Final tally for JG52 ?

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by tmoj2000

The claims are over 10,000...
Do we have information/opinions what the actual kills were ? How accurate is this number?

Here are totals from a few different sources:

• Hans Schreier says it's "over 10,800" in "JG 52: Das erfolgreichste Jagdgeschwader des II. Weltkrieges"
• Pawel Berger says it's "10,800" in his book "10 800 Sestrelu: Jagdgeschwader 52, Historie Nejuspesnejsi Stihaci Jednotky Vsech Dob"
• John Weal is all over the place in "Jagdgeschwader 52: The Experten". On the back cover, it's "some 9,000". On page 6, it's "well over 10,000". On page 120, he mentions that "one respected air historian" contends that the Geschwader accounted for "close on 10,600".
• Niko Fast doesn't provide a total in his multi-volume unit history, "Das Jagdgeschwader 52", but volume IV contains a detailed account of the unit's 10,000th victory on 2 Sep 1944.
• Bernd Barbas says that it's "over 10,000" in the two JG 52 Gruppe histories he's published thus far, namely "Die Geschichte der I. Gruppe des Jagdgechwaders 52" and "Die Geschichte der II. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52". He states that III. Gruppe had over 4000 victories and that II. Gruppe had over 3600. (Each volume contains a detailed Gruppe claims list, so once the remaining volume[s] are published, we should have a comprehensive claims list for the Geschwader.)
• Philippe Saintes says it's "around 10,685" in "Batailles Aeriennes #51: Histoire de la JG 52: L'escadre aux 11.000 victoires (2eme partie)". He provides the following Gruppe totals on page 103:
  Stab./JG 52 = +100
  I./JG 52 = 2,489
  II./JG 52 = 3,530
  III./JG 52 = 4,050
  13.(Slowakei)/JG 52 = 216
  15.(Kroat)/JG 52 = +300

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter