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Rammjaeger
The numbers do indeed total 740 - I was getting ahead of myself without actually catching up! Of the RFC etc claims, as many as 20 fall into the categories of "smoking", "deflated", "driven down" or "on the ground", so the RFC etc total becomes 324 and the overall figure becomes 720.
There are numerous reports by pilots in which the balloon is not actually seen to catch fire, simply that upon looking back, the balloon was no longer visible but smoke was seen at the location. As to how many of these "victories" should be excluded is anybody's guess.
The USAS compilation comes from various sources - Over The Front, Study 133, Cross & Cockade journals etc. This generates the following "scores:
A H Treadwell - 1
A J Weatherhead - 3
A McLanahan - 1
C E Wright - 1
C G Grey - 1
E L McCubbin 1
E R Clark + B F Giles - 1
E V Rickenbacker - 5
F Luke - 14
G E Turnure - 2
G O Woodard - 1
H C Smith - 1
H Coolidge - 3
H R Buckley - 1
H R Hall - 1
H S Loomis - 1
H W Cook - 4
I A Roberts - 1
J A Meissner - 1
J C Vasconcells - 1
J Dewitt - 1
J E McGehee - 1
J F Wehner - 5
K W Matheson - 1
L B Cooper - 1
L C Holden - 5
L H Dawson - 1
R deB Vernam - 2
R G Conant + J F Curry - 1
R M Chambers - 1
S P Gaillard - 1
S Sewall - 1
T F Lennon - 1
W E Brotherton - 1
W L Avery - 1
W Thaw - 1
W W White - 1
Z R Miller - 2
Allowing for shared claims, I arrive at 57 balloon victories (excluding claims by most of the two-seater units). It is evident that the details I have in this respect, and for French claims, are less than comprehensive.
Graeme
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