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Old 10-26-2009, 04:07 PM
  #10  
bunk22
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Joined APC: Jun 2007
Position: Retired Naval Aviator
Posts: 377
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Originally Posted by bubi352 View Post
It's amazing what these pilots have done. Can you imagine having 352 aerial victories (Erich Hartmann) under your belt at the age of 23 and this using guns only? I have listened to stories from Gunther Rall and read Erich Hartmann's book: The Blond Knight of Germany. I am not a military pilot but this one is a must read. His discipline and tactics are truly remarkable.
Read the book and one thing I found kind of disconcerning was the author's insistence that the German's standard of accounting for kills was the most accurate and thus his kill record must be accepted. Fine but in reality, the German's overclaimed just at much as the allies. Not to the extent as the Japanese (the Japanese seemingly claimed whatever they shot at) but overclaimed just the same. It was the nature of combat back in the day. Even with the advent of the gun camera, over claiming was big. For example, in 1945, a dozen or so Hellcats took on a dozen or so Ki-100's (we thought they were Ki-84 Franks) and the Navy pilots claimed 8 while the Japanese claimed 9 Hellcats. Actual score was 1 Ki-100 shot down, 1 Hellcat shot down and 1 Ki-100/1 Hellcat destroyed in a mid-air collision. Navy ace Cornelius Nooy had 15 kills at the time and claimed 4 in this battle to raise his score to 19. Obviously he didn't score 4, it was 1 at the most.

I read a good book on Pappy Boyington before I came to Korea. Some folks gave it a bad review because the author shed some light on the man, meaning made him out to be human. His score of first 28, then 26 (official) is not even that. Looking at the Japanese records and AVG, he scored probably 2 air to air with the AVG and though listed as 22 with the Blacksheep, it's more half that. Probably 11 or 12 kills plus 2 in the AVG gives him 13 or 14 (which in itself is highly respectable). Regardless of that, it doesn't take away that he was a natural leader, an outstanding pilot, a fierce warrior who led his men in battle during difficult times. It wasn't always take-off, fly through cavu sky and engage. The Corsair's of the time had all sorts of maint issues, the weather in the south pacific can be dog**** (I've been there done that), disease and sickness, constant boredom followed by intense combat, takes its toll. I had more respect for the man after I read that book than I ever did. Because he didn't have 22 or 26 or 28 kills and was a leading ace means nothing. It was the man that was a legend. Same with Rall, Barkhorn or Hartman. No doubt they don't have their "official" kills but they were leaders of men, during horrible times and came through as respected warriors. That's what counts in my book.
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