[Andrew Arthy]

Hi,

Here's an extract about this subject from my Honours thesis:

The most notable example of the Luftwaffe ace culture’s impact in North Africa was the falsification of victory claims by a small group of 4./J.G. 27 pilots in mid-1942. Few Axis aerial victories were claimed in August, with the exception of these 4./J.G. 27 pilots, who claimed numerous victories almost daily. Other J.G. 27 pilots had their suspicions, and these were confirmed on 16 August when a 2./J.G. 27 pilot came across five 4./J.G. 27 pilots shooting off their ammunition in the desert in a mock combat. Slipping away unnoticed, the 2./J.G. 27 pilot landed at base. When the 4./J.G. 27 pilots returned, they claimed twelve victories between them. Some 58 false victory claims were submitted between 20 June and 12 October 1942, along with others that were suspicious. Most of these occurred in August. As if to confirm their guilt, on the day after they were discovered, one member of the Staffel committed suicide in his Bf 109.[1] This series of events was never reported to the Luftwaffe high command, and one of these pilots later received the Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross). This was the only known case of Axis falsification of victory claims in North Africa in 1942, but it is a stark example of how much the ace culture affected German fighter pilots in North Africa.

[1] Luftwaffe Victory Claims Microfilm Material; Shores & Ring, Fighters Over the Desert, p.160




Here are some figures regarding Luftwaffe claims and British losses in North Africa in 1942:

Table 6: German Victory Claims in North Africa [1]
(British losses to Axis fighters in brackets)


Month Total Claims Bombers Fighters
February 1942 *: 55 (34) 3 (3) 52 (31)
March 1942: 36 (32) 7 (8) 29 (24)
April 1942: 42 (42) 2 (8) 40 (34)
May 1942: 97 (80) 6 (7) 91 (73)
June 1942: 195 (144) 23 (18) 172 (126)
July 1942: 167 (119) 9 (10) 158 (109)
August 1942: 115 (65) 7 (3) 108 (62)
September 1942: 147 (95) 2 (1) 144 (94)
October 1942 **: 77 (43) 4 (0) 73 (43)
TOTAL 930 (654) 63 (58) 867 (596)


* from 10 February 1942 ** until 23 October 1942


[1] This table includes the falsified victory claims of 4./J.G. 27; source for victories is Luftwaffe Victory Claims Microfilm Material; source for British losses is Shores & Ring, Fighters Over the Desert, pp.93-190


Hope that is readable.


Cheers,
Andrew A.