Hi again, guys:
I apologyze for not replying your posts sooner. I was extremely bussy, much more than I anticipated. Now I reply your posts.
Dear Dénes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád
This is not what I've said. I was only pointing out that the sample of VVS loss records I was shown are even more complete than the Luftwaffe ones. Nothing else.
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Even when this is only retoric, I ask you: if Luftwaffe's loss records are less complete than the VVS ones, It does not mean you cannot fully trust (RELY) on them?
I know that you that there is a difference between to say that a set of archives are uncomplete, and to say that one cannot rely on them. But unreliability is a logic comsequence of uncompleteness - if they are so uncomplete, How can one to be sure that there are no more losses than the ones mentioned in such archives, or even that the cause of loss mentioned there is the actual one?
Quote:
If, on ideological grounds you distrust the Luftwaffe loss records compiled for INTERNAL use, not intended for publicity, then you're left with virtually nothing to rely on from the German (or Axis) side.
With the same logic, you have to distrust the Soviet loss records, too, as ideologically, the two totalitarian regimes were not that far apart...
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Assuming that Comunism is a totalitarian regime, COMUNISM IS NOT IN THE SAME LEVEL THAN NAZISM. WHY? BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT COMMUNISM NEVER HAD, BUT NAZISM HAD FROM ITS SAME ROOTS:
RACISM. THIS IS THE IDIOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF NAZISM (AND NONE ELSE), WHICH MAKES ME SKEPTIC OF THE GERMAN LOSS RECORDS.
Most of the German war actions in the East were led right from the start by the premise that the "Russians" were
untermeschen and they did not deserve any respect. And many of the Luftwaffe members were known by sharing that point of view. Many of them changed their mind (e.g. Trautloft and Lutzow) but many others stubbornly kept loyal to Nazism and its racism - the top example was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, who in his biograhy
After all repeated over and over again the same slogans about the Russians being
masses from the East (even when sometimes conceded some merits to them, like to admitt the aiming skills of the Russian women operating the AAA batteries in Stalingrad). Hartmann himself was an example. Initially he understimated his Soviet opponents, and his mentor Alfred Grislawski many times reprimend him saying: "Do you think the Russians doesn't know how to shoot?" Summarizing: Racism and understimation of the Slavs (and comsequently the Soviet military capabilities) remained at all levels of the Whermacht along the whole war, even when they were already extremely evident. ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE, THAT SUCH UNDERESTIMATION DID NOT AFFECT GERMAN LOSS RECORDS? CAN YOU ASSURE THAT THE GERMANS DID NOT PREFER TO CREDIT LOSSES TO ACCIDENTS THAN TO SOVIET PILOTS BECAUSE OF SUCH RACISM?
If your experience dealing with Luftwaffe loss records is that racism did not affect them, that in them there is not an understimation of Soviet fighter pilots, please share it with us. In my case perhaps might change my skepticism
Kind regards, always a pleasure to discuss with you
Diego