[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, guys....

Just as I thought... an allied airman (a western allied one that is) would not get shot down by any other pilot than the Star of Africa....

You have to do Your homework, guys.... the comments in this thread would indicate that the Jagdwaffe in late 42 only had a few battle-worn aircraft at their disposal.

If You check the records of the GenQu 6 Abt at BA/MA, and look at the amount of aircraft delivered to the Jagdwaffe (parts of JG 27, JG 53 and JG 77) in the North African theatre, You will find that they received Bf 109G's in the hundreds during the autumn 1942.

For example:

I./JG 77 got 41 brand new G-2/trop when they were transferring to Africa in Sept/Oct 1942.

During the last two months of 42 they lost about 33 aircraft in total, and got 21, ending up with a strength of 25 G-2 trop at the end of the year (and then they got 17 new G-2 trops in January '43 also)

The picture is similar for III. Gruppe JG 77.

Another fighter unit in the NA was II./JG 53. In the period October 1942 through February 1943 they received 125!!! brand new Bf 109G-4/trop

I./JG 27 received 32 G2's and 29 G4's from October 42 to February 43.

II./JG 27 was the worst off, they had to take over F-4's from other reequipping Gruppen, but nonetheless received a total of about 60 aircraft during the same period, undoubtedly of mixed condition, but good enough to fly.

III./JG 27 was also at the bottom of the ladder it seems.

However, the established strength of these units comprised until VERY late in 1942 (I am then talking turn of the year), was usually above 25 aircraft per Gruppe.

But I guess Marseille flew most of them...... the other pilots down there were mostly novices, fresh from school... NOT!

Another aspect Graham Boak brings into discussion, is that the Luftwaffe in the area were totally dependant on a handful of aces, and did not have the moral nor (probably in his opinion) the pilot capability to down allied fighters when these heavy hitters were not available. To be frank, this is a generalization and in all respects totally wrong. To base such a conclusion on what it seem from his message, a single report from a few desillusioned Luftwaffe prisoners? taken in 1942 is quite spectacular.

I would urge You guys to make a quick read of the claims reports posted by Tony Wood on his site for this period (latter half of 1942). From that list I think I could name about 40-50 pilots that were experienced combat veterans by late 1942, which skill I would say were adequate both in piloting and mastering the difficulties of a combat situation.

I guess that the handful of capable pilots Mr. Boak is referring to does not include many of the following, at the time members of JG 27 with scores ranging from a handful to between fifty and a hundred claims up to the period we are discussing:

Sawallisch, Sinner, Rödel, Krenz, Steis, Schöfböck, Stigler, Steis, Homuth, Monska, Besch, Kientsch, Bendert, Rosenberg, Franzisket, Gläser, Scheib, Hoffmann, Gruber, Krainik, Düllberg, Schneider, Jürgens, Werfft, Unterberger, Stahlschmidt, Körner, Schroer, Steinhauser, Lieres und Wilkau, Kügelbauer, Schulze, Heidel, Boerngen, Kaiser, Vögl, Heinecke, Clade, Kabisch. And of course it could not be the less known (at the time) Brandl, Hanbeck, Döring, Dietz, Jansen or Stückler.

You have of course to take about 4 from this list, to make up for Boak's handful, I still see a couple of names which I would guess could handle a Bf 109 pretty well, even if they were mere Uffz of Fw.

I have just completed the excellent book on Bodenplatte by Pütz and Manrho, where several of the according to Graham Boak desillusioned pilots that had by then survived (some of them all, other a large part) BoB, Barbarossa, the Balkans and North Africa and the western front through 1944 were still flying.... others were butchered during 1944, but that was a totally different war!

I guess this will be a bit like poking a stick into an anthill, but what the hell! You only get what fun You make Yourself!!

Regards,
Andreas