Ace of aces is a title accorded to the top active ace within a branch of service in a nation's military in time of war. The title is most closely associated with fighter aces, though there are other types, such as tank aces and submarine aces.
Ace of aces is a title accorded to the top flying ace of a nation's air force during time of war.
See also: Lists of World War I flying aces. The concept of aces emerged in 1915 during World War I.
Person | Country | WWI years active | Overall years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adolphe Pégoud | French Third Republic | 5 February 1915 – 31 August 1915 | 1907–1915 | The first flying ace in history. | ||
Jean Navarre | French Third Republic | September 1914 – 17 June 1916 | 1914–1919 | 12 | Nieuport 11, Nieuport 16 and Morane-Saulnier L | Wounded in action on 17 June 1916. |
Georges Guynemer | French Third Republic | 8 June 1915 – 11 September 1917 | 1914–1917 | 54 | Morane-Saulnier L, Spad VII, SPAD XII and SPAD XIII | [1] [2] |
Charles Nungesser | French Third Republic | July 1915 – 14 August 1918 | 1914–1918 | 43 | Voisin 3, Nieuport 17, Nieuport 25 and SPAD XIII | |
René Fonck | French Third Republic | May 1915 – 1 november 1918 | 1914–19181937–1940 | 75 | Caudron G III, SPAD VII, SPAD XII and SPAD XIII | All-time Allied ace of aces, with 75 confirmed aerial victories.[3] [4] [5] |
Oswald Boelcke | German Empire | 15 August 1914 – 28 October 1916 | 1911–1916 | Fokker E.I, Fokker E.III, Fokker E.IV, Fokker D.III, Albatros D.I and Albatros D.II | ||
Max Immelmann | German Empire | February 1915 – 18 June 1916 | 1911–1916 | Fokker E.I and Fokker E.IV | ||
Werner Voss | German Empire | 27 January 1915 – 23 September 1917 | 1914–1917 | 48 | Albatros D.III, Fokker Dr.I, Pfalz D.III, Pfalz Dr.I, Albatros D.V | 48 confirmed victories, tied with Josef Jacobs. |
Erich Loewenhardt | German Empire | March 1917 – 10 August 1918 | 1914–1918 | 54 confirmed victories, third after Manfred von Richthofen and Ernst Udet.[6] | ||
Manfred von Richthofen | German Empire | 17 September 1916 – 21 April 1918 | 1911 - 1918 | 80 | The ace of aces von Richthofen, also called "The Red Baron", achieved 80 air combat victories, the highest score in World War I. | |
Ernst Udet | German Empire | – end of World War I | 62 confirmed victories, second after Manfred von Richthofen[7] | |||
Raymond Collishaw | Dominion of Canada | August 1916 – end of World War I | Credited with 60 victories, making him the second highest scoring Canadian ace of the war, behind Billy Bishop.[8] | |||
Frederick Libby | (RAF) | 2 December 1916 – 2 December 1917 | The first American ace. Fourteen victories. | |||
Billy Bishop | Dominion of Canada | April 1917 – end of World War I | Credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war.[9] In 1917 he became the highest scoring ace in the RFC and the third top ace of the war, behind only the Red Baron and René Fonck.[10] | |||
Raoul Lufbery | (Armée de l'air) | 2 December 1917 – 15 May 1918 | Succeeded Libby by scoring his 15th and 16th victories. | |||
Paul Frank Baer | (Armée de l'air) | 15 May 1918 – 18 May 1918 | Succeeded Lufbery on his death. Nine victories.[11] | |||
Frank Leaman Baylies | (Armée de l'air) | 18 May 1918 – 12 June 1918 | Succeeded Baer on his death. | |||
David E. Putnam | (Armée de l'air) | 12 June 1918 – 12 September 1918 | Succeeded Bayliss on his capture. | |||
Frank Luke | 12 September 1918 – 29 September 1918 | Succeeded Bayliss on his death. | ||||
Eddie Rickenbacker | 29 September 1918 – end of World War I | Succeeded Luke on his death. Was the American ace of aces for overall aerial victories (26). | ||||
Indra Lal Roy | British India | 1917–1918 | India's most successful fighter pilot, with 12 kills (two shared). He remains the only Indian fighter ace to this day.[12] | |||
See also: List of World War II flying aces. World War II had more planes than any other war.
Person | Country | WWII years active | Overall years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Erich Hartmann | Nazi Germany | 19 September 1942-8 May 1945 | 1940–19451956–1970 | 352 | Bf 109 | Hartmann is the highest scoring ace of all time, with 352 aerial victories, the first pilot to achieve 300 aerial victories (on 24 August 1944) and 350 aerial victories (on 17 April 1945)[13] | |
Ilmari Juutilainen | 1939–1944 | 1932–1947 | 94 | Fokker D.XXI, Brewster Buffalo and Bf 109 | The top scoring Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), and the top scoring non-German fighter pilot of all time. The top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force with 94 confirmed aerial combat victories[14] | ||
Pat Pattle | 4 August 1940– 20 April 1941 | 1936–1941 | 50 | Hurricanes and Gladiators | Credited with 51 victories, making him the most successful South African Ace of the Second World War. | ||
Sailor Malan | 1939–1944 | 1932–1946 | Spitfire | Commanded Biggin Hill at the height of the Battle of Britain, shooting down Werner Molders. Credited with over 30 confirmed victories. | |||
George 'Buzz' Beurling | 1940–1944 | 1940–1944, 1948 | 31 | Spitfire and P-51 Mustangs | Credited with 31 confirmed victories, making him the most successful Canadian ace of the Second World War.[15] | ||
James Edgar 'Johnnie' Johnson | 1941–1945 | 1939–1966 | 34 | Spitfire | Highest scoring RAF ace of the war, with 34 confirmed kills. | ||
Richard Bong | 19 January 1942–6 August 1945 | 1941–1945 | 40 | P-38 Lightning and P-80 Shooting Star | Top US flying ace of the war, credited with 40 confirmed downed Japanese aircraft. Awarded the Medal of Honor.[16] | ||
Ivan Kozhedub | 6 July 1943 – 17 April 1945 | 1940–1985 | 64 | La-5 and La-7 | Credited with 64 victories, Kozhedub is the top scoring Allied ace of World War II. One of the few pilots to shoot down a Messerschmitt Me 262.[17] [18] | ||
William R. Dunn | (Eagle Squadron) | 16 April 1941 – June 1944 | 1934–19351939–1973 | Spitfire, Hurricanes and P-47 Thunderbolt | First US ace of the war, while flying with the RAF.[19] | ||
Joe Foss | October 1942–1944 | 1939–1955 | 26 | F4U Corsair and F4F Wildcat | Credited with 26 confirmed downed Japanese aircraft. Awarded the Medal of Honor.[20] | ||
Werner Mölders | Nazi Germany | 1 September 1939 – 22 November 1941 | 1931–1941 | Bf 109 | [21] | ||
Alfred Schreiber | Nazi Germany | -26 November 1944 | 1933-1944 | 5 | Messerschmitt Me 262 | First aerial victory by a jet fighter and first jet ace in aviation history.[22] | |
Robin Olds | August 1943–1945 | 1943-1973 | 13 | P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang | Triple ace - Olds was the only pilot to "make ace" in both the P-38 (five victories) and the P-51 (eight victories) in the war. |
Person | Country | Wars | Years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal N. Baker | Korean War | 1941–1975 | F-86 Sabre | Was the ace of aces for jet-vs-jet combat. Succeeded Davis on his death.[23] [24] | |||
Joseph C. McConnell | Korean War | 1940–1954 | F-86 Sabre | Was the ace of aces for jet-vs-jet combat.[25] | |||
Muhammad Mahmood Alam | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 | 1953–1982 | F-86 Sabre | Muhammad Mahmood Alam is credited with having shot down five Indian aircraft in less than a minute, the last four within 30 seconds.[26] | ||
Giora Even Epstein | Israel | Six-Day War | 1956–1997 | Mirage III, Mirage 5, Kfir and F-16 | Credited with 17 victories, 16 against Egyptian jets, making Epstein the ace of aces of supersonic fighter jets and of the Israeli Air Force.[27] [28] | ||
Randy H. Cunningham | 1967–1987 | F-4 Phantom II | First American ace of the Vietnam War.[29] | ||||
Nguyen Van Coc | Democratic Republic of Vietnam | 1961–2002 | MiG-17 and MiG-21 | From seven to nine victories on US-crewed aircraft, as well as two drones.[30] [31] | |||
Legesse Tefera | Ethiopia | Northrop F-5 | Ethiopia's most successful pilot, and the most successful Northrop F-5 pilot, with six or seven kills.[32] [33] [34] [35] | ||||
Shahram Rostami | Iran | 1967–2007 | F-14 Tomcat | [36] [37] | |||
Jalil Zandi | Iran | 1970–2001 | F-14 Tomcat | Iran's most successful fighter pilot ever, with eight confirmed aerial victories. The most successful F-14 Tomcat pilot.[38] [39] [40] | |||
Mohommed "Sky Falcon" Rayyan | Iraq | 1977–1986 | MiG-21 and MiG-25 | Iraq's most successful fighter pilot ever, with five confirmed aerial victories. The most successful MiG-25 pilot.[41] [42] |
| Soviet Union 1989–1991
Ukraine 1991–2018, 2022|10|Sukhoi Su-27| One of the first fighter aces of the 21st century with at least 10 confirmed aerial victories. [50] He was shot down and killed during the Battle of Kyiv. He was later awarded the Order of the Gold Star posthumously.[51] |-| Vadym "Karaya" & "Ghost of Vinnytsia" Voroshylov| Ukraine| | 2011 to Present |10+|Mikoyan MiG-29|On October 10, during a massive missile attack, he shot down two Russian cruise missiles. On October 12, he destroyed five Shahed 136 drones three in southern Ukraine and two over Vinnytsia, making him the first ace in a day in the 21st century and since 1st Lieutenant Oscar Perdomo, USAAF 475th FG, who on 13 August 1945 was the last individual to active the title. He was forced to eject from his MiG-29 aircraft after it was hit by debris from the last Shahed-136 that had shot down. Vadym ejected in Vinnytsia region, having previously diverted the fighter jet from the settlement. He was awarded the Hero of Ukraine award for his actions. [52] |-|Ilya Andreevich Sizov| Russia||2016 to Present|13+|Sukhoi Su-30SM|Shot down 11 Ukrainian aircraft (3 Su-24s, 3 Su-27s, 2 MiG-29s, 2 Mi-24s, and 1 Mi-14) and destroyed two Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems. He is currently the highest scoring ace of the 21st century.[53] [54] [55] |-|}
Ace of the Deep is a title accorded to the top subsea ace/undersea ace/submarine ace of a nation's submarine force during time of war.
Person | Country | War | Period | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière | Imperial Germany | World War I | 1915–18 | The commander of U-35, Arnauld de la Perière sank a total of 194 merchant vessels and gunboats totaling 453,716 gross metric tons.[56] [57] | |
Dick O'Kane | World War II | – 25 October 1944 | Was captured and made Prisoner of war.[58] | ||
Eugene Fluckey | World War II | [59] | |||
Malcolm David Wanklyn | World War II | – 14 April 1942 | Wanklyn was the British Ace of Aces in terms of tonnage.[60] [61] | ||
Benjamin Bryant | World War II | – end of World War II | Bryant was the British Ace of Aces.[62] [63] | ||
Reinhard Suhren | Nazi Germany | World War II | A U-boat ace.[64] | ||
Gianfranco Gazzana-Priaroggia | Italy | World War II | The highest scoring Italian submarine commander, with 11 ships sunk for a total of 90,601 tons.[65] | ||
Carlo Fecia di Cossato | Italy | World War II | With 16 sinkings, he is credited with the most kills in the Regia Marina, as well as the second most successful Italian submarine commander with 86,545 tons. |
A "tank ace" or Panzer ace has been described by Historian Robert Kershaw as being the minority of tank commanders that accounted for the most destroyed enemy armor, saying it is roughly analogous with a flying ace.[67]
Person | Country | War | Period | Tanks destroyed | Tank type crewed | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kurt Knispel | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1940 – 28 April 1945 | 168 | Tiger I and Tiger II | 168 confirmed and 195 unconfirmed tank kills. He fought in nearly every type of German tank, working as a loader, gunner, or commander. He is credited with destroying a T-34 tank from 3,000 meters. | |
Otto Carius | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1940 – 7 May 1945 | 150 | Tiger I, various others | Credited with over 150 tank kills and 1 aircraft shot down, mostly in various Tiger tanks.[68] | |
Johannes Bölter | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1940 – 28 April 1945 | 139 | Tiger I | Destroyed 139 enemy tanks, including 16 tanks in one action. Referenced in Wolfgang Schneider's "Tigers in Combat, Volume 1"[69] | |
Michael Wittmann | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1941 – 8 August 1944 | 138 | Tiger I and Sturmgeschütz III | Credited with over 138 tank kills[70] | |
Paul Egger | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1941 – 3 May 1945 | 113 | SS obershafuehrer Credited with 113 tank kills[71] | ||
Fritz lang | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1941 – ???? | 111 | Stug III | Germany's WW2 top assault gun ace.[72] | |
Albert Kerscher | Nazi Germany | World War II | ???? – 19 April 1945 | 100 | Tiger I | Feldwebel Albert Kerscher, a member of Schwere Panzer Abeteilung 502. Credited with 100 tanks destroyed[73] [74] | |
Zvika Greengold | Israel | Yom Kippur War | 6 October 1973 – 25 October 1973 | 60 | Centurion (more specifically Sho't) | In total 60 tanks were accredited to him.[75] Greengold himself claims 20 Syrian tanks over the space of holding his position for 20 hours. He changed tanks six times.[76] [77] | |
Dmitry Lavrinenko | USSR | World War II | 1941 | 52 | T-34 | Dmitry Fyodorovich Lavrinenko was a Soviet tank commander and Hero of the Soviet Union. He was the highest scoring tank ace of the Allies during World War II. Lavrinenko destroyed 52 tanks in just 2.5 months of fierce fighting in 1941. | |
Alfred Nickolls | United Kingdom | World War II | 1940 – 1943 | 30 | M4 Sherman | According to the 22nd November 1942 citation,[78] Corporal Nickolls, in a Sherman tank at El Alemain destroyed 14 tanks, including destroying 9 German tanks in one single engagement. He destroyed 30 tank during the entire North Africa campaign, making him the top tank ace of the United Kingdom and the top tank ace of the western Allies during World War II[79] Awarded the Military Medal by Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery[80] | |
Zinovy Grigoryevich Kolobanov | USSR | World War II | 1941 | 25 | KV-1 | Destroyed 22 tanks and 2 artillery pieces before running out of ammunition, while leading a unit of 5 KV-1Es in an ambush near Leningrad on 20 August 1941. His unit destroyed a total of 43 German tanks that day.[81] | |
Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters | Canada | World War II | October 1942 - end of World War II | 18 | M4 Sherman | Credited with 18 tank kills and many other armoured vehicles, whilst in command of three Sherman tanks, named 'Caribou'.[82] The tank squadron under his command may have been responsible for the death of German tank ace Michael Wittmann. | |
Lafayette G. Pool | World War II | 27 June 1944 – 15 September 1944 | 12 | M4 Sherman | Widely recognised as the American tank ace of aces, with 12 confirmed tank kills and 258 armoured vehicle kills, whilst in command of a Sherman tank.[83] [84] | ||
Börje Bror Brotell | Finland | World War II | 1943 – 1944 | 11 | Sturmgeschütz III | Recognised as the Finnish tank ace of aces, with 11 confirmed and 4 unconfirmed tank kills during World War II. Brotell’s role during The Battle of Tali–Ihantala was decisive and his Sturmgeschütz III destroyed multiple enemy tanks which had achieved a breakthrough.[85] | |
Arun Khetarpal | India | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Battle of Basantar | 9 December 1971 - 16 December 1971 | 10 | Centurion | Indian tank ace. Personally responsible for destroying 10 tanks before he was killed in action in Battle of Basantar[86] | |
Edmund Roman Orlik | Poland | Invasion of Poland | 1 September 1939 - 28 September 1939 | 10 (official) | TKS (20mm variant) | Polish "tank ace of aces". During the Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September 1939 he claimed to have destroyed ten German tanks, including one Panzer IV Ausf. B, the largest tank then fielded by Germany, with a 2.6 tonne TKS tankette armed with a 20mm autocannon. The unofficial claim is that he destroyed 13 tanks, although this has not been confirmed by any trustworthy sources to date. |