[Johannes]

Hi Michel

The microfilms do have some quirks that mean you have to be careful understanding. For earlier NJG claims there are many instances of claims being duplicated exactly a year later i.e details exactly the same with the exception of the year...period 1942-1943.

With JG2 yes massive overclaiming, but also sometimes two pilots share a claim according to the anerk nr. But also often with the earlier typed-out microfilms for each staffel there is duplication with a.s.m-v.n.e claims, they appear on the typed-out staffel claims, but are duplicated in the a.s.m-v.n.e microfilm. This ends with the daily microfilm entries where a handwritten page for East and West have all units claims. This begins in late July 1942 for some units, but then gradually all other units end up on the daily microfilm sheets, the last are some of JG1/JG11 staffel in the Autumn of 1943.

But not all JG2 pilots overclaimed you understand. With other units this overclaiming is usually at staffel or gruppe level, and mostly a small number of Staffel per Geschwader, but sometimes it's whole gruppe, and most of a Geschwader, this is the case with JG2. My friend John Foreman theorised that this Geschwader played on their name "Richthoven", but crash-sites especially in the West were investigated, you will find that JG2 made most of it's claims over the sea, perhaps the reason is somewhere in between. JG26 also in the West are the opposite i.e little overclaiming, yet one famous JG2 ace transferred to them and still managed to continue his overclaiming!

The Luftwaffe claims procedure was the most paper intensive your find, i.e claimants report, witness report e.t.c, so you would think it perfect, but I suspect all this paperwork probably helped over claimers i.e once produced it was fact...…..cast in stone.

Kind Regards

Johannes