[elbucko]

Do you realize that the combined total of aircraft claimed destroyed by the 105 Luftwaffe pilots, listed in your post, totals 15,422 aircraft? Did you know that the total war production of the P-51 "Mustang" was 15,580 total aircraft? The P-47 "Thunderbolt", 15,660 aircraft.

It doesn't take a German Rocket Scientist to suspect that these claimed number of kills, from a hundred Nazi pilots is equivalent to one aircraft's entire production, is a little exaggerated. The only explanation, that makes any sense of these claims, is that Hitler did not like to hear bad news.

[Burkeman1]

I don't know if these posts can help you guys settle this:

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/ww2europe/stats.html

http://personal.trxinc.com/dpixler/

The second post- if you scroll down a bit says the following:

"U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE CASUALTIES TOTALED 120,000, OF WHOM 40,000 DIED IN COMBAT. ANOTHER 15,000 DIED IN TRAINING OR IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. AIRCRAFT LOSSES WERE 65,200, ONE THIRD OF THESE WERE DESTROYED IN CRASHES IN THE STATES. "

Don't know if that helps.

[Consort]

Do you realize that the combined total...

Yes.

... is a little exaggerated.

Yes.

...Hitler did not like to hear bad news.

Yes, and?

[Burkeman1]

If you will notice- in my previous post- that paragraph states that 120,000 died serving in the US Army Air Force. But only 40'000 in combat? But only a third due to accidents in the US. Did the rest die in Accidents in Europe? And doesn't that number of dead airmen seem a bit high since we only lost about 425,000 in WWII over all?