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Originally Posted by PMoz99
Regarding the 'unconfirmed' status, Shores and Williams indicate they have referred to squadron records and combat reports, and the unconfirmed seem to be claims which they did not locate in either, but are present in Clostermann's personal log/record.
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So it's nothing official, like RAF stated them as unconfirmed, it's just Shores who stated them as such.
Maybe the November document was faulty but that means that the DFC documents were faulty too (those documents are not personal logs !). But it never occured that the squadron records may be faulty ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PMoz99
If they were originally recorded as aerial kills, would anyone have bothered to change the status of the claims so close to the end? Or after the end?
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Clostermann was somewhat a controversial figure. Some may want to boost his tally and some may want to downgrade it. He is after all very well know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PMoz99
In any case, I still think it safe to say the 23 claimed kills include claims which some sources now say are unconfirmed and/or probables and/or OTG kills.
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I have already said what I think of the OTG. For the unconfirmed, this category only existed for a short time in 1939-1940 in the RAF. There is no reason to think these victories were rejected by the RAF as they are mentioned in the various documents quoted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PMoz99
Clostermann claims 2, Shores&W has only 1. As a result, the Shores&W list has 11 confirmed, 7 unconfirmed, and 5 probables = 23. And 9 damaged. Coincidence? By design? I can't see why they would try to tailor the result.
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This may be one of the geniune errors I was talking about. So that would give Closterman 18 confirmed, 5 probables and 9 damaged.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PMoz99
Last of all, I have no idea how to reconcile a Tempest with 21 black and 7 white crosses, given there were 4 kills in the last sortie with aerial kills. His score would have jumped from 19 to 23. Michel, - do you have a date for that photo? (I guess not)
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His last mount show 23+9. So maybe confirmed+probable in black and damaged in white. That would match more or less with the rest.