List of World War I aces credited with 8 victories

Young male in German aviator's uniform
Eight victory ace Leutnant Otto Parschau PLM was one of two German aces who began the Fokker Scourge

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]

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 sword †, 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 German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
John William Aldred United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Gerald Frank Anderson Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Flaminio Avet Kingdom of Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 8[7]
Geoffrey Bailey United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Paul Barbreau France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Charles Bartlett United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[9]
Bernard Beanlands Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Donald Beard United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps. Royal Air Force 8[6]
Ludwig Beckmann German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Edwin Benbow United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Maurice Benjamin Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Henry Biziou United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Gregory Blaxland  Australia Australian Flying Corps 8[6]
Giles Blennerhasset United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[11]
Karl Bohny German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Aloys Freiherr von Brandenstein German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Clive Brewster-Joske Australia Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Edric Broadberry United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Alfred John Brown United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Howard Burdick  United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Ernesto Cabruna  Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 8[7]
Alvin Callender United States Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[12]
James Martin Child United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Henry Clay United States Royal Flying Corps, United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Robert David Coath United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Edwin Cole United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Hamilton Coolidge United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
James Geoffrey Coombe United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Dieudonné Costes France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Leslie Court United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[11]
William Craig Canada Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Otto Creutzmann German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Henry Crowe United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[11]
James Dawe United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Gilbert de Guingand France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
John D. De Pencier Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force 8[6]
Gunther Dobberke German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Percy Douglas United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[11]
Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond Australia Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Gordon Duncan United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
William Durrand Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Harold E. Easton United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Friedrich Ehmann German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Leonard Herbert Emsden United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
William Portwood Erwin United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Walter Ewers German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Harold Ross Eycott-Martin United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Garfield Finlay Australia Australian Flying Corps 8[10]
Desmond Fitzgibbon United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Georges Flachaire France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Austin Lloyd Fleming Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Jean Alfred Fraissinet France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Hans-Eberhardt Gandert German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Jacques Gerard France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Cyril Gladman United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Clive Glynn United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Max Gossner German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
James Grant United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Gilbert W. M. Green United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[13]
Eustace Grenfell United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Victor Groom United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Louis Prosper Gros France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Julien Guertiau France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Wolfgang Güttler German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Adolf Gutknecht German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Hans von Häbler German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Reuben Hammersley United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Frederick Harlock United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Herbert George Hegarty United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Alfred Hemming Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Heinrich Henkel German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
George Hicks United Kingdom Royal Air Force 8[6]
D'Arcy Fowlis Hilton Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Ivan F. Hind Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Wilhelm Hippert German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
William Norman Holmes United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Thomas Stanley Horry United Kingdom Royal Air Force 8[6]
Richard Howard Australia Australian Flying Corps 8[6]
Hans Hoyer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Paul Hüttenrauch German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Hubert Hunt United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Frank Hunter United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Michael Hutterer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Fritz Jacobsen German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Clinton Jones Jr. United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Ernest Graham Joy Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Kenneth William Junor Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Willi Kampe German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Karl Kaszala  Austria-Hungary Luftfahrtruppen 8[14]
Fritz Kieckhäfer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Franz Kirchfeld German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Robert Kirby Kirkman United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Arthur Gerald Knight Canada Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
Sidney Knights United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Arthur Korff German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Heinrich Kostrba Austro-Hungarian Empire Luftfahrtruppen 8[14]
Fritz Krebs German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Antoine Laplasse France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Kenneth Leask United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Forde Leathley United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[11]
Alvaro Leonardi  Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 8[7]
Cecil Arthur Lewis United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Alan Light United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[11]
George Lloyd Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Dudley Lloyd-Evans United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Ivan Loiko Russian Empire Imperial Army Air Service 8
Carlo Lombardi  Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 8[7]
William Myron MacDonald Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
William John MacKenzie United States Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[15]
Donat Makijonek  Russia Imperial Army Air Service 8[16]
Reginald Malcolm Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
George Ivan Douglas Marks Canada Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Andre Martenot De Cordou France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Robert Massenet-Royer de Marancour France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Ernest Masters United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
M. B. Mather United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Hugh Maund United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
John McCudden United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
James McDonald United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Roderick McDonald Canada Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Henry Meintjes Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, South African Air Force 8[6]
James Meissner United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Alexander W. Merchant United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Karl Meyer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Leslie Mitchell United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Kurt Adolf Monnington German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Henry Moody United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Joseph Michael John Moore United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Keith K. Muspratt United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Thomas Nash United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Gastone Novelli  Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 8[7]
Luigi Olivari  Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 8[7]
Eric Olivier United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
William O'Toole United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Otto Parschau German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Edwin C. Parsons United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Eric Pashley United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
Arthur Peck United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Edmond Pillon France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Friedrich Poeschke German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Roger Poupon France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Philip B. Prothero United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
John Quested United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Lionel Rees United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Claus Reimer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Karl Ritscherle German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Charles Robson United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
William Rooper United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
Alexander Roulstone United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[9]
Richard Runge German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
William J. Rutherford Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Harold Satchell United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Franklin Saunders United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Paul Sauvage France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Karl Scharon German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Hans Schilling German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Viktor Schobinger German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Carl-August von Schoenebeck German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Owen Scholte United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Wilhelm Schwartz German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Walter Scott United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[11]
Herbert Sellars United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
John Edward Sharman Canada Royal Naval Air Service 8[6]
Walter Simon United States Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6][12]
George Simpson Australia Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Robert Sloley Union of South Africa Royal Flying Corps 8[6]
John Henry Smith Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Langley Smith Canada Royal Naval Air Service 8[6]
William Watson Smith United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Bertram Smyth  Argentina Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Martinus Stenseth United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Vladimir Strzhizhevsky Russian Empire Imperial Russian Air Force 8
John Summers United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Leslie Sutherland Australia Australian Flying Corps, Royal Australian Air Force 8[10]
Alexander Tahy Austro-Hungarian Empire Luftfahrtruppen 8[14]
Fritz Thiede German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]
Clifford Tolman United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[10]
Thomas Traill  Argentina Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Del Vial France Aéronautique Militaire 8[8]
Alexander Vlasto United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
John Warner United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Leslie Warren United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force 8[9]
Wilbert White United States United States Army Air Service 8[12]
Claude Melnot Wilson Canada Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
William Wright United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force 8[6]
Wilhelm Zorn German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 8[5]

References

  1. ↑ Maksel, Rebecca (7 April 2008). "What does it take to become an "ace"?". Need to Know. Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  2. ↑ Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. p. 10.
  3. ↑ How to Make War, p. 149.
  4. ↑ Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. p. 7
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in text.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in text.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on Italian aces.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on French aces.
  9. 1 2 3 Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on British bomber pilot aces.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on British two-seater observer aces.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on British bomber observer aces.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on American aces.
  13. ↑ British and Empire Aces of World War I. p. 82.
  14. 1 2 3 Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on Austro-Hungarian aces.
  15. ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/mackenzie.php Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  16. ↑ Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918. Ace listed alphabetically by last name in section of text on Russian aces.

Bibliography

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