List of World War I aces credited with 8 victories
The term ace (now commonly flying ace) was first used by French newspapers during World War I, describing Adolphe Pégoud as l'as ('the ace'), after he downed five German aircraft. When aircraft began to shoot or force down other aircraft, systems to count "air victories" were subsequently developed. The American qualification of five victories eventually became the standard, even though other air services had previously used differing figures.[1]
![Young male in German aviator's uniform](../I/Otto_Parschau_with_Pour_Le_M%C3%A9rite.jpg.webp)
While "ace" status was most often won by fighter pilots, bomber and reconnaissance crews, and observers in two-seater aircraft such as the Bristol F.2b ("Bristol Fighter"), also destroyed enemy aircraft. If a two-seater aircraft destroyed an aircraft, both crew members were credited with a victory. Because pilots usually teamed with differing observer/gunners in two-seater aircraft, an observer might be an ace when his pilot was not, and vice versa.[2] The few aces among combat aviators have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history.[3]
Loss of records by mischance and the passage of time complicates reconstructing the actual count for given aces. The scores presented in the list cannot be definitive, but are based on itemized lists that are the best available sources of information.[4] Aces are listed after verifying the date and location of combat, and the foe vanquished, for every victory accredited by an aviator's home air service using their own aerial victory standards. Those victories for which the evidence is unavailable or fragmentary have been excluded from the victory count.
Aces
This list is complete. Notable aces are linked to their biographies.
This along with the symbolic dagger †, indicates that the pilot was known to be either killed in action, missing in action, died of wounds, or killed in a flying accident during World War I.
Name | Country | Air service(s) | Victories |
---|---|---|---|
Paul Achilles | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
John William Aldred | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Gerald Frank Anderson | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Flaminio Avet | ![]() | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 8[7] |
Geoffrey Bailey | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Paul Barbreau | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Charles Bartlett | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Bernard Beanlands | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Donald Beard | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps. Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Ludwig Beckmann | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Edwin Benbow | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Maurice Benjamin | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Henry Biziou | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Gregory Blaxland | ![]() | Australian Flying Corps | 8[6] |
Giles Blennerhasset | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Karl Bohny | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Aloys Freiherr von Brandenstein | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Clive Brewster-Joske | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Edric Broadberry | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Alfred John Brown | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Howard Burdick | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Ernesto Cabruna | ![]() | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 8[7] |
Alvin Callender | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[9] |
James Martin Child | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Henry Clay | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Robert David Coath | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Edwin Cole | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Hamilton Coolidge | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
James Geoffrey Coombe | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Dieudonné Costes | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Leslie Court | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
William Craig | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Otto Creutzmann | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Henry Crowe | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
James Dawe | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Gilbert de Guingand | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
John D. De Pencier | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force | 8[6] |
Gunther Dobberke | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Percy Douglas | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Gordon Duncan | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
William Durrand | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Harold E. Easton | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Friedrich Ehmann | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Leonard Herbert Emsden | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
William Portwood Erwin | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Walter Ewers | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Harold Ross Eycott-Martin | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Garfield Finlay | ![]() | Australian Flying Corps | 8[7] |
Desmond Fitzgibbon | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Georges Flachaire | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Austin Lloyd Fleming | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Jean Alfred Fraissinet | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Hans-Eberhardt Gandert | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Jacques Gerard | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Cyril Gladman | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Clive Glynn | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Max Gossner | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
James Grant | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Gilbert W. M. Green | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[10] |
Eustace Grenfell | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Victor Groom | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Louis Prosper Gros | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Julien Guertiau | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Wolfgang Güttler | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Adolf Gutknecht | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Hans von Häbler | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Reuben Hammersley | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Frederick Harlock | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Herbert George Hegarty | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Alfred Hemming | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Heinrich Henkel | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
George Hicks | ![]() | Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
D'Arcy Fowlis Hilton | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Ivan F. Hind | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Wilhelm Hippert | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
William Norman Holmes | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Thomas Stanley Horry | ![]() | Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Richard Howard | ![]() | Australian Flying Corps | 8[6] |
Hans Hoyer | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Paul Hüttenrauch | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Hubert Hunt | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Frank Hunter | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Michael Hutterer | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Fritz Jacobsen | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Clinton Jones Jr. | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Ernest Graham Joy | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Kenneth William Junor | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Willi Kampe | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Karl Kaszala | ![]() | Luftfahrtruppen | 8[7] |
Fritz Kieckhäfer | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Franz Kirchfeld | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Robert Kirby Kirkman | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Arthur Gerald Knight | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
Sidney Knights | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Arthur Korff | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Heinrich Kostrba | ![]() | Luftfahrtruppen | 8[7] |
Fritz Krebs | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Antoine Laplasse | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Kenneth Leask | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Forde Leathley | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Alvaro Leonardi | ![]() | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 8[7] |
Cecil Arthur Lewis | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Alan Light | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
George Lloyd | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Dudley Lloyd-Evans | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Ivan Loiko | ![]() | Imperial Army Air Service | 8 |
Carlo Lombardi | ![]() | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 8[7] |
William Myron MacDonald | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
William John MacKenzie | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8 |
Donat Makijonek | ![]() | Imperial Army Air Service | 8[7] |
Reginald Malcolm | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
George Ivan Douglas Marks | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Andre Martenot De Cordou | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Robert Massenet-Royer de Marancour | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Ernest Masters | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
M. B. Mather | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Hugh Maund | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
John McCudden | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
James McDonald | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Roderick McDonald | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Henry Meintjes | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, South African Air Force | 8[6] |
James Meissner | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Alexander W. Merchant | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Karl Meyer | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Leslie Mitchell | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Kurt Adolf Monnington | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Henry Moody | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Joseph Michael John Moore | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Keith K. Muspratt | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Thomas Nash | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Gastone Novelli | ![]() | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 8[7] |
Luigi Olivari | ![]() | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 8[7] |
Eric Olivier | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
William O'Toole | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Otto Parschau | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Edwin C. Parsons | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Eric Pashley | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
Arthur Peck | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Edmond Pillon | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Friedrich Poeschke | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Roger Poupon | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Philip B. Prothero | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
John Quested | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Lionel Rees | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Claus Reimer | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Karl Ritscherle | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Charles Robson | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
William Rooper | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
Alexander Roulstone | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Richard Runge | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
William J. Rutherford | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Harold Satchell | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Franklin Saunders | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Paul Sauvage | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Karl Scharon | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Hans Schilling | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Viktor Schobinger | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Carl-August von Schoenebeck | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Owen Scholte | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Wilhelm Schwartz | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Walter Scott | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Herbert Sellars | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
John Edward Sharman | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service | 8[6] |
Walter Simon | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6][9] |
George Simpson | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Robert Sloley | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps | 8[6] |
John Henry Smith | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Langley Smith | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service | 8[6] |
William Watson Smith | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Bertram Smyth | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Martinus Stenseth | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Vladimir Strzhizhevsky | ![]() | Imperial Russian Air Force | 8 |
John Summers | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Leslie Sutherland | ![]() | Australian Flying Corps, Royal Australian Air Force | 8[7] |
Alexander Tahy | ![]() | Luftfahrtruppen | 8[7] |
Fritz Thiede | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
Clifford Tolman | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Thomas Traill | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Del Vial | ![]() | Aéronautique Militaire | 8[8] |
Alexander Vlasto | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
John Warner | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Leslie Warren | ![]() | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 8[7] |
Wilbert White | ![]() | United States Army Air Service | 8[9] |
Claude Melnot Wilson | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
William Wright | ![]() | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 8[6] |
Wilhelm Zorn | ![]() | Luftstreitkräfte | 8[5] |
References
- Maksel, Rebecca (7 April 2008). "What does it take to become an "ace"?". Need to Know. Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- Franks, Bailey & Guest 1993, p. 10
- Dunnigan 2003, p. 149
- Shores, Franks & Guest 1990, p. 7
- Franks, Bailey and Guest (1993).
- Shores, Franks & Guest 1990
- Franks, Guest & Alegi 1997
- Franks & Bailey (1992).
- Franks, Bailey (1992)
- Shores (2001), p. 82.
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