Fighter aces in World War II had tremendously varying kill scores, affected as they were by many factors: the pilot's skill level, the performance of the airplane the pilot flew and the planes they flew against, how long they served, their opportunity to meet the enemy in the air (Allied to Axis disproportion), whether they were the formation's leader or a wingman, the standards their air service brought to the awarding of victory credits, et cetera.
Aces
edit This background, along with the symbol "†", indicates that the pilot was killed in action, missing in action, died of wounds, or was killed in a flying accident during World War II.
Name | Country | Service(s) | Aerial victories | Other aerial victories | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fletcher E. Adams | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9.5 | ||
Frederick Alan Aikman | Canada | Royal Canadian Air Force | 9.5 | ||
Ernest E. Bankey, Jr. | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9.5 | (+8 ground kills) | |
William M. Banks | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9.5 | ||
Leonard J. Check | United States | U.S. Navy | 9.5 | ||
Edward Coate | Australia | Royal Australian Air Force | 9.5[1] | ||
Ernest C. Fiebelkorn | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9.5 | possibly just 9 (+2 ground kills) | |
Aleksander Gabszewicz | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9.5 | ||
Michał Maciejowski | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9.5 | ||
Dale F. Spencer | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9.5 | (+.5 ground kill) | |
Robert C. Coats | United States | U.S. Navy | 9+1⁄3 | ||
Mirosław Ferić | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9+1⁄3 | ||
Henryk Szczęsny | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9+1⁄3 | ||
Charles R. Bond | United States | American Volunteer Group | 9+1⁄4 | ||
Hans-Ulrich Rudel | Germany | Luftwaffe | 9+[2] | Also a top ground attack pilot, with 2000+ targets destroyed | |
Stephen W. Andrew | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | (+6.5 ground kills) | |
Emanuele Annoni | Kingdom of Italy | Regia Aeronautica | 9 | ||
Lee "Buddy" Archer | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | (+6 ground kills) Only African-American ace in WWII | |
Roderick Bowes | Australia | Royal Australian Air Force | 9 | ||
Eric Barwell | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 9[3] | ||
Edgar R. Bassett † | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Norman R. Berree | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
William R. Bland | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
George E. Bostwick | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | (+6 ground kills) | |
Mark K. Bright | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Paul D. Buie | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Lajos Buday † | Hungary | Royal Hungarian Air Force | 9 | ||
Henry A. Carey, Jr. | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Frederick F. Champlin | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Aleksander Chudek | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9 | ||
Wilfred Clouston | New Zealand | Royal Air Force | 9[4] | ||
Arthur Clowes | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 9[5] | +1 shared | |
Frank J. Collins | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | possibly just 8 | |
William M. Collins, Jr. | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Richard L. Cormier | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Louis Edward Curdes | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Perry A. Dahl | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Jefferson J. DeBlanc | United States | U.S. Marine Corps | 9 | Ace in a day | |
Richard W. Dunkin | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Charles H. Dyson | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 9 | Ace in a day (six minutes) | |
Richard T. Eastmond | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Robert A. Elder | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | (+2 ground kills) | |
Eugene H. Emmons | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Jan Falkowski | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9 | ||
Grover E. Fanning | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Edward L. Feightner | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Sylvan Feld | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Joseph M. Forester | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Marvin J. Franger | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Doris C. Freeman | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Kenneth W. Gallup | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | (+2 ground kills) | |
Antoni Głowacki | Poland | Polish Air Force; Royal Air Force |
9 | Ace in a day | |
Thomas S. Harris | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Frederick R. Haviland, Jr. | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | (+6 ground kills) | |
Hajo Herrmann | Germany | Luftwaffe | 9[6] | Night fighter ace | |
Allen E. Hill | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Bertie Hoare | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 9[7] | Night fighter ace | |
Frank D. Hurlburt | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Ernest Joyce † | New Zealand | Royal New Zealand Air Force | 9[8] | (+ 2 probably destroyed) | |
James Timothy Kearney | Australia | Royal Australian Air Force | 9 | ||
George C. Kiser | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Joseph J. Lesicka | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Christopher L. Magee | United States | U.S. Marine Corps | 9 | ||
John MacKenzie | New Zealand | Royal Air Force | 9[9] | (+3 probably destroyed) | |
Louis A. Menard, Jr. | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Virgil K. Merony | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
William Millington † | Australia | Royal Air Force | 9[10] | ||
Stanley B. Morrill | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Wolfgang Neu | Germany | Luftwaffe | 9[11] | ||
Walter Omiccioli | Kingdom of Italy | Regia Aeronautica | 9 | ||
Edmund F. Overend | United States | American Volunteer Group; U.S. Marine Corps |
9 | victories with 2 air forces | |
Lloyd J. Overfield | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Joel B. Paris III | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Gartrell Parker | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 9[12] | ||
Paul Rabone † | New Zealand | Royal Air Force | 9[13] | ||
Eugene D. Redmond | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
William Norman Reed | United States | American Volunteer Group; U.S. Army Air Forces |
9 | victories with 2 air forces | |
Daniel R. Rehm, Jr. | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Eugene P. Roberts | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Meryl M. Smith | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Robert T. Smith | United States | American Volunteer Group | 9 | ||
Natalino Stabile | Kingdom of Italy | Regia Aeronautica | 9 | + 1 in Spanish Civil War | |
James S. Stewart | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
John S. Stewart | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Franklin C. Thomas, Jr. | United States | U.S. Marine Corps | 9 | ||
Arthur Van Haren, Jr. | United States | U.S. Navy | 9 | ||
Adrian Warburton † | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 9 | ace while flying aircraft configured for reconnaissance missions | |
Benjamin F. Warmer | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Robert H. White | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Isamu Kashiide | Japan | Imperial Japanese Army | 9 | claims 26 B-29s and 7 Soviet fighters | |
Judge E. Wolfe | United States | U.S. Army Air Forces | 9 | ||
Gheorghe Popescu Ciocanel | Kingdom of Romania | Royal Romanian Air Force | 9 | ||
Stefan Greceanu | Kingdom of Romania | Royal Romanian Air Force | 9 | ||
Gheorghe Cocebas | Kingdom of Romania | Royal Romanian Air Force | 9 | ||
Andrei Radulescu | Kingdom of Romania | Royal Romanian Air Force | 9 |
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 182.
- ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1516.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 117.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, pp. 180–181.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 181.
- ^ Aders 1978, p. 234.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 330.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, pp. 365–366.
- ^ Morris 2000, p. 328.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, pp. 445–446.
- ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1511.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, pp. 481–482.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, pp. 507–508.
Bibliography
edit- Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
- Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
- Morris, Gerard S. (2000). Spitfire: The New Zealand Story. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0696-0.
- Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. London, United Kingdom: Grub Street. ISBN 1-898697-00-0.