[Nikita Egorov]

What should we do with the registered losses but absent claims that should correspond them?-))

I understand Rob in his wish to simplify the problem by tighting each ace to the certain percentage. It would be very nice if there were no misidentifications, duplicated kills, wrong timing, misprints, "neck itching", losses balancing and many other things that consitute a real headache of any researcher.
In this case I suggest that we should, while stating something serious, back it with references to first hand documents that everybody could cross check this in the archive and confirm that the particular case at issue was researched in full scope.

John, in my opinion every plane that was excluded of the unit's inventory list (sent to repair facilities, factory), due damage received in air combat and could not be repaired by unit's repair team should be counted as a justified kill to the enemy pilot responsible for bringing it down. There are many such cases on the Eastern front, and if we reject this we deprive German aces of some of their confirmed victories...