It is guess work on my part, but I am guessing maybe the returns did not come so well in for the last few months? If we assume the "last 100 days" was a bit chaotic, and paperwork was falling behind...
If we took missing final numbers into account, we could calculate up closer to the 4 400 000 that I get when I use the returns in post one with the amount of docs before and after that date.
Would still be a huge amount in the last third of the war...
I Emailed Previtera, he said these stats he got 17 years ago in the Museum at rastatt, from some period documentations...
Either way, the 3 periods + Docs solution, and the Previtera stats, whichever be right, if any of them.... still point to about 4 400 000 or less....
So i am still curious when the first mention of 5 200 000 plus raised its head.... Bowen has it as an upper estimate... if it is as unlikely as his low estimate of 1 500 000 (which we know is wrong) then it really is a topic that needs discussion....
5 200 000 million, no matter how often repeated... needs to be proved or explained at some point...
best
Chris