If you read a list of flying aces from both WWI and WWII, you find that the Germans consistently rank at the top. Von Richtofen (The Red Baron) had 80 confirmed victories, which is impressive when you consider that his actual dogfighting career was only two years long. The closest Allied ace had 75, which is pretty close to his record. When you look at WWII, however, the numbers are staggering. Erich Hartmann had 352 victories in the air, which is nearly 5 times greater than the top Allied ace, Ivan Kozuhedub, of the USSR.
My question is what do you think contributed to the German superiority in air combat? Was it their training? Was it the quality of their airplanes? Was it a combination of both? I would really love to hear ideas about this from some people who are very familiar with the subject, as it has always been a curiosity to me.
Thanks for your input.
2007-05-21
12:45:17
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11 answers
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asked by
Bronwen
7
in
History