This list of German World War II jet aces has a sortable table of notable German jet ace pilots during World War II.
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat (The Germans traditionally set the threshold at 10 victories.). During World War II, hundreds of German Luftwaffe fighter pilots achieved this feat flying contemporary piston engine fighter aircraft. However, only 28 pilots are credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft while flying a jet-powered aircraft.
Jet aircraft first engaged in air combat on 26 July 1944, when Leutnant Alfred Schreiber, flying Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 130 017 (German language: Werknummer – factory serial number), attacked an unarmed photo-reconnaissance De Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI, of No. 540 Squadron RAF, over the Alps. Some sources refer to this as the first victory in air combat by a pilot of a jet fighter, although the crew of the damaged Mosquito managed to return to an Allied airfield in Italy.
The first confirmed destruction of an enemy aircraft by an Me 262 pilot occurred on 8 August 1944, when Leutnant Joachim Weber shot down a Mosquito PR XVI from No. 540 Squadron, over Ohlstadt, in Bavaria.
On 15 August 1944, Schreiber took off to intercept a Mosquito PR XVI (NS520) of 60 Squadron, South African Air Force crewed by Captain S. Pienaar and Lieutenant A. Lockhart-Ross, who were tasked with photographing airfields in the Black Forest area. Schreiber caused severe damage in his first attack and made more than 10 passes at the Mosquito before low fuel levels cause him to break off. Pienaar and Lockhart-Ross survived a crash landing at San Severo in Italy; their reconnaissance film and debriefing provided the Allies with valuable intelligence on the Me 262.
During 1944–45, the Luftwaffe committed two other jet- or rocket-powered fighters to combat operations. In addition to the Me 262, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet and the Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger both become operational. Few claims were made by pilots of the Me 163 and He 162, and none achieved ace status on either of these types.
The list is initially sorted by the number of jet victories claimed.
| Name | Rank | Claims flying jets | Claims flying jets# | Jet fighter unit(s) | Total wartime claims | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberleutnant | 20+ | 16 | Kdo Welter, 10./NJG 11 | 63 | Possible all-time leading jet ace. | ||
| Oberstleutnant | 16 | 18 | EJG 2, JV 44 | 220 | Started jet combat in 1945; flew the only Me 262 A-1a/U5 with 6-30mm MK108's | ||
| Hauptmann | 14 | 16 | , JG 7 | 137 | Killed in flying accident 10 April 1945 | ||
| Oberfeldwebel | 12 | 12 | Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 58 | |||
| Major | 12 | Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 78 | Wounded 16 February 1945 | |||
| Major | 12 | 12 | JG 7 | 222 | |||
| Leutnant | 11 | 11 | EKdo 262 Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 46 | Wounded 30 March 1945 | ||
| Oberfeldwebel | 8 | 7 | EKdo 262 Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 8 | Killed in action 20 March 1945 | ||
| Feldwebel | 8 | 7+ | EKdo 262 Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 13 | First aerial victory over a B-17 Flying Fortress by a jet fighter on 15 August 1944. | ||
| Leutnant | 8 | 16 | JG 7 | 126 | |||
| Oberleutnant | 8 | 8 | JG 7 | 206 | |||
| Oberleutnant | 8 | 8 | EKdo 262 JG 7 | 14 | Wounded 18 March 1945 | ||
| Leutnant | 8 | JG 7 | 8 | Midair collision with Hans Waldmann on 18 March 1945, killing Waldmann. | |||
| Major | 8 | 8 | JG 7 | 208 | |||
| Leutnant | 7 | 7 | JG 7 | 7 | |||
| Oberfeldwebel | 7 | 7 | JG 7 | 49 | Killed in action 17 April 1945 Arnold's Me 262 A-1a W.Nr.500491 "Yellow 7" of II./JG 7 bearing his personal victory marks is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. | ||
| Feldwebel | 7 | 7 | 10./NJG 11 | 7 | |||
| Generalleutnant | 7 | 6 | JV 44 | 104 | Assigned to create JV44 in March 1945. Wounded 26 April 1945 | ||
| Unteroffizier | 7 | EJG 2 JG 7 JV 44 | 7 | ||||
| Leutnant | 6 | 7 | JG 7 | 22 | |||
| Oberst | 6 | 6 | JG 7 JV 44 | 176 | Wounded 18 April 1945 | ||
| Oberfeldwebel | 5 | 7 | Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 20 | Killed in action 22 February 1945 | ||
| Major | 5 | 8 | JG 7 | 206 | Killed in action 4 April 1945 | ||
| Oberleutnant | 5 | 5 | JG 7 JV 44 | 82 | |||
| Gefreiter | 5 | 5 | JG 7 | 5 | Killed in action 10 April 1945 | ||
| Leutnant | 5 | JG 7 JV 44 | 37 | ||||
| Leutnant | 5 | Kdo Nowotny JG 7 | 5 | First jet ace in aviation history Killed in flying accident 26 November 1944 | |||
| Major | 5 | 5 | (JG 400) JV 44 | 99 |
. Walter J. Boyne . Messerschmitt Me 262 Arrow to the Future . Washington, DC . Smithsonian Institution . 1980 . 978-0-87474-275-6 . none.