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Craig, You recall incorrectly. It has always been clear to many of "us" that even "hard claims" (flamer, crashed) made by British Empire flyers are far in excess of documented German losses. This is to say nothing about total claims of all types, which do nothing to correct the noted discrepency.
That the above is almost certainly a fact is not the point. What must be carefully and simaltaneously considered are the following: (1) There is absolutely no proof that a complete picture of German records exists today, (2) There is no way to determine beyond doubt whether or not the Germans included damaged but recovered planes and severely injured but surviving personnel in their tally of losses, and most importantly, (3)the APPARENT FACT that British "overclaiming" is directly related to
their inability to verify claims. If you, as most historians do, allow for the arguement that the British offensive policies resulted in the great majority of all conflicts over German lines, then it must be asked: Which side is expected to be able to aquire hard evidence and which side must rely on recalled observations made some time after combat?
Wouldn't any reasoning individual expect British claims to be significantly more prone to error, given the circumstances of war? Why all the implications about lying? Some men are truthful, some men lie. This was also true in the early 1900's.
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