# List of World War I aces credited with 15–19 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.
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. The few aces among combat aviators have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history.
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. 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.

## List of World War I aces by victory count:

* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 11–14
* 15–19
* +20

## Aces

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 | Notes |
| Horace Barton | South Africa | Royal Flying Corps | 19 | Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar. |
| Wilfred Beaver | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 19 | Military Cross |
| Andrew Cowper | Australia | Royal Flying Corps | 19 | Military Cross with two Bars. |
| Christian Donhauser | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 19 | Military Merit Cross, Iron Cross |
| Jacques Ehrlich | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 19 | Médaille militaire, Croix de Guerre |
| Arthur Bradfield Fairclough | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 19 | Military Cross |
| Gerhard Fieseler | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 19 | Military Merit Cross, Iron Cross |
| Henri Hay De Slade | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 19 | Légion d'honneur, Croix de Guerre with 14 Palmes, Belgian Croix de guerre, British Military Cross, Italian Croix de la Couronne |
| Cedric Howell | Australia | Royal Flying Corps | 19 | Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| József Kiss† | Austria-Hungary | Luftfahrtruppen | 19 | Top Hungarian ace. Medal for Bravery (1 Gold, 1 Silver) |
| Harold Albert Kullberg | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 19 | British Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Leslie Powell | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 19 | Military Cross with Bar. |
| Arthur Reed (aviator)† | South Africa | Royal Flying Corps | 19 | Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar. |
| Ellis Vair Reid | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service | 19 | Distinguished Service Cross |
| Alan Wilkinson (aviator) | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 19 | Distinguished Service Order with Bar. |
| Kurt Wintgens† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 19 | First aerial victory ever with a synchronized machine gun. Pour le Mérite, Iron Cross |
| Alexander Zenzes | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 19 | Iron Cross |
| Hartmuth Baldamus† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 18 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Bernard Barny De Romanet | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 18 | Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, Croix de Guerre with ten Palmes and three étoiles de vermeil |
| James Belgrave | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 18 | Military Cross with Bar. |
| Franz Gräser | Austria-Hungary | Luftfahrtruppen | 18 | Order of Leopold, Order of the Iron Crown, Medal for Bravery |
| Franz Hemer | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 18 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| William C. Lambert | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 18 | British Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Frank Luke | United States | US Army Air Service | 18 | Medal of Honor, Distinguished Flying Cross, Italian War Cross "The Balloon Buster" |
| George Chisholm MacKay | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 18 | Distinguished Flying Cross, Belgian Order of Leopold, French Légion d'honneur, French Croix de Guerre |
| William Molesworth | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 18 | Military Cross with Bar, Italian Medal for Military Valor. |
| Maurice Newnham | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 18 | Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre |
| Emil Schäpe | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 18 | Iron Cross |
| John Todd | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 18 | Distinguished Flying Cross, Military Cross |
| John Lightfoot Trollope | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 18 | Military Cross with Bar |
| Ronald Bannerman | New Zealand | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Fritz Beckhardt | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Hans Böhning | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Iron Cross |
| Walter Böning | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Alfred Williams Carter | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Marziale Cerutti | Italy | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 17 | |
| Carl Frederick Falkenberg | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar, Air Force Cross |
| George Everard Gibbons | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Ernst Hess† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Fred Parkinson Holliday | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 17 | Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Air Force Cross |
| August Iaccaci | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Paul Iaccaci | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Edward Grahame Johnstone | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Distinguished Service Cross |
| Rudolf Klimke† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Iron Cross |
| Reginald Makepeace | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Military Cross |
| John Pinder | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Karl Plauth | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Iron Cross |
| Ferruccio Ranza | Italy | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 17 | Three Silver awards of Medal for Military Valor, Military Order of Savoy, French Croix de guerre and Belgian Croix de guerre, Serbian Star of Karageogevich |
| Franz Ray | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | |
| Hans Rolfes | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Josef Schwendemann | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 17 | Military Merit Cross |
| Edwin Swale | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 17 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Edmund Tempest | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Walter Tyrrell | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 17 | Military Cross |
| Owen Baldwin | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Distinguished Flying Cross, French Légion d'honneur, French Croix de Guerre |
| Gerald Gordon Bell | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 16 | Distinguished Flying Cross, French Légion d'honneur, French Croix de Guerre |
| Eugen Bönsch | Austria-Hungary | Luftfahrtruppen | 16 | Medal for Bravery (3 Gold awards) |
| Ernst Bormann | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 16 | Iron Cross First and Second Class, with Clasps. Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves for Iron Cross. Generalmajor in World War II. |
| Henry John Burden | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 16 | Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Jean Chaput | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 16 | Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, Croix de Guerre with 11 Palmes, Belgian Croix de guerre, British Military Cross |
| John Stanley Chick | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 16 | Military Cross Rose to Air Commodore in RAF |
| Eugene Coler | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 16 | British Distinguished Flying Cross |
| John Cowell | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal |
| Bruce Digby-Worsley | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | |
| Stearne Tighe Edwards | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 16 | Distinguished Service Cross with Bar |
| Ernest Elton | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal, Italian Medal for Military Valor |
| Stefan Fejes | Austria-Hungary | Luftfahrtruppen | 16 | Gold Medal for Bravery (three awards), 1st Class Silver Medal for Bravery (2 awards), 2nd Class Silver Medal for Bravery |
| Robert Foster | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Knight of the Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Flying Cross. Rose to Air Chief Marshal. |
| Robert Grosvenor | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Military Cross |
| Ludwig Hanstein† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 16 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern |
| Allan Hepburn | Australia | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 16 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Sidney Highwood | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Frank Johnson | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Distinguished Conduct Medal with Bar |
| Johannes Klein | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 16 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Raoul Lufbery | France United States | Aéronautique Militaire US Army Air Service | 16 | French Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, and Croix de Guerre with ten Palmes, British Military Medal, Montenegrin Medal for Military Valor. |
| Karl Odebrett | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 16 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross, Austro-Hungarian Medal for Bravery |
| Oliver Redgate | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Oren Rose | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 16 | Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar |
| Wilhelm Seitz | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 16 | Iron Cross |
| Francis Smith | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 16 | Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Elliott White Springs | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, US Army Air Service | 16 | American Distinguished Service Cross, British Distinguished Flying Cross |
| David Stewart | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Military Cross with Bar, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Christoffel Venter | South Africa | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Order of the Bath, Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar. Rose to Major General. |
| Anthony Wall | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 16 | Military Cross with Bar |
| Hans Weiss† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 16 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Vasili Yanchenko | Russia | Imperial Army Air Service | 16 | Order of Saint George, Cross of Saint George (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Class), Order of Saint Vladimir, Order of Saint Anne, Order of the Star, Military Service Medal |
| Pavel Argeyev | Russia | Aéronautique Militaire, Imperial Army Air Service | 15 | French Légion d'honneur, French Croix de Guerre, Order of Saint George, Order of Saint Vladimir, Order of Saint Anne |
| Karl Bohnenkamp | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Military Merit Cross |
| Lawrence Coombes | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Cyril Crowe | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Charles Cudemore | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Ralph Curtis | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 15 | |
| Ernest Deighton | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Conduct Medal |
| Armand De Turenne | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 15 | Légion d'honneur, Croix de Guerre with 11 Palmes and an étoile de bronze, British Military Cross, Belgian Croix de guerre, Italian Croce di guerre |
| Albert Dossenbach | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Pour le Mérite, Military Merit Cross, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Rudolf Francke | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Military Merit Cross |
| George Gates | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| James Alpheus Glen | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Service Cross with Bar, French Croix de Guerre |
| Harry King Goode | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| John Rutherford Gordon | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 15 | Military Cross |
| John Edmund Greene | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Albert Haussmann† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | |
| Edwin Hayne | South Africa | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Alois Heldmann | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Frank Hobson | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Military Cross |
| Max Immelmann† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15< | Pour le Mérite, Military Order of St. Henry, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross The Immelmann turn named after him. |
| John Jones | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Flying Medal |
| Andrew Kiddie | South Africa | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Flying Cross, Belgian Croix de guerre |
| Otto Löffler | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | |
| Hans-Georg von der Marwitz | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Harold Mellings | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Service Cross with Bar, Distinguished Flying Cross, Greek Royal Order of the Redeemer. |
| Alfred Mills | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Edmund Nathanael† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Iron Cross |
| Wilhelm Neuenhofen | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | |
| Roy Cecil Phillipps | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 15 | Military Cross with Bar, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Viktor von Pressentin von Rautter† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Military Merit Cross, Iron Cross |
| Theodor Quandt | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern |
| Herbert Richardson | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Gilbert Sardier | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 15 | Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, Croix de Guerre with nine Palmes, an étoile de vermeil, and an étoile d'argent, British Military Cross |
| Hugh Saunders | South Africa | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar, Military Medal |
| Julius Schmidt | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Military Order of St. Henry, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Kurt Schneider† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Military Order of St. Henry, Iron Cross |
| Harold Stackard | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service | 15 | |
| Paul Strähle | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 15 | Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
| Ernst Strohschneider | Austria-Hungary | Luftfahrtruppen | 15 | Order of Leopold, Silver Military Merit Medal, Military Merit Cross (2 awards), Iron Cross |
| Frank Weare | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 15 | Military Cross |