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I think the Pilots thought about how good they were when compared to their adversaries and peers all the time. You can't remove ego and competitive spirit from this type of warfare. The # of kills was what the high command looked at. Granted the high command didn't take into consideration the proportions of fighters to observational aircraft or bombers but they did look at the totals. And pilots like Voss really had a drive to get the top score. Otherwise he wouldn't be landing next to victims to collect evidence and doing so under the fire of brits a couple of hundred yuards away (and waving at them joyfully too). They really wanted those medals and the status of "Freiherr von". They wanted the respect of Willy II, their jastas, and their countrymen and countrywomen. They wanted their pictures on postcards distributed to thousands. Sure it was their job but most didn't volunteer for the job out of just duty. I don't see the harm in speculating who was really the best pilot, marksman, or strategist in the air. It's fun to speculate. I'm sure pilots speculated all the time.
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