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Old 4th May 2005, 12:11
Graham Boak Graham Boak is offline
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Re: Erich Hartmann: 352 victories or... 80?

Let's note that, as a general rule, accidents made up as many losses as aerial combat. So a simple equation such as Boandlgramer's does not work. This evidence - if taken as gospel, and there seems to be too many assumptions for my taste - would imply something like a 2:1 ratio between claims and kills.

On other matters, there is not surprisingly a difference between claims made after the introduction of effective gun cameras and those made before. There is a difference in "reality" between claims made during times of intense fighting, where multiple units are involved, and where the battle takes place over the other side's territory, as opposed to low-intensity combat with few participants over your own soil. So if you must compare, then compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges, not just picking whichever fruit suits your own arguments.