Existing comment:
The Able Adversary:
The principle adversary of the 99th FS and the 332nd FG was the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. At the start of World War Two, Germany fielded one of the most advanced and powerful air forces in the world. In the years before World War Two, Germany actively developed its air arm insecret [sic] as they were prohibited from engaging in military aviation by the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. When the Nazis came to power this development accelerated. Under the leadership of Hermann Goring, the Luftwaffe was officially established in 1935 and development began in ernest [sic]. The newly formed Luftwaffe gained some combat experience in 1936 when the Nazis sent elements (known as the Condor Legion) to support the Nationalist Air Force in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
The Luftwaffe was well prepared for war. In the early stages of World War Two, German forces using a tactic call [sic] Blitzkreig were successful in driving opposing armies from the Western part of the European continent. The Luftwaffe was an important component of this success, clearing the skies of enemy aircraft and providing close air support to a highly mobile ground force. The German aircraft industry provided a constant stream of very capable aircrafts [sic]. Some of these aircraft were groundbreaking machines such as the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet a rocket-powered fighter and the Messerschmitt Me 262 the first operational jet fighter. However, protracted campaigns, fighting on multiple fronts, the strategic bombing of Germany and the combined strength of Allied airpower continuously eroded the strength of the Luftwaffe. By June 1944, control of the skies over Europe had clearly passed to the Allies.
This almost constant aerial combat and the lack of a rotation system naturally resulted in the loss of many German pilots that were difficult to replace. However, it also resulted in some Luftwaffe pilots becoming incredibly experienced. It was not usual for these very experienced aces or "experten" as the Germans referred to them to have over 100 aerial victories. Erich Hartmann, the highest scoring fighter pilot in history downed 352 aircraft. |