Hmm, not sure where you get those stats. The chief instrument for the establishment of air superiority was the fighter. Here's a chart showing the overall german fighter aircraft strength.
By June of 1943 out of a total strength of roughly 1700 fighters only 600 were deployed against in the eastern front while about 600 were deployed in the West. At this point, yes 30% was deployed in the West:
(Image removed from quote.)
But it soon drastically changed because of the strategic bombing campaign. From Jul 43 onward units were siphoned from the Eastern front to counter the growing menace in the west so that by Oct 43 there were already at 1000 fighters in the west constituting about 2/3 of the total LW fighters alone. I don't have stats handy beyond then but Allied estimated that the LW fighter strength would be around 1700 fighters by the Mid 44 timeframe.
And this is just fighter strength alone. We've already mentioned other resources diverted to fighting the bomber campaign from key arms, munitions, and men.
There's much more we could go on about but I don't have the time to research and write a lengthy discourse.
Tango, XO
412th FS Braunco Mustangs
On 1 January 1943 the total strength of the Jagdgruppen in the west was 635 109s and 190s, stationed at airfields that stretched from Banak in Northern Norway to Brest-Guipavas on the Atlantic coast in Brittany.
In late-December 1943 all units operating in the defence of Germany were put under a new command called Luftflotte Reich, led by Generaloberst Hans-Jrgen Stumpff. On 20 February 1944 the total strength of Luftflotte Reich was 863 day-fighters including Zerstrers. This is less than half of the 1,675 109s and 190s in service at that time.
In 1944 two thirds of the LW was in Luftflotte 4, 5, and 6 all on the Russian front. In June 1944 2,085 combat aircraft were on the East Front while only 850 aircraft were deployed in defence of the Reich, and of these only 135 were stationed in France and Belgium. I can even break it down to individual JG's and Staffeln (but I'd rather not since I'd have to type it all from a book
.
Sortie rates in 1944:
West (including Reichsverteidigung): 182,004 sorties flown.
East: 342,483 sorties flown.
In the few war months of 1941 the Soviet air force lost 17,900 airplanes. In 1942 the Soviets lost 12,100 airplanes. In 1943 the Soviets lost 22,500 airplanes. In 1944 they lost 24,800 airplanes. And even in 1945 they lost 11,000 airplanes.
In scale the Allied air offensive in the west was merely a sideshow to the war in the east. In fact every other military conflict in recorded history pales in comparison.
