[HGabor]

Hi Nick, this is an interesting question. There were pilots with only 1 claim, which in the end was verified as a real victory. This is 100% accuracy.

(Eg.: Fw. Erich Pilz (6./SG.10, Fw 190F), who on November 16, 1944 at Szeged-NW claimed a DC-3 at low altitude of 75 m, in fact downed a soviet 4 GvBAK Douglas C-47A-50-DO, S/N: 42-24140. Brave Russian pilot, Gv.Capt. Petr Timofeevich Alexeenko belly landed the burning Douglas which was a complete loss. Passenger, commander of 5 GvAD DD, Gv.Col. Pavel Ivanovich Kondratev (1899-1944) died later the day in field hospital No.5202.)


Others, let's say claimed eg. 100 planes, but only 30 of them were destroyed. This is 30% accuracy. Now which one is 'better'? 30 or 1 real victory? 100%, or 30% accuracy? Statistic are tricky and hard to determine what is good, and what is bad. Overclaims were well known everywhere, including in the Royal Hungarian Air Force. Many publications describe the battle of the Hungarian 101/5. Squadron Bf 109G fighters against the 18 soviet 861 BAP Bostons and 5 Yak-9 fighters over Lake Balaton on March 23, 1945 with significant results:

Fekete Ottó zls.: Boston III. at Siófok-W
Báthy János hdgy.: Boston III. at Siófok-W
Nyári György hdgy.: Boston III. at Siófok-W
Kérges László szkv.: Yak-9 at Siófok-NW
Nánási Kálmán hdgy.: Yak-9 at Siófok-SW at 11:42.

But checking the soviet loss reports, we found, that only a single Boston was lost, all of the others, including the 659 IAP Yaks were just damaged. A-20G-30-DO Boston, S/N: 43-9582 (R-2600-23 engines: 83022, 82898) was hit, turned to the East and by rapidly loosing altitude, belly landed at Balatonfőkajár, just a few kms East of Siófok. Plane burned. Now who destroyed this plane? Fekete, Báthy or Nyári? I do not know. 3 bomber claims in a small area within a short period of time.

Crew of 17 VA, 244 BAD, 861 BAP A-20G, No. 43-9582 on March 23, 1945:

gv.ml.lt. Oganes Mkrtichanovich Dzhanzhutov (head injury upon crashlanding)
ml.lt. Evgenii Kazimirovich Sleshinskii (unhurt)
Sgt. Valentin Fodorovich Bogdanovskii (leg injury by fighter fire)
Sgt. Ivan Artemevich Lushkin (leg injury by fighter fire)

(Plane was erased from combat service in the March 26, 1945 mechanical report.)

Gabor