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

+ Name Country Service(s) Aerial victories Other aerial victories Notes U.S. Navy 8.75 U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 Poland Polish Air Force;Royal Air Force 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 Chinese Nationalist Air Force 8.5 First American ace of WWII, flew biplane fighter U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 (+3 ground kills) U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 † Poland Polish Air Force;Royal Air Force 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 (+2 ground kills) U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 † Royal Canadian Air Force 8.5 Poland Polish Air Force;Royal Air Force 8.5 American Volunteer Group 8.5 U.S. Marine Corps 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 (+7 ground kills) U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 U.S. Marine Corps 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 U.S. Army Air Forces 8.5 Royal Canadian Air Force 8.5 U.S. Navy 8.5 Poland Polish Air Force;Royal Air Force Royal Air Force U.S. Navy U.S. Army Air Forces (+1 ground kills) Poland Polish Air Force;Royal Air Force 8.1 Poland Polish Air Force;Royal Air Force 8 Luftwaffe 8+ Jet ace with 8 victories in Me 262 Luftwaffe 8 Jet ace with all victories in Me 262 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 possibly just 7 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 † Royal Air Force 8 Royal Australian Air Force 8 Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Navy 8 † Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 Royal Air Force 8 Royal Air Force 8 (+2 shared) † Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 South African Air Force 8 (+ 3 shared) U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 possibly just 6 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 Royal Air Force 8 † Royal Air Force 8 † Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 (+3 ground kills) U.S. Army Air Forces 8 (+13 ground kills) U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 possibly just 7 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 possibly just 5 (+3 ground kills) U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Navy 8 † Royal Air Force 8 (+ 4 shared) Royal Air Force 8 Royal New Zealand Air Force 8 Royal Hungarian Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 † Royal New Zealand Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 (+5.5 ground kills) U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 (+17 ground kills) † Royal Hungarian Air Force 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 † Luftwaffe 8 Night fighter ace U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 possibly just 7 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Navy 8 Royal Air Force 8 Avro Lancaster tail gunner Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Navy 8 Luftwaffe 8 +3 in World War I possibly 13 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 American Volunteer Group;U.S. Army Air Forces 8 victories with 2 air forces U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 possibly 9 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 Ace in a day, awarded the Medal of Honor for this action Royal New Zealand Air Force 8 Transferred to the Royal Air Force after WWII † Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 Royal Air Force 8 (+2 shared victories) Royal Air Force 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 First U.S. Armed Forces ace, within nine days of Attack on Pearl Harbor U.S. Army Air Forces 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 U.S. Army Air Forces 8 (+3 ground kills) Luftwaffe 8 Jet ace with all victories in Me 262 Royal Australian Air Force 8 Bomber rear gunner Royal Australian Air Force 8 U.S. Navy 8 U.S. Marine Corps 8 Royal Romanian Air Force 8 Royal Romanian Air Force 8 Royal Romanian Air Force 8 Royal Romanian Air Force 8 Royal Romanian Air Force 8

References Citations

Bibliography