Total number of claims for each Jagdgeschwader

[Christer Bergström]

JG-7 about 430 ?

I'd be very cautious regarding that figure. First of all, there was no confirmation procedure working in 1945, when JG 7 was active.

Secondly, due to Manfred Boehme's "JG 7", this Jagdgeschwader claimed to have shot down 23 aircraft in February 1945 (p. 141) and 131 aircraft in March 1945 (p. 187). If we add the various daily victory claims in the list on pp. 284 - 287 in that book, we get a total of no more than 69 victory claims in April - May 1945. On pp. 92 - 93, Boehme mentions six JG 7 victories in December 1944. Then two victories are listed for January 1945 (p. 273). (The performances by JG 7 was quite meagre before the introduction of the R4M rocket projectiles, which were used for the first time by JG 7 on 18 March 1945 AFAIK.)

That gives a grand total of 231 victories claimed by JG 7. Please note that a comparison between JG 7's claims for US heavy bombers and actual losses sustained by the USAAF indicates that the jet pilots made some heavy overclaims and sustained quite significant own losses.

On 21 March, JG 7 claimed to have shot down 13 B-17s while no more than 6 US 8th AF heavy bombers were lost to all causes that day. The price for this was a loss of 4 Me 262s.

On 24 March, JG 7 claimed "10 four-engined" in an attack against 15th AF, but US sources say that only one of 15th AF's heavy bombers was lost to jet interception. Meanwhile, another 4 Me 262s were lost. (The US escort fighters claimed to have shot down 8 Me 262s. . .) (See Hammel, "Air War Europa", p. 464.)

On 25 March, JG 7 claimed 5 B-24s shot down. This time the claims match with US loss statistics, but 5 Me 262s were lost - out of 25 despatched.

The darkest day for JG 7 was 10 April 1945, when 10 B-17s and 5 P-51s were claimed but 27 Me 262s were lost. With one of thge latter, the jet ace Walter Schuck flew his last mission of the war.

Due to Roger A. Freeman's "The US Strategic Bomber" (p. 157), 8th AF and 15th AF lost altogether 70 heavy bombers to enemy aircraft through March 1945 - a figure which should be compared with the 108 four-engined bombers claimed shot down by JG 7 in that month (Boehme, p. 187).


(Edited for typo)