Tendency to overestimate the numbers of enemy in air combat?

[Broncazonk]

I've been reading John B. Lundstrom's, The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign : Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 which is superlative. (I read it cover to cover, and then immediately began reading it again.)

Lundstrom studied Japanese after action reports for every day of the campaign (including Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz) and compared Japanese aerial combat claims against actual American losses. He also studied American after action reports for every day of the campaign (including Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz) and compared American aerial combat claims against actual Japanese losses.

BUY THIS BOOK.

It's absolutely shocking--the documented Japanese over-claiming in particular--to the point that the constant, daily 5x and even 10x over-claiming had (in my opinion) a significant effect on the outcome of the entire Solomons campaign.

Bronc