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Re: Erich Hartmann vs. P-51
Based on my research and experience, one of the main errors done by many aviation historians - from all sides! - who try to match a certain airman's victory lists with losses from the opposing side, is to look only for crashed or force landed (thus destroyed or severely damaged) aircraft. This is incomplete research. Aircraft damaged in air combat, but returned to friendly territory should also be considered.
Another frequently done error is to discount the ground fire (flak, small arms fire, etc.), which caused a similar number of losses than by fighters and board gunners. However, the feats of the anti-aircraft artillery is usually poorly covered.
All these often overviewed factors should also be counted, for the overall picture to be clearer (it will never be 100% clear anyhow).
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