ABSTRACT
The GAF [German Air Force], at the beginning of the period, was numerically inferior to the attack and this inferiority increased steadily throughout the period. The average exchange rate between defence and attack was about ten German fighters to eight USAF aircraft, and this in the circumstances, worked very much to the detriment of the defence. The GAF attempted to respond to the increased frequency of attack but only by decreasing the average size of the fighter force deployed for any given raid. In other words the defence was wasting away, and was probably a beaten force even before petrol shortage became an important factor .111
