You fellas would give any WW2 History professor a complete heart attack.
German pilots racked up impressive kill totals because they flew until they were physically unable to, or died, whichever came first.
Most of the German 'Experten' started flying as early as the Spanish Civil War, and those that weren't KIA were still flying in 1945. That's an awful long time in the arena, and certainly weeds out the lesser, or unlucky, pilots.
Had Bong, Maguire, Gabreski, or Boyington flown hundreds of missions like the German pilots did, perhaps their totals would have been more reflective of their talents. The key is to look at the kills vs. mission flown ratios. In some cases, if scored that way, some Allied pilots had better averages.
Yes, German pilots had an easier time on the Eastern Front in the early stages of the war. By 1943, what the Russians lacked in technical expertise, they made up for in sheer numbers. The Lagg-1, Lagg-3, and Mig-3 were no match for the 109s and 190s, but they countered with numbers. By early 1944, the La-5, Yak-1, Yak-9, had leveled the playing field technologically, however, the Germans still had a slight edge in terms of experience. By late 1944, even that was gone.
Every one of us has accidentally flown into a AH horde and said 'this isn't going to be good'. Imagine doing that in RL, when you can't respawn and start over, where death, your death, is permanent. It tends to make you far more cautious than you would be in a game.
As for the political side - there are dozens of documented instances of German pilots being very anti-Nazi, some even resulting in firing squads. On the other side, there were some that were over-the-top fanatical. Although you cannot compare Nazism to any other form of politics, look at how people today go nuts over politics in this country. Soccer moms getting into fistfights over whose presidential candidate is a better choice, etc... Idealism, good or bad, can motivate people to extremes.
Back to the original comment - Erich Hartmann. I met Herr Hartmann in the late 80s. Yes, the war had been over for 40+ years, and yes, he was older and wiser, but what struck me was who he was hanging around with... former US and RAF combat pilots who'd over the years become his closest friends. If they had the wisdom and knowledge to forgive him (and they flew against him), then why shouldn't we?
You and I, the post-WW2 generations, have no right to pass judgement on these people. We weren't there. Our fathers and grandfathers were, so we should respect their judgements. Both of my grandfathers have passed ('45 and '75), so I can't ask them directly...but I've never talked to a WW2 veteran who hasn't moved on, forgiven, or become friends with, their former enemies.
I've been fortunate in my job (I ran an air museum for seven years) to have met some great men, fighter pilots, guys whose names you won't recognize, but guys that flew in combat with the likes of Bong and Boyington. The first thing they'll say when you thank them for what they did, "I was only doing my job". We look at history through modern-day glasses, using modern-day values and morals. People were different back then, duty, honor, integrity, and country meant something back then. Sadly, that's gone away for the most part in this modern, game-playing world in which we live.
Ok....old guy rant off... back to getting my tailfeathers shot off.
J
