# List of World War II aces from New Zealand

This is a list of fighter aces in World War II from New Zealand. An "ace" is generally considered to be any pilot who has downed five or more enemy aircraft. Historians have gleaned figures from combat reports, unit histories, personnel records, and award citations, which sometimes recorded the pilot’s tally of victories at the time the decoration was recommended. The top-scoring New Zealand ace of World War II, Colin Gray, is generally credited with 28 victories, that is 27 solo "kills" and two shared. Records were also kept for the shooting down of V-1 flying bombs, with the most successful New Zealander being Arthur Umbers, who is credited with destroying 28 V-1s, in addition to 4 solo aerial victories and one shared.

## List

| Name | Victories | Others | Awards | Notes |
| Robert Hamish "Jimmy" Balfour | 4 & 1 shared | - | DFC | |
| Minden Vaughan "Mindy" Blake | 10 & 3 shared | - | DSO, DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, POW 19 August 1942. |
| Robert Duff Bremner | 0 & 3 shared | 7 V-1s | DFC | |
| Stanley Franklin Browne | 5 & 1 shared | - | DFC* | |
| Charles Roy Bush | 3 & 1 shared | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Also 2 probables. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIFA 30 November 1948. |
| Raymond Cammock | 0 | 20 & 1 shared V-1s | DFC | KIA 6 October 1944. |
| Brian John George Carbury | 15 & 2 shared | - | DFC* | Also 2 probables. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, achieved "ace in a day" status by shooting down five aircraft on 31 August 1940. |
| Donald C. Carlson | 3 & 2 shared | - | DFC | Also 2 probables. |
| Hansford Ward Chambers | 7 & 1 shared | - | DFC | |
| John "Johnny" Milne Checketts | 16 | - | DSO, DFC | Also 2 probables. Total includes 2 V-1s. |
| Wilfred Greville Clouston | 9 & 3 shared | - | DFC | Also 1 probable and 1 shared probable. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, POW February 1942. |
| Basil Gordon "Buck" Collyns | 5 & 2 shared | - | DFC | Also 1 probable. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIA 20 August 1944. |
| William Vernon Crawford-Compton | 20 & 1 shared | - | DSO*, DFC* | Also 3 probables and 1 shared probable. Served in the Royal Air Force. |
| James Roy Cullen | 0 | 16 V-1s | DFC* | POW 4 May 1945. |
| Raymond Jack Danzey | 0 | 11 V-1s | DFC | |
| Alan Christopher "Al" Deere | 17 & 1 shared | - | DSO, DFC* | Also 4 probables. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Antonio Simmons Dini | 5 & 2 shared | - | | Also 3 probables. Served in the Royal Air Force. KIFA 31 May 1940. |
| Eric Steele "Francis" Doherty | 7 | - | DFM, DFC (US) | |
| Owen David "Ginger" Eagleson | 2 & 1 shared | 20 V-1s | DFC | POW 2 May 1945. |
| Geoffrey Bryson Fisken | 11 | - | DFC | Also 1 probable. Highest scoring flying ace of the Commonwealth against the Japanese in the South Pacific. |
| John Albert Axel Gibson | 12 & 1 shared | - | DSO, DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, also in South Pacific with RNZAF. |
| Reginald Joseph Cowan Grant | 7 & 1 shared | - | DFM, DFC* | Also 1 probable. KIA 28 February 1944. |
| Colin Falkland Gray | 27 & 2 shared | - | DSO, DFC** | Also 6 probables. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, highest scoring New Zealand flying ace of WWII. |
| Bevan Mason Hall | 0 | 7 & 1 shared V-1s | | KIA 27 December 1944. |
| Peter Francis Locker Hall | 8 | - | DFC* | Also 1 probable. |
| Owen Hardy | 3 & 3 shared | - | DFC* | Also 1 probable. |
| James Chilton Francis "Spud" Hayter | 5 | - | DFC* | Also 1 probable and 1 unclaimed. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Gilbert McLean "Gillie" Hayton | 5 | - | DFC | Possibly 6 aerial victories. Died on or about 20 October 1942 of thirst and exposure after the sinking RMS Laconia. |
| Michael James Herrick | 6 & 2 shared | - | DFC* | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, also in South Pacific with RNZAF. KIA 16 June 1944. |
| Raymond Brown Hesselyn | 18 & 1 shared | - | DFC, DFM* | POW October 1943. |
| William Henry Hodgson | 5 & 2 shared | - | DFC | Also 3 probables. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIFA 13 March 1941. |
| Garnet J. Michael "Gus" Hooper | 1 | 8 V-1s | DFC | |
| John Arthur Houlton | 5 & 2 shared | - | DFC | |
| Reginald Jack Hyde | 5 | - | AFC | Also 1 probable. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Mervyn Robert Bruce Ingram | 8 & 6 shared | - | DFC | Also 3 probables. Died of sickness 11 July 1944. |
| George Edmond "Jamie" Jameson | 11 | - | DSO, DFC | New Zealand's highest scoring night fighter ace of WWII. |
| Patrick Geraint Jameson | 9 | - | DSO, DFC* | Also 1 probable and 1 shared probable. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Ernest Leslie "Nipper" Joyce | 10 | - | DFM | Also 2 probables. KIA 17 June 1944. |
| Julian Ivon | 5 | - | DFM | Also 2 probables. |
| Edgar James "Cobber" Kain | 16 | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force and was its first flying ace of WWII. KIFA 7 June 1940. |
| William Arthur "Wacky" Kalka | 0 | 9 V-1s | | KIA 25 March 1945. |
| Robert Gordon "Dutch" Kleimeyer | 0 | 7 & 1 shared V-1s | DFC | |
| Frank Brewster "Bruce" Lawless | 1 | 10 V-1s | DFC, DFC (US) | |
| Keith Ashley Lawrence | 4 & 2 shared | - | DFC | Served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Roy Emile LeLong | 7 | 3 V-1s | AFC, DFC* | Also 1 probable. |
| David Franklin Livingstone | 5 & 2 shared | - | DFC | |
| Harold Watson Longley | 5 & 1 shared | - | DFC | Total includes 3 aircraft destroyed on ground or sea. |
| Kevin McCarthy | 0 | 6 V-1s | | |
| James Hugh "Black Mac" McCaw | 0 | 19 & 1 shared V-1s | DFC | |
| Sir Hector Douglas McGregor | 2 | - | DSO | Has been credited with 6 aerial victories in the past. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| John Noble MacKenzie | 9 & 1 shared | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Russell Merriman MacKenzie | 3 & 1 shared | - | DSO, DFC | Total may be 4 & 1 shared. |
| Evan Dall "Rosie" Mackie | 23 | - | DSO, DFC* | Also 2 probables. |
| Henry Maurice "Morrie" Mason | 0 | 5 & 1 shared V-1s | DFC, FC (NL) | KIFA 19 July 1948. |
| William Lister "Dusty" Miller | 0 | 7 V-1s | DFC | |
| Leighton John Montgomerie | 4 & 1 shared | - | DFC | DOW 29 August 1944. |
| Francis "Spud" Murphy | 4 | - | DFC | Also 1 probable. |
| Percival Guy Haig Newton | 5 | - | DFC | Also 1 probable. |
| Harold Leslie "Knockers" North | 5 | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIA 1 May 1942. |
| Brian John O'Connor | 1 & 1 shared | 8 & 1 shared V-1s | DFC | |
| Nigel Manfred Park | 10 & 1 shared | - | DFM | KIA 25 October 1942. |
| Alan McGregor Peart | 6 & 1 shared | - | DFC | |
| John Howard Player | 4 | - | DSO, DFC | Has been credited with 6 aerial victories in the past; KIFA 8 August 1947. |
| Neville Joseph "Pip" Powell | 1 | 5 V-1s | | |
| Paul Wattling Rabone | 9 | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIA 24 July 1944. |
| John Donald "Jack" Rae | 12 | - | DFC* | POW August 1943. |
| Arthur Norman "Artie" Sames | 2 & 1 shared | 5 V-1s | DFC* | |
| Warren Edward "Smokey" Schrader | 11 & 2 shared | - | DFC* | Also 4 aircraft destroyed on the ground. |
| Desmond James Scott | 5 & 3 shared | - | DSO, DFC*, CDeG* | Also 6 probables. |
| Cornelius James Sheddan | 5 | 7 and 1 shared V-1s | DFC | |
| Irving Stanley Smith | 8 | - | DFC* | Served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Robert Lawrence Spurdle | 10 | - | DFC* | Served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, also in South Pacific with RNZAF. |
| John Harry "Jack" Stafford | 2 & 3 shared | 8 V-1s | DFC | |
| Gray Stenborg | 14 | - | DFC | KIA 24 September 1943. |
| Kenneth William Stewart | 5 | - | DFC | |
| William Hector Stratton | 2 & 1 shared | - | DFC* | Has been credited with 9 aerial victories in the past. |
| Harvey Nelson Sweetman | 2 & 2 shared | 10 and 1 shared V-1s | DFC | |
| Kenneth William Tait | 6 | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, MIA 4 August 1941. |
| Keith Granville "Hyphen" Taylor-Cannon | 4 & 1 shared | 1 V-1 | DFC* | Also 1 shared probable. MIA 13 April 1945. |
| Owen Vincent Tracey | 6 | - | DFC | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIA 8 December 1941. |
| Richard Macklow Trousdale | 7 | - | DFC* | Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIFA 19 May 1947. |
| Arthur Ernest "Spike" Umbers | 4 & 1 shared | 28 V-1s | DFC* | Also 1 probable and 1 shared probable. KIA 14 February 1945. |
| Victor Bosanquet Strachan Verity | 8 & 1 shared | - | DFC | Also 3 probables. Served in the Royal Air Force. |
| Derek Harland Ward | 6 & 1 shared | - | DFC* | Also 1 probable. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIA 17 June 1942. |
| Edward Preston "Hawkeye" Wells | 12 | - | DFC* | Also 4 probables. Served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain. |
| Jeffery George West | 4 & 2 shared | - | DFM | Also 1 shared probable. |
| Derrick Fitzgerald "Jerry" Westenra | 8 & 3 shared | - | DFC* | Also 2 probables. |
| Gordon Albert Williams | 5 | - | DFM | |
| Bert Samuel Wipiti | 3 & 3 shared | - | DFM | Flew in Southeast Asia and then Europe. KIA 3 October 1943. |
| Brian Wallace Woodman | 4 & 1 shared | - | DFC | |
| Robert Duncan Yule | 3 & 5 shared | - | DSO, DFC* | Also 2 probables and 1 shared probable. Served in the Royal Air Force. Flew in Battle of Britain, KIFA 11 September 1953. |

## Table notes
### Abbreviations

* "KIA" in Notes means Killed in action (dates are included where possible).
* "KIFA" in Notes means Killed in Flying Accident.
* "MIA" in Notes means Missing in action.
* "WIA" in Notes means Wounded in action.
* "POW" in Notes means Prisoner of War.

### Awards

| Award | Title | Notes |
| AFC | Air Force Cross | Awarded for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy". |
| CDeG | Croix de Guerre | A military decoration of both France and Belgium, also commonly bestowed to foreign military forces allied to France and Belgium. |
| DFC | Distinguished Flying Cross | Awarded to Royal Air Force commissioned officers and warrant officers for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy". |
| DFC* | Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar | A bar is added to the ribbon for holders of the DFC who received a second award. |
| DFC (US) | Distinguished Flying Cross – United States | The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight". |
| DFM | Distinguished Flying Medal | Awarded to military below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy". |
| DSO | Distinguished Service Order | Awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime. |
| DSO* | Distinguished Service Order and Bar | A bar is added to the ribbon for holders of the DSO who received a second award. |