# List of aces of aces

Ace of aces is a title accorded to the top active ace within a branch of service in a nation's military in time of war. The term ace is used for a highly successful military professional that has been accredited with: multiple enemy aircraft shot down, tanks destroyed, or ships sunk; by number or tonnage. The term was widely used for propaganda purposes during World War I, and mainly applied to a pilot who was credited with shooting down five enemy aicraft. The title is most closely associated with fighter aces, though there are other types, such as tank aces and submarine aces.

## Flying aces

Ace of aces is a title accorded to the top flying ace of a nation's air force during time of war.

### World War I

The concept of aces emerged in 1915 during World War I.
This with the * indicates that the pilot was either killed in action or killed in a training event during the war.
| Person | Country | WWI years active | Overall years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes |
| René Fonck | French Third Republic | May 1915 – 1 November 1918 | 1914–1918 1937–1940 | 75 | Caudron G III, SPAD VII, SPAD XII and SPAD XIII | All-time Allied ace of aces, with 75 confirmed aerial victories. |
| Manfred von Richthofen | German Empire | 17 September 1916 – 21 April 1918 | 1911 - 1918 | 80 | Albatros D.V, Fokker Dr.I and others | Ace of Aces, the highest score in World War I. Richthofen, also called "The Red Baron", achieved 80 air combat victories. Killed on 21 April 1918 by a Canadian fighter. |
| Billy Bishop | Dominion of Canada | April 1917 – end of World War I | 1914-1918 1936-1944 | 72 | Nieuport 17 | Credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war. In 1917 he became the highest scoring ace in the RFC and the third top ace of the war, behind only the Red Baron and René Fonck. |
| Eddie Rickenbacker | United States | 29 September 1918 – end of World War I | 1917-1919 | 26 | Nieuport 17, SPAD S.XIII | American Ace of Aces, 26 aerial victories. |
| Indra Lal Roy | British India | 1917–22 July 1918 | 1917–1918 | 10 | S.E.5 | India's most successful fighter pilot, with 10 kills. Killed during a dogfight with German aircraft |

### World War II

World War II had more aces than any other war.
| Person | Country | WWII years active | Overall years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes |
| Erich Hartmann | Nazi Germany | 19 September 1942 – 8 May 1945 | 1940–1945 1956–1970 | 352 | Bf 109 | Hartmann is the highest scoring ace of all time, with 352 aerial victories, the first pilot to achieve 300 aerial victories (on 24 August 1944) and 350 aerial victories (on 17 April 1945) |
| Kurt Welter | Nazi Germany | 1939 – 1945 | 1934-1945 | 20 | Me 262 | All-time leading jet ace during World War II. |
| Ilmari Juutilainen | Finland | 1939–1944 | 1932–1947 | 94 | Fokker D.XXI, Brewster Buffalo and Bf 109 | The top scoring Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), and the top scoring non-German fighter pilot of all time. The top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force with 94 confirmed aerial combat victories |
| Teresio Vittorio Martinoli | Italy | 1940-1944 | 1938-1944 | 22 | CR.42, C.202 | 22 air victories, 21 on Allied aircraft and 1 on German aircraft after Italian Armistice of Cassibile. Killed in a accident flying of behalve of Italian Co-belligerent Air Force. |
| Pat Pattle | United Kingdom | 4 August 1940– 20 April 1941 | 1936–1941 | 50 | Hurricanes and Gladiators | Credited with 51 victories, making him the most successful South African Ace of the Second World War. Killed in adogfight with a German Bf 110s. |
| George 'Buzz' Beurling | Canada | 1940–1944 | 1940–1944, 1948 | 31 | Spitfire and P-51 Mustangs | Credited with 31 confirmed victories, making him the most successful Canadian ace of the Second World War. |
| Richard Bong | United States | 19 January 1942 – 6 August 1945 | 1941–1945 | 40 | P-38 Lightning and P-80 Shooting Star | Top US flying ace of the war, credited with 40 confirmed downed Japanese aircraft. Awarded the Medal of Honor. Killed in a flying accident before the war end. |
| Ivan Kozhedub | Soviet Union | 6 July 1943 – 17 April 1945 | 1940–1985 | 64 | La-5 and La-7 | Credited with 64 victories, Kozhedub is the top scoring Allied ace of World War II. One of the few pilots to shoot down a Messerschmitt Me 262. |

### Post-World War II era

| Person | Country | Wars | Years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes |
| Nikolai Sutyagin | Soviet Union | Korean War | 1941–1978 | 22 | Mig-15 | The 'Ace of Aces' in the Korean War, with the highest number of kills for any pilot. Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union. |
| Joseph C. McConnell | United States | Korean War | 1940–1954 | 16 | F-86 Sabre | First US Jet ace, also top scoring American ace. |
| Zhao Baotong | People's Republic of China | Korean War | 1950–1983 | 9 | Mig-15 | Highest scoring People's Liberation Army Air Force Ace |
| Muhammad Mahmood Alam | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 | 1953–1982 | 5 | F-86 Sabre | Muhammad Mahmood Alam is credited with having shot down five Indian aircraft in less than a minute, the last four within 30 seconds. |
| Saiful Azam | Pakistan & Jordan | Six-Day War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 | 1960–1988 | 5 | F-86 Sabre and Hawker Hunter | Saiful Azam flew for the Pakistan Air force (1 Victory) and for Arab Armies during the Six day War (4 Victories). |
| Giora Even Epstein | Israel | Six-Day War War of Attrition Yom Kippur War | 1956–1997 | 17 | Mirage III, Mirage 5, Kfir and F-16 | Credited with 17 victories, 16 against Egyptian jets, making Epstein the ace of aces of supersonic fighter jets and of the Israeli Air Force. |
| Nguyen Van Coc | Democratic Republic of Vietnam | Vietnam War | 1961–2002 | 7–9 | MiG-17 and MiG-21 | From seven to nine victories on US-crewed aircraft, as well as two drones. |
| Vadim Shcherbakov | Soviet Union | Vietnam War | 1966-1967 | 6 | MiG-21 | Per US sources. |
| Randy H. Cunningham | United States | Vietnam War | 1967–1987 | 5 | F-4 Phantom II | First American ace of the Vietnam War. |
| Legesse Tefera | Ethiopia | Ogaden War | | 7 | Northrop F-5 | Ethiopia's most successful pilot, and the most successful Northrop F-5 pilot, with six or seven kills. |
| Jalil Zandi | Iran | Iran–Iraq War | 1970–2001 | 8-11 | F-14 Tomcat | Iran's most successful fighter pilot ever, with eight confirmed aerial victories. The most successful F-14 Tomcat pilot. |
| Mohommed "Sky Falcon" Rayyan | Iraq | Iran–Iraq War | 1977–1986 | 5 | MiG-21 and MiG-25 | Iraq's most successful fighter pilot ever, with five confirmed aerial victories. The most successful MiG-25 pilot. Shoot down on July 1986. |

### 21st Century era

| Person | Country | Wars | Years active | Aerial victories | Plane flown | Notes |
| Ilya Andreevich Sizov | Russia | Russian invasion of Ukraine | 2022 to Present | 11 | Sukhoi Su-30SM | Shot down 11 Ukrainian aircraft (3 Su-24s, 3 Su-27s, 2 MiG-29s, 2 Mi-24s, and 1 Mi-14) and destroyed two Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, he is currently the highest scoring ace of the 21st century. |

## Submarine aces

Top subsea ace/undersea ace/submarine ace of a nation's submarine force during time of war.
Persons accorded the title ace of aces :
| Person | Country | War | Period | Notes |
| Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière | Imperial Germany | World War I | 1915–18 | The commander of U-35, Arnauld de la Perière sank a total of 194 merchant vessels and gunboats totaling 453,716 gross metric tons. |
| Georg von Trapp | Austro Hungary | World War I | 1915–18 | Most succesfull Austro-Hungarian Empire submarine commander with 13 enemy ships sunk including two warships. |
| Wolfgang Lüth | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1933–1945 | 46 enemy merchant ships sunk and plus French Submarine. Total GRT sunk of 225,204. |
| Otto Kretschmer | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1939 - 1941 | 46 or 47 enemy ships sunk with 274,418 GRT. The most successfull German Submarine ace in GRT sunk. |
| Dick O'Kane | United States | World War II | – 25 October 1944 | 31 Japanesse merchant ship sunk. Captured and made Prisoner of war. |
| Malcolm David Wanklyn | United Kingdom | World War II | – 14 April 1942 | 16 enemy ships sunk. Wanklyn was the British Ace of Aces in terms of tonnage, disappeared during 28th patrol on board HMS Upholder. |
| Gianfranco Gazzana-Priaroggia | Italy | World War II | | The highest scoring Italian submarine commander, with 11 ships sunk for a total of 90,601 tons. |
| Carlo Fecia di Cossato | Italy | World War II | | With 16 sinkings, he is credited with the most kills in the Regia Marina, as well as the second most successful Italian submarine commander with 86,545 tons. |

## Submarine hunters

Persons accorded the title ace of aces :
| Person | Country | War | Period | Notes |
| John Walker | United Kingdom | World War II | 1909-1944 | Walker sank more U-boats (12 confirmed) during the Battle of the Atlantic than any other British or Allied commander. Died 9 July 1944 by cerebral thrombosis. |

## Tank aces

A "tank ace" or Panzer ace has been described by Historian Robert Kershaw as being the minority of tank commanders that accounted for the most destroyed enemy armor, saying it is roughly analogous with a flying ace.
| Person | Country | War | Period | Tanks destroyed | Tank type crewed | Notes |
| Edmund Roman Orlik | Poland | Invasion of Poland | 1 September 1939 - 28 September 1939 | 10 (official) | TKS (20mm variant) | Polish "tank ace of aces". During the Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September 1939 he claimed to have destroyed ten German tanks, including one Panzer IV Ausf. B, the largest tank then fielded by Germany, with a 2.6 tonne TKS tankette armed with a 20mm autocannon. The unofficial claim is that he destroyed 13 tanks, although this has not been confirmed by any trustworthy sources to date. |
| Ervin Tarczay [hu] | Hungary | World War II | January 1943 – 18 March 1945 | 10 | 41M Turán II, Tiger I, Panther and Panzer IV Ausf. H | 10 confirmed and 15 unconfirmed tank kills during World War II. On March 15, 1945, he was knighted and took medical leave. He returned to service quickly and was officially declared missing in action on March 18, 1945, after having been left behind while wounded in Söréd. |
| Kurt Knispel | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1940 – 28 April 1945 | 168 | Tiger I and Tiger II | 168 confirmed and 195 unconfirmed tank kills. He fought in nearly every type of German tank, working as a loader, gunner, or commander. He is credited with destroying a T-34 tank from 3,000 meters. |
| Otto Carius | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1940 – 7 May 1945 | 150 | Tiger I, various others | Credited with over 150 tank kills and 1 aircraft shot down, mostly in various Tiger tanks. |
| Johannes Bölter | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1940 – 28 April 1945 | 139 | Tiger I | Destroyed 139 enemy tanks, including 16 tanks in one action. Referenced in Wolfgang Schneider's "Tigers in Combat, Volume 1" |
| Michael Wittmann | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1941 – 8 August 1944 | 138 | Tiger I and Sturmgeschütz III | Credited with over 138 tank kills |
| Walter Kniep | Nazi Germany | World War II | 5 July 1943 to 17 January 1944 | 129 | Stug | Awarded the Iron cross, commander of the assault gun battalion of SS-Das Reich |
| Paul Egger | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1941 – 3 May 1945 | 113 | Tiger I | SS Oberscharfuehrer Credited with 113 tank kills |
| Fritz Lang | Nazi Germany | World War II | 1941 – ???? | 111 | Stug III | Germany's WW2 top assault gun ace. |
| Albert Kerscher | Nazi Germany | World War II | ???? – 19 April 1945 | 100 | Tiger I | Feldwebel Albert Kerscher, a member of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 502. Credited with 100 tanks destroyed |
| Dmitry Lavrinenko | USSR | World War II | 1941 | 52 | T-34 | Dmitry Fyodorovich Lavrinenko was a Soviet tank commander and Hero of the Soviet Union. He was the highest scoring tank ace of the Allies during World War II. Lavrinenko destroyed 52 tanks in just 2.5 months of fierce fighting in 1941. |
| Alfred Nickolls | United Kingdom | World War II | 1940 – 1943 | 30 | M4 Sherman | According to the 22nd November 1942 citation, Corporal Nickolls, in a Sherman tank at El Alemain destroyed 14 tanks, including destroying 9 German tanks in one single engagement. He destroyed 30 tank during the entire North Africa campaign, making him the top tank ace of the United Kingdom and the top tank ace of the western Allies during World War II Awarded the Military Medal by Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery |
| Zinovy Grigoryevich Kolobanov | USSR | World War II | 1941 | 25 | KV-1 | During an ambush on German units on 20 August 1941 as part of the battle for Leningrad, region of Voyskovitski, his KV-1 destroyed 22 tanks and 2 artillery pieces before running out of ammunition. His unit of 5 KV-1Es destroyed a total of 43 German tanks that day. |
| Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters | Canada | World War II | October 1942 - end of World War II | 18 | M4 Sherman | Credited with 18 tank kills and many other armoured vehicles, whilst in command of three Sherman tanks, named 'Caribou'. The tank squadron under his command may have been responsible for the death of German tank ace Michael Wittmann. |
| Lafayette G. Pool | United States | World War II | 27 June 1944 – 15 September 1944 | 12 | M4 Sherman | Widely recognised as the American tank ace of aces, with 12 confirmed tank kills and 258 armoured vehicle kills, whilst in command of a Sherman tank. |
| Börje Bror Brotell | Finland | World War II | 1943 – 1944 | 11 | Sturmgeschütz III | Recognised as the Finnish tank ace of aces, with 11 confirmed and 4 unconfirmed tank kills during World War II. Brotell's role during The Battle of Tali–Ihantala was decisive and his Sturmgeschütz III destroyed multiple enemy tanks which had achieved a breakthrough. |
| Arun Khetarpal | India | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Battle of Basantar | 9 December 1971 - 16 December 1971 | 10 | Centurion | Indian tank ace. Personally responsible for destroying 10 tanks before he was killed in action in Battle of Basantar |
| Zvika Greengold | Israel | Yom Kippur War | 6 October 1973 – 25 October 1973 | 60 | Centurion (more specifically Sho't) | In total 60 tanks were accredited to him. Greengold himself claims 20 Syrian tanks over the space of holding his position for 20 hours. He changed tanks six times. |