[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Steve...

Not an easy question to give an exact answer to, but we have some pointers at least. Beware that I will update this as I get back home and can use some of my reference documents that I haven't had time to scan yet!

The Generalquartiermeister of the Luftwaffe high command was to have all losses for the Luftwaffe reported to his unit , in order to gather data for administration of the Luftwaffe aircraft and personnel, in addition to general statistical reasons (I am sure that a few comments will be posted here, there is always someone that post 'but what about this single aircraft that I haven't found in the lists' comments when these threads emerge...).

The last report date for which I have exact numbers in the unit strength reports are January 10th 1945 - at this date the numbers were:

Aircraft :

Total losses (aircraft damaged reported as more than 50%) in frontline units (numbers in brackets indicating school, training and other aircraft allocated to a frontline unit):

In combat: 40613 (1774)
Non-combat: 10457 (1043)

Damaged (aircraft damaged reported as less than 50%) in frontline units (numbers in brackets indicating school, training and other aircraft allocated to a frontline unit):

In combat: 20492 (820)
Non-combat: 15171 (1614)

Total losses (aircraft damaged reported as more than 50%) in schools and other non-frontline units (numbers in brackets indicating aircraft of frontline standard - thus aircraft of a relevant type and configuration for frontline combat use but utilized by a non-frontline unit):

Both in combat and others (most will be non-combat of course): 12442 (5059)


Damaged (aircraft damaged reported as less than 50%) in schools and other non-frontline units (numbers in brackets indicating aircraft of frontline standard - thus aircraft of a relevant type and configuration for frontline combat use but utilized by a non-frontline unit):

Both in combat and others (most will be non-combat of course): 9931 (5537)


So - summing up the frontline units had reported by this date about 61000 combat related losses and 25600 non-combat losses of all types.

Please remember that it does not implicate that they 'lost' 86600 aircraft - we have examples of the same aircraft being reported at least 5 times - with losses ranging from 10% damage due to a landing accidents - up to a final 100% loss in a training unit several years later.

I have som later data also - but have to access my archive before I can post and update.

Regards,
Andreas B