In hindsight, who was the top day scorer?

[VtwinVince]

Interesting thread, and I believe the scores of some Experten certainly need intense review. I can only offer an anecdotal story from my personal research involving my uncle, Major Dr. Albrecht Ochs. He was posted as 'Abschuss-Offizier' to JG27 in 1942 (probably officially Major beim Stabe) and as such had some role in the 4. JG27 fraud involving Sawallisch, Bendert, Stigler et al. I corresponded with Edu Neumann as I had a copy of a Beurteilung about my uncle which states 'vor dem Feind besonders bewaerht', which seems to imply that he flew patrols in the desert. Neumann was very unhelpful with me, to the point of open hostility, and stated that my uncle had been posted out of theatre because he 'wasn't physically able to cope with desert conditions'. His posting out of Africa almost exactly coincided with the apparent suicide of Sawallisch, and since my uncle was in civilian life a lawyer, I think he ran afoul of some covering-up by Neumann and the staff. Also, when I met Stigler here in Canada over the years, he was always very wary around me, I believe due to my family connection to the JG27 scandal. This is also why I have always been very sceptical of the story of the B-17 which Stigler allegedly didn't shoot down and which became a much celebrated media event in the 1990's. Anyway, I know this doesn't involve the 'top scorers', but it does throw light on the difficulties we have in trying to disseminate fact from fiction in the claims made by the Jagdwaffe.

[edwest2]

For what it's worth, I agree that correcting the record is important. And as a researcher with this topic and others,
I have looked for credible information for a long time. For the sake of perspective, it should be brought up that wars are fought by people.
That propaganda existed on all sides. I have read that some material exists in private archives. There was a period where an unidentified buyer
was paying large sums for original photos on eBay. And were it not for researchers here and various publishers, a lot of details would not
be known today. And there are still classified records from the war. Some were declassified at 50 years, some at 70 but others remain.
The US National Archives continues to declassify records on a quarterly basis, but some document descriptions are very vague.

This sort of research is largely a volunteer effort and trips to archives, along with visits with former combatants, are made at personal expense.
An anecdote. A couple of researchers had located the man credited with the highest number of enemy tanks destroyed. They wanted to interview him.
He asked that he be left alone and they left.

[John Vasco]

Originally Posted by edwest2

There was a period where an unidentified buyer
was paying large sums for original photos on eBay.

I think you are alluding to 'sudek13', Ed, yes?

[edwest2]

Yes. This was followed by comments about such pictures disappearing forever.

[NickM]

Originally Posted by VtwinVince

. Also, when I met Stigler here in Canada over the years, he was always very wary around me, I believe due to my family connection to the JG27 scandal. This is also why I have always been very sceptical of the story of the B-17 which Stigler allegedly didn't shoot down and which became a much celebrated media event in the 1990's.

A 'muy interesante' comment. Would you be able to 'elaborate' on another thread or perhaps by PM?