Fast career progress

[Campus]

I have started my luftwaffe career in november of 1941. I have 160 missions flown and 65 shot downs. Currently it is 1st of may and i progressed from OFW to Major in just 6 months.

Was this kind of career progress common for really good pilots in reality or is this something i should have changed so i wont be promoted so quickly? Also i dont see other pilots promoting at all, like if they are stuck with the rank from start to finish of this campaign.

thanks for answers

[PatrickAWlson]

Answer is a little complicated.  I think in Allied and Russian air services advances in rank were common for top pilots.  In German services, WWI and WWII, less so, but it was also not uncommon for junior officers to command squadrons.  However, I don't have a great way of modelling that so I do something similar to allied criteria.  promotion is a bit slower.

 

160 missions and 65 victories is about the right criteria for commanding a unit.  Probably not the right criteria for promotion to major (Hartmann had 352 with over 1200 missions and never made it past Hauptmann), but in PWCG that is how you get to command a unit.  

[sevenless]

On 9/5/2021 at 10:07 PM, Campus said:

Was this kind of career progress common for really good pilots in reality or is this something i should have changed so i wont be promoted so quickly?

 

It happened also in the real world. Example Helmut Wick (5. August 1915 in Mannheim; † 28. November 1940). In June 1940 still Leutnant and not even commanding a squadron (3./JG2) and 4 months later in October 1940 Major and commanding the whole wing (JG2).

 

8. November 1938 Leutnant
22. November 1939 First Victory
21. December 1939 (EK.II)
6. Juni 1940 9th Victory
6. June 1940 (EK.I)
21. Juli 1940 14th Victory
21. Juli 1940 Oberleutnant
21. Juli 1940 Captain of 3./JG2
29. August 1940 25th Victory
29.August 1940 (RK)
4. September 1940 Hauptmann
9. September 1940 Cdr. I./JG2
8. Oktober 1940 41st Victory (EL/RK)
19. Oktober 1940 Major
19. October 1940 Cdr. JG2
28. November 1940 56th Victory
28. November 1940 MIA/KIA near Isle of Wight

 

Helmut Wick - Wikipedia

Edited September 7, 2021 by sevenless