Black September

[Craig]

I just read "Bloody April, Black September" by the GOGS. Regarding German losses: Most RFC/AFC claims are for Fokker D7s, but there are also quite a few for Pfalz D3s. By this point, the Pfalz D12 was in fairly widespread use, having replaced the D3 and Albatros D5 in most front line Jastas not Fokker D7-equipped.

My question is this: where are the Albatros claims? I realize that the actual losses aren't even CLOSE to the numbers claimed, but the imbalance in the numbers of particular types strikes me as odd. It seems that the ratio between the Albatros and the Pfalz D3 should be roughly equal, as the planes were roughly equal, as well as being piloted by lower status Jastas or pilots, their "better" counterparts being Fokker flyers.

[Rick]

Craig,

Send me your E-Mail address. I'll be happy to discuss it (although I may not clarify it ).

[Barrett]

There's a concept that I call "combat selectivity." That's a four-bit phrase to explain the confusion and optimism that often characterizes ambitious, aggressive young alpha males under potentially lethal stress. I.E., they tend to see the more potent threat and therefore the more prestigious opponent. It was perhaps best demonstrated in the Battle of Britain when Luftwaffe aircrews reported far more engagements with Spitfires than Hurricanes even though the RAF fighter strength was about 2/3 "Hurriboxes." In the Pacific Theater, US airmen almost universally reported Zeros where the Japanese Navy wasn't even operating--almost any single-engine, retractable-gear airplane with a "meatball" became a Zero.
Just my pfennig to explain the seeming lack of Albatrii & Pfalz D.IIIs...

[Shooter]

Barrett:

This is just like the fact that any time a German AFV was shot down during the Second Big Show, the Allied tankers scored it as a Tiger. Whatever scares you the most tends to be at the top of the "after-action" report when it comes to casualties.

Trust me. I would say that about half of the "bad-guys" we rang up in the SE Asia War Games were "undefined." That is not to say that they were not "bad guys" by our definition, but they were also beyond that "norm" that we used to define who was enemy and who was not.

Shooter sends

Hey if you're going to pad the number of kills why not the plane type!!!!

You do bring up an interesting point though just how much plane type padding was there by the RAF. and do some types appear more often. It would be interesting to see RAF claims by type vs German losses and see if your assumption is correct.

Who has some number tabualted by type!!!!

[cam]

>I.E., they tend to see the more potent
>threat and therefore the more prestigious opponent.

Just about every combat 1 AFC had with a skilled FA300 opponent they would claim they fought Gerhard Felmy. If a plane appeared above their aerodrome, it must have been Felmy. If a aplane atatcked them, it must have been Felmy. Ross Smith thought he got him but he had fought Schmarje. About the only one who really could claim he ran into Felmy often was Murray-Jones who got claimed by Felmy twice in a few days.



cam
AFC - http://members.xoom.com/PointCook/index.htm

And, by the same token, any German aircraft sporting bright colours had to be part of Richthofen's gang - same in World War II - yellow-nosed '109s and '190s were regularly reported as bring from "elite" wings (question - did the pilots really think so ? or did the PR types - who did not read intelligence reports - just pump up the opposition ?

[Vigilant]

The Jasta's were just as culpable of the same mistake. If you read JG1's combat log (back of Hunting with Richthofen) it is full of "Sopwiths" and very little else!

Vigilant

[Craig]

I realize that this question probably has no answer (at least not one that anyone lesser than a GOHS can answer) but, to clarify:

Why are there so many Pfalz D.III claims and so few Albatros claims?

Question is, how many Albatrii were still in front line service in September '18 compared to Fokker and Pfaltz types. Anyone know the answer?