[rof120]

As I mentioned from all fighter pilots shot down roughly 1/3 were killed, the others being unhurt or wounded.

I made a quick calculation on French losses; German losses are similar (not quite the same):

French losses of single-engined fighters May 10-June 24, 1940

Morane-Saulnier MS 406....138 including 27 to Flak, 49 pilots killed (35.5 %)

Bloch 151-152..................100 including 5 to Flak, 35 pilots killed (35 %)

Curtiss H-75..................... 62 including 2 to Flak, 22 pilots killed (35.5 %)

Dewoitine 520................... 50 including 4 to Flak, 14 pilots killed (28 %)

TOTAL 350 fighters lost with 120 pilots killed (34.3 %).

The magnitude of these losses (we have to add numerous fighters which were damaged, often very heavily) gives an idea of the French fighter arm's numerical strength. It would be very foolish to think that all French fighters, or most of them, were destroyed in combat: this is simply not true and their numerical strength of about 1,000 was more or less kept at the same level, or higher (in spite of all legends to the contrary), thanks to the production of new fighters in factories, which had strongly raised at last except for Moranes (they were being phased out). Lost fighters were replaced, Moranes too in the 5 remaining Morane units. Production of Bloch 152s and Dewoitine 520s had reached a high level with totals well over 400 each, and American production of Curtiss H-75s (assembled at Bourges close to the central point of France), which were very expensive, was so high that a 5th Groupe de chasse (GC), GC III/2, was re-equipped with this type around June 1st, sending their Moranes to other units or to the rear.

Why those pilots flying D.520s and shot down had a clearly better chance of surviving I don't know. We can only speculate on this fighter's qualities because it was the most recent design, the most up-to-date one, possibly with better pilot armour based on actual combat experience.

MS 406s had a much higher loss rate to Flak. My explanation is that they often were sent to low-level strafing attacks on German road traffic including tanks. Flak was perfectly ready and waited for them. But why precisely Moranes? French HQ possibly thought that they had to choose a fighter type anyway and the Moranes were clearly obsolescent and dispensable. If so this was a shocking error because Morane pilots were as good as any and had a lot of air combat experience: it was foolish to accept their loss in futile attacks whereas they were immensely useful in the sky, destroying the real bad guys: mainly German bombers. If such attacks were necessary, which I doubt (destroying German bombers was far more important and far less costly), every French expert agrees that Bloch 152s were much better suited with their air-cooled radial engine (much less of a liability than the liquid-cooled engine of Moranes in front of Flak) and much more sturdy, often surviving heavy punishment.

These French fighter losses include numerous victims of German air-gunners, who were well-trained and knew their stuff. I guess dozens of French fighters were shot down or heavily damaged by German gunners, possibly as many as 100. So they were not all victims of Me 109s/110s.

Among German fighter pilots who were shot down the percentage of those who were killed is most probably higher, possibly about 40 %. It would be too time-consuming and off topic to elaborate on this.