Luftwaffe Kill Markings On Tail

[Jim Oxley]

Am curious why the Germans adopted the 'bar' marking on the rudder, rather than the almost universal national symbol claim marking depicted under the cockpit by most other air forces in WWII. Even the conservative British adopted that. Anyone know why? Did the Germans, even at the start of the war, realise that their fighter pilots would end up claiming huge numbers?

And when did the Germans start painting the national emblem of their enemies on top of the bar markings? There are a number of photo's around showing plain bar markings in the early stages of the war, even though the Germans faced Dutch, Norwegian, French and British opponents. Did it start with the Soviet invasion? A way of differentiating victories over British versus Russian? Or earlier with the Greek and Yugoslavia invasions?