Luftwaffe Claims in Poland September 1939 -% of Verified Victories

[Rob Romero]

Luftwaffe Claims in Poland September 1939 -% of Verified Victories
Bf 109/Bf 110 Shot down 80 of 106 (75.5%) Aircraft Claimed as Shot Down (Including 3 probables that have been Verified).
Ju-87 Stukas Shot down 3 of 6 (50.0%) Aircraft Claimed as Shot Down (No Probables were Claimed).
Luftwaffe Bombers Shot down 13 of 22 (59.1%) Aircraft Claimed as Shot Down (Including 3 Probables that have been Verified).
-A surprisingly high % of verified victories from Aircraft Gunners especially when compared to that claimed later by the 8th AF Bombers.

Notes:
A) This research partly based on research of Marius Emmerling and was undertaken only by comparing time and place of the claims and losses but without utilizing combat reports.
B) Verified Probables were not added to Aircraft Claimed as Shot Down in computing % of Verified Victories.

From this we can gain some insight into certain individual pilots.

Johannes Gentzen (18) -Only Luftwaffe Ace of the Polish Campaign
-First three victories claimed singly -100% Confirmed!
-Last 4 victories in a wild 14 Sep dogfight in which 4 Pilots claimed 8 Shot Down and 2 probables, but only 4 Shot Down or Crash Landed and 2 Damaged. (.5 VV per Shot Down Claim).

Alfred Warrelmann (8)
-Claimed 3 Aircraft Singly -2 Shot Down + 1 Crash Landed Total Loss!
-1 Probable claimed was actually damaged.

Hans Katzmann (3?)
-Claimed 3 Aircraft (2 w/i minutes) -2 Shot Down + 1 Crash Landed Total Loss!

Wolfgang Falck (8)
-Claimed 3 Aircraft (2 w/i minutes) -2 Shot Down + 1 Crash Landed Total Loss!

Fritz Schleif (3?)
-Claimed 3 Aircraft Singly -1 Shot Down + 2 Crash Landed Total Loss!

Herbert Schob (28)
-Claimed 2 Aircraft Singly -1 Shot Down + 1 Crash Landed Total Loss!

Gordon Gollob (150)
-Claimed 1 Aircraft Shot Down & 1 Probable -1 Shot Down + 1 Crash Landed Total Loss!

Hans Phillip (206)
-Claimed 1 Aircraft Shot Down –No match to even a damaged aircraft!

Enjoy

Rob Romero