On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 19:17:24 GMT, (The
Revolution Will Not Be Televised) wrote:


Sure. But then let's throw in all the other pilots and let's also
include the Italians who provided the majority of Axis aircrew in the
theatre until Torch, not that they figure in the
Luftwaffe-exceptionalist appreciation of the North African air war
which reduces the totality of that conflict to the inanity of the
fighter superheroes *to the exclusion of all else* .

What was the contribution of Regia Aeronautica to the air war over the
Western Desert prior to appearance of Luftwaffe?

By the way, what is generally known about the fighter pilots of French
air force who shot down quite a few Germans (Moelders among them) in
English language works? It's always RAF, RAF, RAF until Pearl Harbor.


Indeed, but his death, along with the loss of other experten at the
same time, was a watershed for that unit.

Well, it got rotated, like German divisions of fighter groups, it was
a different system than Allied.


That's precidely my point. Marseille did not exist in isolation, but
the impact of his death (and the other experten in the same unit lost
in the summer of 1942) was disproportionate.

Had Luftwaffe had the numbers to contest the skies over Egypt, his
death wouldn't have been so important (if it actually was). But
Germans did not have the pilots, nor the aircraft nor the fuel to keep
adequate air force in the air. Whether it was Marseille who shot down
130 aircraft, or four Fritzes with 30 victories each, the outcome
would have been the same.


The British had similar problems of overstretch at that time
(deploying fighter units from the UK, Malta, Middle East across Asia
to India and Burma). They managed an air force in an attritional
conflict more effectively, primarily by recognising the extent of
aircrew training and development demanded by an attritional conflict
in a manner the Luftwaffe didn't.

British could afford to have such air force by having Red Army to
engage German army. If it were one-on-one, I doubt RAF by itself would
have ever won the air supremacy in Europe. Granted, war is not a sport
event, but Luftwaffe should not be blamed for failing to prepare for
war it could never win.


Drax