Luftwaffe shared victories (was: Hartmann ....352 victories or 80?)

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

But I didn't blame the airmen, did I? I'm perfectly clear that Germany's governing ideology led the country to ruin and defeat.

I am sorry if I misunderstood you, Nick. In this case, please disregard what I wrote above.

As for the German pilots, if their assigned task was to achieve air superiority in a certain sector (if this was right or wrong from the strategic point of view is a different matter), i.e. to destroy as many enemy aircraft as possible, both in the air and on the ground, then the number of victories is relevant, namely they did their duty. However, if they were tasked to support their own ground forces, or closely escort own bombers, and they were still flying around looking for the 'kill', while neglecting the primary mission, then they did not do their duty. The Luftwaffe doctrine was usually the former; therefore, by shooting down the enemy in the greatest number possible for the given circumstances, they did achieve the assigned goal, despite the strategy being erroneous, leading ultimately to a lost war.