William R . Dunn Lieutenant Colonel William R . Dunn , USAF ( Retired ) ( 1916 – 1995 ) was the first American ace of World War II . Joining the Canadian Army at the outbreak of war in September 1939 , he was an infantryman until he transferred to the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) in late 1940 . After service in an RAF Eagle Squadron , he joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 . Transferring to the newly established U . S . Air Force in 1947 , he also participated in the Chinese Civil War , Cold War and the Vietnam War . Biography . Bill Dunn was born on November 16 , 1916 , in Minneapolis , Minnesota . He enlisted in the U . S . Army on March 19 , 1934 , and served as an infantryman until receiving an honorable discharge on November 22 , 1935 . Dunn enlisted in the Canadian Army on September 7 , 1939 , attaining the rank of Sergeant Major before joining the Royal Air Force on December 13 , 1940 . After completing RAF Flying School at Tern Hill , England , on April 16 , 1941 , Pilot Officer Dunn was assigned to the RAF ' s No . 71 Squadron , also known as the initial Eagle Squadron ( so named because it was composed of expatriate American pilots in the RAF prior to the official entry of the United States into World War II ) from May to August 1941 , during which time he became the first American fighter ace of World War II by destroying 5 German fighters in aerial combat plus a shared probable ; all while flying RAF Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters . After being wounded in action on August 27 , 1941 , Dunn was hospitalized for 3 months and then spent another 3 months in the U . S . on leave before serving as an instructor pilot in Canada until he transferred to the U . S . Army Air Forces on June 15 , 1943 . Lieutenant Dunn served as a gunnery officer with the 53rd Fighter Group and then joined the 513th Fighter Squadron of the 406th Fighter - Bomber Group , flying the P - 47 Thunderbolt , in October 1943 , and deployed with the group to England in April 1944 . He was credited with the destruction of his 6th and final enemy aircraft in aerial combat in June 1944 . Promoted to Captain and then Major , he later completed Command & General Staff College before transferring to China , where he served as commander of Luchien and Luchow Air Bases as a Lieutenant Colonel from May 1945 to 1947 , participating in the Chinese Civil War on the side of the Nationalists . His next assignment was as an advisor to the Imperial Iranian Air Force from 1947 to 1949 . Lt Col Dunn resigned his commission on November 3 , 1949 , and rejoined the Air Force in an enlisted capacity on November 14 , 1949 , attaining the rank of Master Sergeant before receiving an appointment as an Air Force Warrant Officer on April 17 , 1952 . During this time , he served as an advisor to the Brazilian Air Force from 1950 to 1952 . Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer , CWO Dunn served as a staff officer from 1952 to 1954 , and then served as an Aircraft Controller , Interceptor Controller , Air Traffic Controller , and Wing Support Officer for the 33rd Air Division at Tinker AFB , Oklahoma , from May 1954 to February 1958 . His next assignment was as a Weapons Controller with the 623rd Aircraft Control & Warning ( AC & W ) Squadron at Naha AB , Okinawa , from April 1958 to April 1960 , and then with the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing at Naha AB from April 1960 to July 1961 . CWO Dunn next served as a staff officer with Headquarters , 29th Air Division at Richards - Gebaur AFB , Missouri , from July 1961 to May 1963 , followed by service as a Weapons Controller with the 848th AC & W Squadron at Wallace AS in the Philippines from May 1963 to May 1964 . He served as a Weapons Officer on the staff of Headquarters , Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) at Hickam AFB , Hawaii , from May 1964 to May 1967 , and then deployed to Southeast Asia , where he served as a Weapons Force Plans Officer with the 6250th Support Squadron at Tan Son Nhut AB , South Vietnam , from May 1967 to June 1968 . CWO Dunn ' s final assignment was as a Weapons Controller with Headquarters , Aerospace Defense Command at Ent AFB , Colorado , from June 1968 until his retirement from the Air Force on February 1 , 1973 . He was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 ( W - 4 ) in 1963 , but retired at his highest rank held of Lieutenant Colonel ( O - 5 ) . Bill Dunn died on February 14 , 1995 , and was buried at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver , Colorado . Although only officially credited with 6 air victories in World War II , Dunn claimed 8 . 5 in the air , plus 4 more unconfirmed , 3 probables , 4 damaged , and 12 more destroyed on the ground while strafing enemy airfields . In addition to his autobiography , " Fighter Pilot : The First American Ace of World War II " , he wrote " War Drum Echoes " and other works on the Indian wars of North America .