Just reading the earlier posts here I'dlike to add that the germans had the most strict rules to confirm kills of all the major parties in the war and it is in fact more likely that he shot down even more. This does not mean he was that much better than any allied/russian pilot but he was an incredible talent and he had ALOT more opportunity to rack up kills. Goring himself sent people to the Eastern Front to monitor kills because he didin't believe it. The Luftwaffe believed very much in a leader and a wingman, in fact it was always the squadron leaders racking up the kills while their wingmen watched their backs. It created some definite animosity among some lower ranked pilots and in some cases was a very risky practice for other reasons. When Joachim Marseille was killed his unit basically fell apart temporarily as they lost their very soul in many ways. Ironically the wingmen would usually get their chance to be promoted when the leaders were killed. Perhaps though the single most important fact was that the pilots did not do tours they fought until the were killed, captured or injured beyond recovery. They got leave but always had to come back. Its all about experience and opportunity, and they more of both then their enemies.
I really like the idea of a reward for a kill while your engine is off. I believe it was Bud Anderson though not Robin Olds that did this in a P-51.
What about "Collateral Damage" where an enemy you've shot down collides with another enemy on his way down.
Last edited by HauptmannMolders; 06-28-2009 at 11:44 PM.
Reason: ooops
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