From Free net encyclopedia
A flying ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft. (The more correct term is "fighter ace," since "flying ace" can refer to any adept pilot.) The aviation term ace originated in World War I in France, when French newspapers described Adolphe Pegoud, nicknamed "The Foolhardy One", as l'ace after he became the first pilot to down five German aircraft. Reportedly the term had been popularized in prewar French newspapers when referring to sports stars such as soccer players and bicyclists.
It has been stated that during WWI the Central Powers as well as the United Kingdom specified an ace as a pilot with 10 or more confirmed "kills" but no authoritative sources have emerged to support the claim. Germany had no ace system such as the French but instead popularized its "Jagdflieger" who had destroyed an escalating number of Allied aircraft. Britain had no ace system at all and in fact published no victory lists comparable to the French or Germans.
Different air services had different victory credit systems. The "purest" was Germany's which credited only one victory to one pilot, and only for enemy planes assessed as destroyed or captured. Most other nations adopted the French system of granting full credit to every pilot or aerial gunner participating in a victory, sometimes as many as six or seven individuals. The British furthermore credited "moral victories" in such categories as "driven down", "forced to land", and "out of control". To a lesser extent so did the U.S. Air Service. Top American ace Edward V. Rickenbacker's 26 victories included ten planes "out of control", several "dived east", and two grounded observation balloons. None of those would have been credited in later wars.
In World War II the Western air forces generally credited fractional shares of aerial victories, resulting in decimal scores such as 11.50 or 26.83. Some U.S. commands also credited aircraft destroyed on the ground as equal to aerial victories. The Soviets distinguished between solo and group kills, as did the Japanese, though the Japanese Navy stopped crediting individual victories in 1943. The Germans continued their inevitable rule of "one pilot, one kill."
It is worth noting that Soviet Union had the world's only female aces during World War II. Flying as part of the all-female 586 IAP, Katya Budanova achieved 11 and Lydia Litvyak scored 12 victories.
Ace is also used to refer to non-aviators who have distinguished themselves by sinking ships, destroying tanks, etc. (e.g. Aces of the Deep).
World War I
Of the thirty-two aces, seventeen died during the conflict.
Spanish Civil War
World War II
Aces of World War II
| Name | Country | Service | Victories | Notes
|
| Erich "Bubi" Hartmann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 352
|
| Gerhard Barkhorn | Germany | Luftwaffe | 301
|
| Günther Rall | Germany | Luftwaffe | 275
|
| Otto Kittel | Germany | Luftwaffe | 267
|
| Walter Nowotny | Austria | Luftwaffe | 258
|
| Wilhelm Batz | Germany | Luftwaffe | 237
|
| Erich Rudorffer | Germany | Luftwaffe | 222
|
| Heinz Bär | Germany | Luftwaffe | 220 (16 Me-262)
|
| Hermann Graf | Germany | Luftwaffe | 212
|
| Heinrich Ehrler | Germany | Luftwaffe | 208
|
| Theodor Weissenberger | Germany | Luftwaffe | 208 (8 Me-262)
|
| Hans Philipp | Germany | Luftwaffe | 206
|
| Walter Schuck | Germany | Luftwaffe | 206
|
| Anton Hafner | Germany | Luftwaffe | 204
|
| Helmut Lipfert | Germany | Luftwaffe | 203
|
| Tetsuzo Iwamoto | Japan | Imperial Japanese Navy | 202 (disputed, see article)
|
| Walter Krupinski | Germany | Luftwaffe | 197
|
| Anton Hackl | Germany | Luftwaffe | 192
|
| Joachim Brendel | Germany | Luftwaffe | 189
|
| Max Stotz | Germany | Luftwaffe | 189
|
| Joachim Kirschner | Germany | Luftwaffe | 188
|
| Kurt Brändle | Germany | Luftwaffe | 180
|
| Günther Josten | Germany | Luftwaffe | 178
|
| Johannes Steinhoff | Germany | Luftwaffe | 178
|
| Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert | Germany | Luftwaffe | 174
|
| Günther Schack | Germany | Luftwaffe | 174
|
| Emil Lang | Germany | Luftwaffe | 173
|
| Heinz Schmidt | Germany | Luftwaffe | 173
|
| Horst Ademeit | Germany | Luftwaffe | 166
|
| Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke | Germany | Luftwaffe | 162
|
| Hans-Joachim Marseille | Germany | Luftwaffe | 158
|
| Heinrich Sturm | Germany | Luftwaffe | 158
|
| Gerhard Thyben | Germany | Luftwaffe | 157
|
| Hans Beisswenger | Germany | Luftwaffe | 152
|
| Peter Düttmann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 152
|
| Gordon M. Gollob | Germany | Luftwaffe | 150
|
| Fritz Tegtmeier | Germany | Luftwaffe | 146
|
| Albin Wolf | Germany | Luftwaffe | 144
|
| Kurt Tanzer | Germany | Luftwaffe | 143
|
| Friedrich-Karl Müller | Germany | Luftwaffe | 140
|
| Karl Gratz | Germany | Luftwaffe | 138
|
| Heinrich Setz | Germany | Luftwaffe | 138
|
| Rudolf Trenkel | Germany | Luftwaffe | 138
|
| Walter Wolfrum | Germany | Luftwaffe | 137
|
| Horst-Günther von Fassong | Germany | Luftwaffe | 136
|
| Otto Fönnekold | Germany | Luftwaffe | 136
|
| Karl-Heinz Weber | Germany | Luftwaffe | 136
|
| Joachim Muencheberg | Germany | Luftwaffe | 135
|
| Hans Waldmann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 134
|
| Alfred Grislawski | Germany | Luftwaffe | 133
|
| Franz Schall | Germany | Luftwaffe | 133
|
| Johannes Wiese | Germany | Luftwaffe | 133
|
| Adolf Borchers | Germany | Luftwaffe | 132
|
| Adolf Dickfeld | Germany | Luftwaffe | 132
|
| Erwin Clausen | Germany | Luftwaffe | 132
|
| Wilhelm Lemke | Germany | Luftwaffe | 131
|
| Gerhard Hoffmann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 130
|
| Franz Eisenach | Germany | Luftwaffe | 129
|
| Walther Dahl | Germany | Luftwaffe | 129
|
| Heinrich Sterr | Germany | Luftwaffe | 129
|
| Franz Dörr | Germany | Luftwaffe | 128
|
| Rudolf Rademacher | Germany | Luftwaffe | 126
|
| Josef Zwernemann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 126
|
| Dietrich Hrabak | Germany | Luftwaffe | 125
|
| Wolf Ettel | Germany | Luftwaffe | 124
|
| Herbert Ihlefeld | Germany | Luftwaffe | 123
|
| Wolfgang Tonne | Germany | Luftwaffe | 122
|
| Heinz Marquardt | Germany | Luftwaffe | 121
|
| Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer | Germany | Luftwaffe | 121
|
| Robert Weiss | Germany | Luftwaffe | 121
|
| Erich Leie | Germany | Luftwaffe | 121
|
| Friedrich Obleser | Germany | Luftwaffe | 120
|
| Franz-Josef Beerenbrock | Germany | Luftwaffe | 117
|
| Hans-Joachim Birkner | Germany | Luftwaffe | 117
|
| Jakob Norz | Germany | Luftwaffe | 117
|
| Walter Oesau | Germany | Luftwaffe | 117
|
| Heinz Wernicke | Germany | Luftwaffe | 117
|
| August Lambert | Germany | Luftwaffe | 116
|
| Werner Mölders | Germany | Luftwaffe | 115
|
| Wilhelm Crinius | Germany | Luftwaffe | 114
|
| Werner Schroer | Germany | Luftwaffe | 114
|
| Hans Dammers | Germany | Luftwaffe | 113
|
| Berthold Korts | Germany | Luftwaffe | 113
|
| Helmut Lent | Germany | Luftwaffe | 113
|
| Kurt Bühligen | Germany | Luftwaffe | 112
|
| Kurt Ubben | Germany | Luftwaffe | 110
|
| Franz Woidich | Germany | Luftwaffe | 110
|
| Reinhard Seiler | Germany | Luftwaffe | 109
|
| Emil Bitsch | Germany | Luftwaffe | 108
|
| Hans Hahn (pilot) | Germany | Luftwaffe | 108
|
| Bernhard Vechtel | Germany | Luftwaffe | 108
|
| Viktor Bauer | Germany | Luftwaffe | 106
|
| Werner Lucas | Germany | Luftwaffe | 106
|
| Günther Lützow | Germany | Luftwaffe | 105
|
| Adolf Galland | Germany | Luftwaffe | 104
|
| Eberhard von Boremski | Germany | Luftwaffe | 104
|
| Heinz Sachsenberg | Germany | Luftwaffe | 104
|
| Hartmann Grasser | Germany | Luftwaffe | 103
|
| Siegfried Freytag | Germany | Luftwaffe | 102
|
| Friedrich Geisshardt | Germany | Luftwaffe | 102
|
| Egon Mayer | Germany | Luftwaffe | 102
|
| Max-Hellmuth Ostermann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 102
|
| Josef Wurmheller | Germany | Luftwaffe | 102
|
| Rudolf Miethig | Germany | Luftwaffe | 101
|
| Josef Priller | Germany | Luftwaffe | 101
|
| Ulrich Wernitz | Germany | Luftwaffe | 101
|
| Rudolf Müller | Germany | Luftwaffe | 101
|
| Ilmari Juutilainen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 94
|
| Hiroyoshi Nishizawa | Japan | Imperial Japanese Navy | 86
|
| Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein | Germany | Luftwaffe | 83
|
| Hans Wind | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 75
|
| Erbo Graf von Kageneck | Germany | Luftwaffe | 67
|
| Saburo Sakai | Japan | Imperial Japanese Navy | 60+
|
| Ivan Kozhedub | Soviet Union | VVS | 62
|
| Aleksandr Ivanovich Pokryshkin | Soviet Union | VVS | 59
|
| Grigori Reschkalow | Soviet Union | VVS | 58
|
| Eino Luukkanen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 56
|
| Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland | Germany | Luftwaffe | 55
|
| Marmaduke 'Pat' Pattle | South African | Royal Air Force | 51+
|
| Urho Lehtovaara | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 44½
|
| Oiva Tuominen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 44
|
| Alexandru Şerbănescu | Romania | Romanian Air Force | 44
|
| Constantine Cantacuzino | Romania | Romanian Air Force | 43
|
| Olli Puhakka | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 42
|
| Richard I. Bong | USA | Army Air Force | 40
|
| James Edgar "Johnnie" Johnson | UK | Royal Air Force | 38
|
| Olavi Puro | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 36
|
| Nils Katajainen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 35½
|
| Thomas B. McGuire
| USA
| Army Air Forces
| 38
|
| David McCampbell
| USA
| Navy
| 34
|
| Toshio Ohta
| Japan
| Imperial Japanese Navy
| 34
|
| Pierre Clostermann
| France
| Royal Air Force
| 23 (+9 probable)
|
| Lauri Nissinen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 32½
|
| George F. Beurling
| Canada
| Royal Air Force
| 31 1/3
|
| Brendan Eamon Fergus "Paddy" Finucane
| Ireland
| Royal Air Force
| 32
|
| Kyösti Karhila | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 32
|
| Adolph 'Sailor' Malan
| South Africa
| Royal Air Force
| 32
|
| Jorma Karhunen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 31
|
| Dezso Szengyorgyi | Hungary | Hungarian Air Force | 30 1/2
|
| Shoichi Sugita
| Japan
| Imperial Japanese Navy
| 30+
|
| Kaneyoshi Mutoh
| Japan
| Imperial Japanese Navy
| 30
|
| Emil Vesa | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 29½
|
| Robert Roland Stanford Tuck
| British
| Royal Air Force
| 29
|
| Bob Braham
| British
| Royal Air Force
| 29
|
| Clive Caldwell
| Australia
| Royal Australian Air Force
| 28½
|
| Tapio Järvi | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 28½
|
| 'Ginger' Lacy
| British
| Royal Air Force
| 28
|
| Francis "Gabby" Gabreski
| USA
| Army Air Forces
| 28 (+2.5 ground) +6.5 Korea
|
| Robert S. Johnson
| USA
| Army Air Forces
| 27
|
| Charles H. Macdonald
| USA
| Army Air Forces
| 27
|
| Junichi Sasai
| Japan
| Imperial Japanese Navy
| 27
|
| Klaus Alakoski | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 26
|
| Joseph J. Foss | USA | U.S. Marine Corps
| 26
|
| Lajos Toth | Hungary | Royal Hungarian Air Force | 26
|
| Adriano Visconti
| Italy
| Italian Air Force
| 26
|
| George E. Preddy, Jr. | United States | Army Air Force
| 25.8 (+5 ground)
|
| Robert M. Hanson | United States | U.S. Marine Corps
| 25
|
| Douglas Bader
| British
| Royal Air Force
| 23
|
| Gregory "Pappy" Boyington | United States | U.S. Marine Corps
| 24 (2 AVG)Template:Ref
|
| Cecil E. Harris
| USA
| Navy
| 24
|
| John C. Meyer
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 24 (+13 ground) +2 Korea
|
| Eugene A Valencia
| United States | Navy
| 23
|
| Kalevi Tervo | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 23
|
| Jorma Saarinen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 23
|
| Lance C. Wade
| USA
| Royal Air Force
| 23
|
| Eero Kinnunen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 22½
|
| David C. Schilling
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 22½ (+10½ ground)
|
| Wing Commander Edward F. Charles | Saskatchewan, Canada | RCAF | 22
|
| Gerald R. Johnson
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 22
|
| Neel E. Kearby
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 22
|
| Jay T. Robbins
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 22
|
| Stanislaw Skalski
| Poland
| Royal Air Force
| 22
|
| Donald S. Gentile
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 21.83 (+7 ground {2 RAF})
|
| Antti Tani | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 21½
|
| Frederick J. Christensen
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 21½ {Died 4/4/2006}
|
| Raymond S. Wetmore
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 21.25 (+2 ground)
|
| John J. Voll
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 21
|
| Kenneth A. Walsh
| United States | U.S. Marine Corps
| 21
|
| Paavo Myllylä | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 21
|
| Walker M. Mahurin
| United States | Army Air Forces
| 20.75 (+3.5 Korea)
|
| Karel Kuttelwascher
| Czechoslovakia
| Royal Air Force
| 20
|
| Donald N. Aldrich | United States | U.S. Marine Corps
| 20
|
| Thomas J. Lynch | United States | Army Air Forces
| 20
|
| Squadron Leader Henry W. McLeod | Saskatchewan, Canada | RCAF | 20 (KIA)
|
| Robert B. Westbrook | United States | Army Air Forces
| 20
|
| Viktor Pyötsiä | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 19½
|
| Väinö Suhonen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 19½
|
| John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham
| UK
| Royal Air Force
| 19
|
| Glenn E. Duncan | United States | Army Air Forces
| 19 (+7.8 ground)
|
| Patrick D. Fleming | United States | Navy
| 19
|
| Cornelius N. Nooy | USA | Navy | 19
|
| John L. Smith | United States | U.S. Marine Corps
| 19
|
| Alexander Vraciu | United States | Navy
| 19
|
| Erik Teromaa | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 19
|
| Arthur J. Benko | USA | Army Air Forces | 18½ | gunner
|
| Marion E. Carl | USA | U.S. Marine Corps | 18½ |
|
| Lauri Pekuri | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 18½
|
| Leonard K. Carson | USA | Army Air Forces | 18½ (+3.5 ground) |
|
| Glenn T. Eagleson | USA | Army Air Forces | 18½ (+5 ground) +2 Korea |
|
| Wilbur J. Thomas | USA | U.S. Marine Corps | 18½ |
|
| Walter C. Beckham | USA | Army Air Forces | 18 |
|
| Herschel H. Green | USA | Army Air Forces | 18 |
|
| John C. Herbst
| United States | Army Air Forces | 18 |
|
| Charles H. Older | USA | Army Air Forces | 18 (10 AVG) |
|
| Hubert Zemke
| United States | Army Air Forces | 17.75
|
| John B. England | USA | Army Air Forces | 17.5
|
| Duane W. Beeson | United States | Army Air Forces
| 17.33 (+4.8 ground)
|
| Jouko Huotari | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 17½
|
| John F. Thornell | USA | Army Air Forces | 17.25 (+2 ground) |
|
| Henry W. Brown | USA | Army Air Forces | 17.2 (+14½ gground) |
|
| Josef Frantisek
| Czechoslovakia
| Polish Air Force and RAF
| 17
|
| Jorma Sarvanto | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 17
|
| Yrjö Turkka | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 17
|
| Gerald W. Johnson | USA | Army Air Forces | 17
|
| James H. Varnell | USA | Army Air Forces | 17
|
| Keith Truscott
| Australia
| Royal Australian Air Force
| 17
|
| Alois Vasatko
| Czechoslovakia
| RAF
| 17
|
| Squadron Leader William T. Klersey | Ontario, Canada | RCAF | 16½
|
| Aulis Lumme | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 16½
|
| Eero Riihikallio | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 16½
|
| John T. Godfrey | USA | Army Air Forces | 16.33 (+18 ground) |
|
| Clarence E. Anderson | USA | Army Air Forces | 16.25 (+1 ground)
|
| Douglas Baker | USA | Navy | 16
|
| Wing Commander James F. Edwards | Saskatchewan, Canada | RCAF | 16
|
| Eero Halonen | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 16
|
| Bill Harris | USA | Army Air Forces | 16
|
| Wing Commander Robert W. McNair | Saskatchewan, Canada | RCAF | 16
|
| Ira C. Kepford | USA | Navy | 16
|
| Charles R. Stimpson | USA | Navy | 16
|
| Group Captain P. S. Turner | Ontario, Canada | RCAF | 16
|
| George S. Welch | USA | Army Air Forces | 16
|
| Donald M. Beerbower | USA | Army Air Forces | 15½
|
| Richard A. Peterson | USA | Army Air Forces | 15½ (+3½ ground)
|
| William T. Whisner, Jr. | USA | Army Air Forces | 15½(+3½ ground) +5 1/2 Korea
|
| James E. Swett | USA | U.S. Marine Corps | 15.5
|
| John Waddy
| Australian
| Royal Australian Air Force
| 15½
|
| William T. Whisner, Jr. | USA | Army Air Forces | 15½ (+3½ ground) + 5.5 Korea
|
| David Lee "Tex" Hill | USA | USAAF | 15.25 (10.25 AVG) |
|
| Martti Alho | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 15
|
| Jack T. Bradley | USA | Army Air Forces | 15
|
| Samuel J. Brown | USA | Army Air Forces | 15
|
| Edward Cragg | USA | Army Air Forces | 15
|
| William D. Dunham | USA | Army Air Forces | 15
|
| Robert W. Foy | USA | Army Air Forces | 15
|
| Ralph K. Hofer | USA | Army Air Forces | 15 (+14 ground)
|
| Cyril F. Homer | USA | Army Air Forces | 15
|
| Harold L. Spears | USA | U.S. Marine Corps | 15
|
| Donald H. Bochkay | USA | Army Air Forces | 14.84
|
| Donald J. Blakeslee | USA | Army Air Forces | 14½ (incl 3 RAF)
|
| John D. Landers | USA | Army Air Forces | 14½ (+20 ground)
|
| Aaro Nuorala | Finland | Finnish Air Force | 14½
|
| Joseph H. Powers, Jr. | USA | Army Air Forces | 14½
|
| Bruce W. Carr | USA | Army Air Forces | 14 (+10 ground)
|
| Robert C. Curtis | USA | Army Air Forces | 14
|
| Kenneth H. Dahlberg | USA | Army Air Forces | 14
|
| Robert M. DeHaven | USA | Army Air Forces | 14
|
| Archie G. Donahue | USA | U.S. Marine Corps | 14
|
| Wallace N. Emmer | USA | Army Air Forces | 14
|
| James A. Goodson | USA | Army Air Forces | 14 (+13 ground)
|
| Arthur R. Hawkins | USA | Navy | 14
|
| Pat Hughes
| Australia
| Royal Australian Air Force
| 14
|
| Arthur F. Jeffrey | USA | Army Air Forces | 14
|
| Edward O. |