Don't get me wrong Kraxis, I'm saying inflated figures happened on all sides (for a variety of reasons).

The thing about pilots agreeing to support each others claims actually came from a quote I read from prominent USAAF ace.

I'm just very touchy about the whole Luftwaffe uber-ace thing, mainly due to certain people claiming that German pilots were somehow inherently (racially) superior fighter pilots. Clearly they had much better tactics & training in the early war years, I wouldn't dispute that. I think it was Hub Zemke who when asked what made a good fighter pilot said "training, training, training, training, good eyesight and training".