Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealhead
*snip*
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Pretty much that.
Or, one could even go as far as to say that the Luftwaffe was never truly ready
for a prolonged war.
The High Command thought the war would be a quick one, so the production
of aircraft in high numbers and having a steady flow of fresh well trained pilots
was of secondary importance.
Only when the losses of both aircraft and pilots started to rise rapidly from 1943 onwards, the HC decided to re-prioritize. But, of course, too late.
Total aircraft production figures from "
The Luftwaffe and Its War of Attrition":
1940 - 10,247
1941 - 12,401
1942 - 15,409
1943 - 24,807
1944 - 40,593
1945 - 7,539