[Crumpp]

That is 97% of the serviceable rate for German SE fighters!

Feldwebel Eric Bartel, who served as a Jagdgeschwader mechanic for much of the war, recalled that after just 17 days' action his staffel of 12 Bf 109Es from JG 77 had been reduced to just 5 or 6, including spares, mainly through mechanical failures and normal wear and tear, rather than enemy action.

In fact, as Figure 8 indicates, Fighter Command started with a distinct advantage in pilot numbers that only increased as the battle progressed. [46] Robin Higham argues that Fighter Command's effective strength was lower, between 900 and 950 operational pilots. [47] Even on this basis, in September 1940, Fighter Command was able to field 250 more single-seat pilots than the Luftwaffe. The cause was the Luftwaffe's systematic neglect of training, a chronic weakness that only worsened as the war progressed.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...g=artBody;col1




http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ww2/batlbrit.pdf

All the best,

Crumpp