FLak: BTR is way too effective

[bigmilt]

I think one of the problems is that all the guns are manned all the time. Which in real life never happens. Especially on a low level a/f raid.
The guys at the air field always hear planes comming and going. Plus those gun crews at the air fields were most likely pulling double duty
with being on the gun crew part as a secondary function. The heavy flak guns did have dedicated crews but they had plenty of warning that a
heavy bomber raid was comming and could get ready.

[Peter Fisla]

German AAs were more effective and shut down more allied planes than Luftwaffe fighters...that's a fact. I red a book(Fighting the Bombers - Luftwaffe Struggle against The Allied Bomber Offensive) where Galland mentions that Fighters should have concentrated on Allied fighters and let the AA do the work on Allied bombers. And pretty much that's what I do...for the most part.

[Nikademus]

1345 BC aircraft downed by flak at night vs. 2278 shot down by night fighters.
5400 USAAF aircraft downed by flak vs. 4300 shot down by Allied fighters.

breakdown of flak losses by org:

1798 - VIII AF
2076 - MAAF (med allied air forces)
2415 - IX and XII AF


Overall German flak accounted for roughly 50% of of American 4E losses during the war. Figures for aircraft damaged by flak are far higher - 54,539.

Unfortunately flak's overall effect tends to get tunnel visioned into losses. the "hidden" effects of flak were just as important if not more so, including planes damaged by flak that resulted in later kills for fighters. Fighter and AA defenses were both needed for a viable defense.

(figures from Westermann "Flak: German Anti-Aircraft Defenses 1914 - 1945)