Hooton's Luftwaffe Loss Totals - request for clarification

[Nick Beale]

IWM had some AHB 6 microfilms which I saw about 20 years ago at the Museum in Lambeth. Why not contact them and inquire what they have now?

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi.

I have been working on these issues for several years, and think you are in some cases in this thread overcomplicating, and in others oversimplifying.

With regards to the 'big numbers' - total losses - these are available for statistical use from a couple of sources.

I will see if I can provide some detailed information over the weekend.

Regards,
Andreas B

[Paul Thompson]

Originally Posted by Andreas Brekken

Hi.

I have been working on these issues for several years, and think you are in some cases in this thread overcomplicating, and in others oversimplifying.

With regards to the 'big numbers' - total losses - these are available for statistical use from a couple of sources.

I will see if I can provide some detailed information over the weekend.

Regards,
Andreas B

Hello Andreas.

I am sure I am doing both, since I have very little understanding of the limitations of the source material. Thank you for offering to provide information, I'm very interested!

Paul Thompson

[Paul Thompson]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

IWM had some AHB 6 microfilms which I saw about 20 years ago at the Museum in Lambeth. Why not contact them and inquire what they have now?

Nick, thank you for remembering that from so many years ago! I'll definitely contact them, possibly next week.

I've found the reference in question in Hooton's "Eagle in Flames". It is the source for "Table 40. Breakdown of Aircraft Losses, April 1941-June 1944" on page 156. The reference itself is as follows: "RAF Air Staff Post-Hostilities Studies, Book 21: 'Luftwaffe Activity I' (IWM Tin 192, fr.1071-85). Figures extrapolated from 'Einsatzbereitschaft der fliegende Verbaende'". The reference to extrapolation is somewhat disappointing, but Ted Hooton used other IWM sources which caught my interest.

The most interesting of those other sources appears to be a set of frames preceding the ones above. For example, "Luftwaffe Activity I, Vol. 1, IWM Tin 192, fr. 1041" is the source for "Table 53. Luftwaffe Activity on the Eastern Front, 1944" on page 205. The table shows the breakdown of sorties and losses by Luftflotte, sorted by aircraft mission categories.

Nevertheless, none of the above resembles the source mentioned by Artie Bob, so I would be very glad if he could give the reference for it.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Paul Thompson

Nick, thank you for remembering that from so many years ago! I'll definitely contact them, possibly next week.

The stuff I was looking at was in German, by the way and I wasn't looking for the things you are. Still, you can but ask.

[Paul Thompson]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

The stuff I was looking at was in German, by the way and I wasn't looking for the things you are. Still, you can but ask.

Nick, thanks for the words of caution. I hope my rudimentary German can stretch to looking at loss tables, but otherwise I'll have to see if I can use a dictionary on my laptop. By the way, I've worked out where I remember Duxford from. Hooton's 2010 Luftwaffe book contains 5 tables with references to "IWM, Duxford, Tin 30 Frames K3312-3356". The first of these is "Table 9-4: German fighter activity in the East 1944," which lists monthly sorties by day and night fighters. It also contains a very strange set of loss figures, but I'll refrain from commenting on those, hoping that Andreas introduces some clarity!

[Paul Thompson]

I've put Ted Hooton's loss data for 1944 into a table:
Luftflotte 1 460
Luftflotte 4 1055
Luftflotte 6 905
Luftflotte 2 816
Luftflotte Reich 4370
Luftflotte 3 4563

Total East 2420
Total West 9749

At last, some figures match. The 2nd table on the page on Don Caldwell's site contains essentially identical information:

http://don-caldwell.we.bs/jg26/thtrlosses.htm