Operation Bodenplatte (the real story?)

[Broncazonk]

I keep reading hints that Operation Bodenplatte was far more successful and destructive than the official (US written) history suggests. Something about French or Polish aviators gossiping about vast destruction, many more aircraft destroyed than officially recorded, a scandal and a coverup.

From Wikipedia:

The results of the raid are difficult to judge given the confusion over loss records. It is likely more aircraft were destroyed than listed. The Americans failed to keep a proper record of their losses and it appears the U.S. 8th Air Force losses were not included in loss totals. When these estimates and figures are added to the losses listed in the table below, it is likely that the correct figures are 232 destroyed (143 single-engine, 74 twin-engine and 15 four-engine) and 156 damaged (139 single-engine, 12 twin-engine and five four-engine). Researching individual squadron records confirms the destruction of even more USAAF aircraft. This suggests at least a further 16 B-17s, 14 B-24s, eight P-51s, and at least two P-47s were destroyed on top of that total. A total of 290 destroyed and 180 damaged seems a more realistic summation than the conservative figures given by the USAAF, RAF, and RCAF. Including the 15 Allied aircraft shot down and 10 damaged in aerial combat, 305 destroyed and 190 damaged is the sum total of the attack.[125]

I ran a search using, "Bodenplatte" but for whatever reason I couldn't find a relevant thread on this matter.

Has anyone reconciled the Allied loss records for that day to get the real story? And regardless, what is the real story?

I suppose the fundamental question is: In theory, was Operation Bodenplatte a bad idea? That is, with an attacking force of skilled and experienced pilots would it have been a bad idea, or was it a bad idea only because the attacking force was comprised of mostly unskilled and inexperience pilots?

Bronc