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    You are at:Home»January»January 3»History Short: Leading Fighter Aces of World War II
    January 3

    History Short: Leading Fighter Aces of World War II

    Major DanBy Major DanJanuary 3, 2023No Comments2 Mins Read
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    Pappy Boyington

    A Brief History

    On January 3, 1944, America’s leading fighter Ace of that time, Marine Major Pappy Boyington, was shot down and taken captive by the Japanese.  Today, we take a look at some of the leading fighter pilot aces of World War II by their country.

    Digging Deeper

    Top Aces of World War II:

    Johnnie Johnson, Britain, 38 kills

    Mato Dukovac, Croatia, 44 kills

    Ilmari Juutilainen, Finland, 94 kills

    Pierre Clostermann, France, 33 kills

    Erich Hartmann, Germany, 352 kills

    György Debrődy and Lajos Tóth, Hungary, 26 kills

    Teresio Martinoli, Italy, 22 + 14 shared kills

    Tetsuzō Iwamoto, Japan, 80 kills

    Raymond Brown Hesselyn, New Zealand, 21.5 kills

    Stanisław Skalski, Poland, 22 kills

    Constantin Cantacuzino, Romania, 69 kills

    Ján Režňák, Slovakia, 32 kills

    Richard Bong, USA, 40 kills

    Ivan Kozhedub, USSR, 66 kills

    Lydia Litvyak, USSR, 5 to 12 kills, top female ace of all time

    Bonus!

    Top Aces of World War I:

    Baron Manfred von Richthofen, Germany, 80 kills

    René Fonck, France, 75 kills

    Billy Bishop, British Commonwealth, 72 kills

    Willy Coppens, Belgium, 37 Kills

    Godwin von Brumowski, Austro-Hungary (Poland), 35 kills

    Francesco Baracca, Italy, 34 kills

    Eddie Rickenbacker, USA, 26 Kills

    Question for students (and subscribers): Who do you believe is the best fighter pilot of all time?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Hammel, Eric. Aces at War. Pacifica Press, 1997.

    Sims, Edward. American Aces. Ballantine, 1963.

    The featured image in this article, a U.S. Department of Defense photograph of Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, commander of Marine Corp fighter squadron VMF-214 (“Black Sheep”) in the cockpit of his aircraft, is a work of a United States Marine or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain.

    You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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