Hi, Denes!
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Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád
I agree here with Franek.
Based on excerpts from the VVS' 5th Air Army documents I received, the amount of detail included in them is not enough for an accurate individual breakdown of victories and losses.
Also, the enemy airplane recognition skills of many Axis (and Allied, for that matter) pilots was rather questionable, so I would also stick to: single engine fighter/fighter bomber, twin engine bomber/reconnaissance, etc. categories.
Claims of historians that a certain pilot X who claimed Y number of Z type of aircraft and there was none of those lost that day in that area thus pilot X was lying is not scholarly enough (moreover, it gives a feeling that that particular author did not actually want to find a possible match for the researched pilot's claims)...
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I can partially agree with you. One, surely could not find out who shot down who basing only on 5 VA documents. But, I have notes almost through all levels of documents, starting from IAPs to VA. Comparing it with time, place and altitude in TW lists it is not so difficult to figure out at least which units participated in a particular combat. This method grows more complicated when it comes to match records during stiff battles as Kursk or some days of Kuban.
Regards.