May I take the liberty of posting a link to a thread I started a long time ago and which generated a lot of comment and interest on these matters raised here?
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=70987
I too was staggered by the post-war loss rates! Fair to say that many a/c were assessed as Cat 5 as it was easier to get a new one from an MU than spend time and money repairing a broken one. The aircrew attrition rate was truly awful though - over 600 in 1946 if I recall correectly!