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To: SkyPilot
In short---those Luftwaffe aces were not some figment of the Nazi propaganda machine. They were the real.

With all due respect, the kill records of the German pilots were, in fact, exaggeration at best and propaganda at worst. The two links in your post even admit as much, as this quote from one of your sources elaborates:

"And so it goes. When British fighter pilots overclaim, their optimism is portrayed as laughable; but when German fighter pilots overclaim, Bekker wonders whether the British are telling the truth about their losses. Luftwaffe victories are the result of wonderful machines, courageous aircrews, and brilliant planning; but defeats are the fault of Hitler and Goering.
After a while this adolescent self-justification seems a bit tedious (and irritating, since many of Bekker's readers lack the background that would enable them to put it into perspective)."
[from "Luftwaffe Diaries"]

As for the "LUFTWAFFE SCORE SYSTEM" link in your post, it is merely more of the same unsubstantiated propaganda repeated on a web site originating in the Netherlands by a person born in 1971. The site is, "Dedicated to the Luftwaffe", and not likely to be an objective source of facts. Hardly irrefutable proof that the claims of the German pilots are more than propaganda being repeated anew by youthful admirers.

And finally, I know many WWII fighter pilots of both the Royal Air Force and the US Air Corps. I play the bagpipes and I am the "Piper" at the Eagle Squadron Reunions when held on the West Coast. I also play at the request of the RAF in So. Ca. In all candor when asked, many of them don't think the kill records of the Luftwaffe are true. However, some of these pilots add, that if some high scores (in the hundreds) are true, they are not "Air Combat Victories", but are simply murder.

137 posted on 07/23/2003 8:34:24 PM PDT by elbucko
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To: elbucko
Since the end of the second world war, there have been literally hundreds of books written on this subject, as well as official investigations by all the governments involved.

I can site them, and we can attempt to outpost each other, but I don't think that would be productive. I have no wish to re-fight the second world war. On this subject I ask that we agree to disagree.

138 posted on 07/23/2003 9:37:14 PM PDT by SkyPilot
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