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Old May 24, 2025, 11:10 AM   #449
davidsog
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Join Date: January 13, 2018
Posts: 1,660
Quote:
Wiki could very well be in error, but the linked document of aircraft stock and movement does not prove that. It does not cover those staffeln at all.

If you have documents that do, please share.
I found them. Yes, they are two test squadrons for a grand total of 33 airplanes at their most numerous on the battlefield.

https://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/schlacht/b4schg1.html

In July 1943 17 aircraft on hand with 12 operational. By September, that number fell to 6 Operational Aircraft.

https://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/schlacht/b8schg1.html

In July 1943 16 aircraft on hand with 12 operational. By September, that number fell to 8 Operational Aircraft.



Compare that with I Gruppe, Schlachtgeschwader 1 with 104 FW190's on hand. The other two Gruppes in Schlachtgeschwader 1 records are incomplete but both units were not know to be short of aircraft and were also equipped with FW 190 ground attack variants.

The fact the FW190 had been performing the tank busting role for well over a year and the fact the SD-4 loadout is greatly restricted for use in FW190. It's the only loadout that carries numerous warnings of degraded performance and handling.

I find it highly unlikely that in the largest tank battle in human history, the Germans took their most numerous anti-tank aircraft...an FW190 with a bomb..and left the defense up to less than 30 airplanes who were under operational trials.
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