Aviators who became ace in a day
Encyclopedia
The term "ace in a day" is used to designate a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
and observer/gunner Johann Lasi
of the Austro-Hungarian
air force, on 22 August 1916, when they downed five Italian planes.
World War I flying ace Fritz Otto Bernert
scored five victories within 20 minutes on April 24, 1917, even though he wore glasses and was effectively one-armed.
John Lightfoot Trollope
of the Royal Air Force shot down and destroyed seven German planes on 24 March 1918.
Henry Woollett shot down and destroyed six German airplanes on 12 April 1918, setting two afire.
René Fonck
scored six in a day on two occasions, 9 May and 26 September 1918.
destroyed 5 Italian aircraft in one flight.
The most notable ace in a day is Hans-Joachim Marseille
of Germany, who was credited with downing 17 Allied fighters in just three sorties over North Africa
on September 1, 1942. The highest number of aerial victories for a single day was claimed by Emil Lang
: 18 Soviet fighters on November 3, 1943. Erich Rudorffer
is credited with the destruction of 13 aircraft in a single mission on October 11, 1943. Numerous other Luftwaffe pilots also claimed the title during World War II.
Hans Wind
of HLeLv 24, Finnish Air Force
, scored five kills in a day five separate times during the Soviet Summer Offensive 1944, a total of 30 kills in 12 days, of his final tally of 75.
On December 5, 1941, the leading Australia
n ace of World War II, Clive Caldwell
, destroyed five German aircraft in the space of a few minutes, also in North Africa
. He received a Distinguished Flying Cross
for the feat.
During World War II, 68 U.S. pilots—43 Army Air Forces
, 18 Navy
, and seven Marine Corps
—were credited with the feat, including David McCampbell
, who claimed seven Japanese planes shot down on June 19, 1944 (during the "Marianas Turkey Shoot
"), and nine in a single mission on October 24, 1944. Medal of Honor
recipients Jefferson DeBlanc and James E. Swett
became aces on their first combat missions in Guadalcanal, scoring five kills and seven kills respectively. US Navy pilot Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa, who during the Battle of the Coral Sea
shot down three Mitsubishi A6M Zeros with a Douglas SBD Dauntless, managed to down seven Japanese planes in one sortie in the Battle of Santa Cruz
flying a Grumman F4F Wildcat.
The world's top Mustang ace, George Preddy
, shot down six Me-109s
on August 6, 1944, setting the European Theater of Operations record for the United States.
, Muhammad Mahmood Alam
of the Pakistan Air Force
shot down five Indian Air Force
Hawker Hunter
Mk.56 fighters in less than a minute, four being in first 30 seconds. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat
("The star of courage") and bar
for his actions.
World War I
The first aviators to achieve this were pilot Julius ArigiJulius Arigi
Julius Arigi was a flying ace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I with a total of 32 credited victories. He was Austro-Hungary's most highly decorated ace. His victory total was second only to Godwin Brumowski. Arigi was considered a superb natural pilot...
and observer/gunner Johann Lasi
Johann Lasi
Stabfeldwebel Johann Lasi was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...
of the Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
air force, on 22 August 1916, when they downed five Italian planes.
World War I flying ace Fritz Otto Bernert
Fritz Otto Bernert
Oberleutnant Fritz Otto Bernert was a leading German fighter ace of World War I. He scored 27 victories despite being essentially one-armed.-Early life and service:...
scored five victories within 20 minutes on April 24, 1917, even though he wore glasses and was effectively one-armed.
John Lightfoot Trollope
John Lightfoot Trollope
Captain John Lightfoot Trollope, MC & Bar, was a British First World War flying ace, who was the first British pilot to shoot down 7 enemy aircraft in one day, on 24 March 1918. Four days later, he claimed his last 3 kills of the war , before being shot down by German ace Paul Billik...
of the Royal Air Force shot down and destroyed seven German planes on 24 March 1918.
Henry Woollett shot down and destroyed six German airplanes on 12 April 1918, setting two afire.
René Fonck
René Fonck
René Paul Fonck was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Allied fighter ace, and when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories ...
scored six in a day on two occasions, 9 May and 26 September 1918.
World War II
On 15 June 1940 the French pilot Pierre Le GloanPierre Le Gloan
Pierre Le Gloan , French pilot of World War II.He was born in Brittany, France. At the age of eighteen he joined the French Air Force. At the outbreak of the war he served in the GC III/6 fighter squadron, flying the Morane-Saulnier MS.406...
destroyed 5 Italian aircraft in one flight.
The most notable ace in a day is Hans-Joachim Marseille
Hans-Joachim Marseille
Hans-Joachim Marseille was a Luftwaffe fighter pilot and flying ace during World War II. He is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign and his bohemian lifestyle. One of the best fighter pilots of World War II, he was nicknamed the "Star of Africa"...
of Germany, who was credited with downing 17 Allied fighters in just three sorties over North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
on September 1, 1942. The highest number of aerial victories for a single day was claimed by Emil Lang
Emil Lang (fighter ace)
Emil "Bully" Lang was a Luftwaffe Flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat...
: 18 Soviet fighters on November 3, 1943. Erich Rudorffer
Erich Rudorffer
Major Erich Rudorffer is a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace, one of a handful who served with the Luftwaffe through the whole of World War II. He is 7th most successful fighter pilot in the history of air warfare, and currently both the oldest jet fighter ace, and the most successful ace still...
is credited with the destruction of 13 aircraft in a single mission on October 11, 1943. Numerous other Luftwaffe pilots also claimed the title during World War II.
Hans Wind
Hans Wind
Hans Henrik "Hasse" Wind was a Swedish-speaking Finnish fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II with 75 confirmed air combat victories....
of HLeLv 24, Finnish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
, scored five kills in a day five separate times during the Soviet Summer Offensive 1944, a total of 30 kills in 12 days, of his final tally of 75.
On December 5, 1941, the leading Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n ace of World War II, Clive Caldwell
Clive Caldwell
Group Captain Clive Robertson Caldwell DSO, DFC & Bar was the leading Australian air ace of World War II. He is officially credited with shooting down 28.5 enemy aircraft in over 300 operational sorties. In addition to his official score, he has been ascribed six probables and 15 damaged...
, destroyed five German aircraft in the space of a few minutes, also in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. He received a Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
for the feat.
During World War II, 68 U.S. pilots—43 Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, 18 Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and seven Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
—were credited with the feat, including David McCampbell
David McCampbell
Captain David McCampbell was an American naval aviator, who became the US Navy’s all-time leading ace with 34 aerial victories during World War II. The third-highest scoring US flying ace of World War II, he was the highest-scoring to survive the war.McCampbell was born in Bessemer, Alabama, and...
, who claimed seven Japanese planes shot down on June 19, 1944 (during the "Marianas Turkey Shoot
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
"), and nine in a single mission on October 24, 1944. Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipients Jefferson DeBlanc and James E. Swett
James E. Swett
James Elms Swett was a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot and ace during World War II. He was awarded the United States' highest military decoration— the Medal of Honor — for actions while a division flight leader in VMF-221 over Guadalcanal on April 7, 1943.Subsequently he...
became aces on their first combat missions in Guadalcanal, scoring five kills and seven kills respectively. US Navy pilot Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa, who during the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
shot down three Mitsubishi A6M Zeros with a Douglas SBD Dauntless, managed to down seven Japanese planes in one sortie in the Battle of Santa Cruz
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the , was the fourth carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the fourth major naval engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial...
flying a Grumman F4F Wildcat.
The world's top Mustang ace, George Preddy
George Preddy
George Preddy was an American ace credited with 26.83 enemy air-to-air kills, ranking him as the top P-51 Mustang ace of World War II and sixth on the list of all-time highest scoring American aces....
, shot down six Me-109s
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
on August 6, 1944, setting the European Theater of Operations record for the United States.
Post World War II
In air to air combat during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
, Muhammad Mahmood Alam
Muhammad Mahmood Alam
Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam is a retired Pakistani fighter pilot, North American F-86 Sabre Flying ace and one-star general who served with the Pakistan Air Force...
of the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
shot down five Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
Mk.56 fighters in less than a minute, four being in first 30 seconds. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-e-Jurat is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947...
("The star of courage") and bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
for his actions.