1991: Top Guns of Luftwaffe):
- 15.4.1943 JG 1 vs. USAAF 4 PG: 2 lost Thunderbolts, German losses nil
- 13.6.1943 JG 26 vs. USAAF 78 PG: 2 lost Thunderbolts, German losses nil
- 26.6.1943 JG 26 vs. USAAF 56 PG: 5 lost Thunderbolts, German losses nil.

Perhaps the best recognition of Luftwaffe´s fighter force ability in early 1943 is given by enemy - Johnie Johnson in his book "Wing Leader" states that by that time the Luftwaffe units JG 26 and JG 2 with their Focke-Wulf fighters had still the upper hand in air combat at the "Channel front" (specially if RAF pilots flew with the outdated Spitfire Mk V).

The skill standard of LW fighter pilots was relatively good by mid 1943 and pilots who were trained and entered to frontline units during the years 1941-1942 were not much less qualified than those trained before the war. Many of these pilots were able to achieve respectable air victory scores of 20 - 25 in Western front.

The common belief is that Battle of Britain caused "irreplaceble" person losses to Luftwaffe but I would disagree. Luftwaffe was defeated in BoB but not "fatally wounded". The few verified combat records of Luftwaffe fighter units against Western Allies in 1942-1943 show that the combat skills of German fighter pilots were still very decent. Take for example the verified combat records of air battles over Dieppe on 19.8.1942: RAF/Allied losses 106, LW losses 48.

However by late 1942/early 1943 the attrition of too many fronts started to take its toll. The losses of North African campaign and growing attrition also at the Eastern front caused a crisis which Luftwaffe was not able to solve when it had to face the new American threat at West. It had a shortage of experienced pilots at the moment when they were most needed. The cutting of training program was only way to get enough pilots to fill the gaps. The shortage of gasoline also forced to cut the number of training flights. LW fighter pilots graduated from training programs in late 1943/early 1944 were thus usually of lower calibre with much less training flying hours than their predecessors.

Perhaps the growing accident loss rate tells best about the downgrading of pilot training and lowering of skill standards in Luftwaffe by 1944. For example in February 1944 over 1300 German aircraft were destroyed or damaged in accidents with more than 600 of flying personnel killed or injured.