Recent content by Der_blaue_Ritter

I voted for Baer but I can't help feeling admiration for any pilot (German, Russian or Japanese) who flew against superior forces and still scored well. They say 10 percent of the pilots score 90 percent of the victories. The aces of any nationality are alike in their love of flying...

I think this is a somewhat foolish mission. I am familiar with the German aces (many of whom ought to be in the top rankings) but total number of sorties flown and their own instances of being shot-down would have to be considered. On the other hand just surviving all those missions is not to...

In the late 1960's, I was looking through the Kriegstagebuch of Luftflotte 6, which covered Czechoslovakia in the Spring of 1945, and I saw a report of P-38's shooting down Russian fighters. This may have taken place on April 2nd. The Russians didn't reach Vienna until the 13th. Then, in the...