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The air defense of the German Reich in the World War 1939-1945 and its lessons.
The fight for air supremacy over Germany until the invasion 1943-1944.
If we assume that the heavy and medium bombers, fighters and fighter-bombers of the Western allies had an operational readiness of 60%, which is certainly still too low, then they faced each other in the ongoing battle in the West and over the Reich (round numbers):
American bombers 1830 - 1,100 German fighters, destroyers and night fighters
RAF 1,180 bombers - 1,492 heavy anti-aircraft batteries in the Reich /
USA fighters 1,620 - 612 light anti-aircraft batteries (May 9, 1944) / (Luftwaffe Flak only)
RAF 550 fighters - 433 heavy anti-aircraft batteries in the west /
422 light anti-aircraft batteries (May 24, 1944) / (including Flak Kriegsmarine)
Source: Lagekarten des OKL.
In the period between March 31, 1944 and May 1, 1944, and between November 29, 1944 and December 31, 1944, the proportion of the branches of the air force, calculated based on its operational aircraft, was as follows:
March-April 1944 - - November-December 1944
Fighters, destroyers and night fighters 38% -- 53%
Bombers 13% -- 6%
Attack aircraft 17% -- 18%
Reconnaissance aircraft and seaplanes 17% -- 13.6%
Transports 15% -- 9.4%
Source: Lagenkarten des OKL in connection with GenQu reports; the latter have generally proven to be too high.
At the height of the battle for air supremacy over the Reich, losses of fighters, destroyers and night fighters (from 10% damage to total loss) were as follows:
In 1943
from January 1 to June 30 - 4,470
from July 1 to December 31 - 6,191
In 1944
from January 1 to March 31 - 3,900
from April 1 to May 31 - 3,902
from June 1 to August 31 - 7,855
from September 1 to December 31 - 7,704
In total: 34,022
Source: GenQu Reports 1939-1944.
By 1943, American fighters had reached a depth of approximately to the Aurich-Rheine-Münster-Dortmund-Cologne-Sedan line. At the beginning of 1943/44 it was known that they flew to the Elbe, but the bombers flew over all of Germany. In March 1944, escort fighters flew north to the Bremen - Hannover - Kassel - Frankfurt am Main area, south to Vienna and Munich, and at the end of summer throughout the Reich.
What the leaders of the Reich Air Defense had predicted starting in 1942 had come true: contrary to all the opinions of the Supreme Command, the flights of bomber units to the territory of the Reich were protected by fighters.
Source: Die Luftverteidigung des Deutschen Reiches im Weltkrieg 1939-1945 und ihre Lehren: ein strategischer Überblick. Herhudt von Rohden. Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift. Band (Jahr): 117 (1951). Heft 11
Cheers. Raúl M
.