[Johannes]

Hi Nick

Yes, it's hard when ones childhood heroes are questioned, but they were questioned way before the evidence supported the accusations.

Especially hard for Bernd who knew almost all the JG52 aces....and others, but there were good honest guys, who were still accused before the evidence has proved them honest, so in that respect it makes those "crashed" a little easier to live with. I guess most dis-honest claimers met with grief during the war, Hartmann's only grief was his fame brought ten years of imprisonment with it.

With Nowotny he was Austrian, perhaps he was getting back at the establishment who removed his homelands independence status?

As mentioned before Hartmann was not a popular officer, or indeed even a good one, I would guess that his little game may have been suspected, if not even known to some of his komrades?, perhaps publicity/fame saved him from any punishment. What is fact is that he took the most "kills" to get his Ritterkreuz.....I wonder why, fact he was moving very quickly in the scoring game at this time, but still I wonder if his Kommandeur suspected something and delays recommendation, also Hartmann again took the most claims to get the Eichenlaub, ..but then quickly gets the next decorations........the .propaganda machine would be loving him by then. But with the mentioned JG27 schwarm caught in a lie, just because another pilot reported their blatant "fake claims".....so whistle blowers were at least sometimes listened to, perhaps Hartmann/Nowotny became too big to be brought down!

Kind Regards

Johannes