USAAF gunner claims

[Boandlgramer]

hello everybody.

what do you think, how high was the ratio of overclaims made by the gunner of the USAAF bombercrews.
claims are made for africa/europe:
9901 enemy aircraft shot down .

but i think ,we hardly can take the schweinfurt mission as an example:

TUESDAY, 17 AUGUST 1943

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS



STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force):: VIII Bomber Command Mission 84: On the first anniversary of US heavy bomber operations from the UK, a two-pronged attack into Germany is launched, marking the deepest penetra- tion of German territory to date. The critical targets are the Messer- schmitt complex at Regensburg, and the anti-friction-bearing factories at Schweinfurt. 1. 230 B-17's are dispatched to Schweinfurt; 188 hit the target at 1459- 1511 hours; they claim 148-18-63 Luftwaffe aircraft; 36 B-17's are lost, 3 are damaged beyond repair and 118 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 12 WIA and 352 MIA; there are 80 high explosive hits on the 2 main bearing plants. 2. 146 B-17's are dispatched to Regensburg; 127 hit the target at 1148- 1207 hours; they claim 140-19-36 Luftwaffe aircraft; 24 B-17's are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 50 are damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 9 WIA and 200 MIA; every important building in the complex is damaged; the surviving aircraft continue on to bases in North Africa. 60 B-17's are lost in the fierce air battle that extends to the targets and continues after the bombing. VIII Air Support Command Missions 23 and 24: Two airfields in France are targetted. 1. 36 B-26's are dispatched to Bryas Sud Airfield; 29 hit the target at 1051 hours; 2 aircraft are damaged. 2. 72 B-26's are dispatched to Poix/Nord Airfield; 35 hit the target at 1552 hours; 20 aircraft are damaged; casualties are 1 WIA. During the night of 17/18 Aug the Royal Air Force (RAF) begins Operation CROSSBOW, massive attacks on German V-weapon sites. About 570 aircraft drop 2,000 tons of bombs on Peenemunde, Germany

[Boandlgramer]

if i count it right it were 288 AC claimed as shot down

[Tony Williams]

From ' Flying Guns – World War 2: Development of Aircraft Guns, Ammunition and Installations 1933-45' (details on my website):

"The first raid in Schweinfurt was a dramatic moment in the war in the air, but it did not stand out alone. Broadly similar results followed earlier and later attacks on targets in Germany. And on 14 October the 8th AF made a second attempt to destroy the ball-bearing industry; this time it cost 65 bombers out of a force of 294, plus 12 damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged. Only 62 bombers were not or only lightly damaged. The initial claim of the destruction of 288 German fighters, was later reduced to 104 destroyed, 26 probably destroyed and 17 damaged; but the actual German losses were 35."

and:

"On combat operations, the American bombers in the ETO expended 26.3 million rounds of .50" ammunition in 1943, and 36.2 million in 1944; the wartime total was 72.3 million rounds. (In October 1943, the ammunition consumption reached a peak of 632,773 rounds per operational day.) That corresponds to nearly 12,000 rounds for every enemy aircraft claimed shot down by the bombers. Because, as we have seen above, these claims were often far higher than the actual German losses, a more realistic average would probably exceed 40,000 rounds for every destroyed German fighter."

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

[Boandlgramer]

thank you tony, for your reply.