[Craig]

I'm not certain whether it happened or not. But I am skeptical, and here's why:

The Brits had a propensity to overestimate the damage they inflicted, i.e. overclaiming. Most serious and/or objective historians/students agree on that. With me there? So, even if they accurately estimated - in a sky swirling with airplanes - their opposition, I am doubtful that they "shot down" as many as they thought they did. As I said earlier, if the whole of the RFC overclaimed, so then did their pilots and gunners. But, if you disagree with the overclaiming premise, we have nothing to go on, and could bicker in perpetuity. Wouldn't THAT be fun!