A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator

Military aviation

Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...

 credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

 during aerial combat. German day and night fighter pilots claimed roughly 70,000 aerial victories during World War II, 25,000 over British or American and 45,000 over Russian flown aircraft. 103 German fighter pilots shot down more than 100 enemy aircraft for a total of roughly 15,400 aerial victories. Roughly a further 360 pilots claimed between 40 and 100 aerial victories for round about 21,000 victories. Another 500 fighter pilots claimed between 20 and 40 victories for a total of 15,000 victories. It is relatively certain that 2,500 German fighter pilots attained ace status, having achieved at least 5 aerial victories. These achievements were honored with 453 German day and Zerstörer (destroyer) pilots having received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

. 85 night fighter pilots, including 14 crew members, were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The list is sorted by the number of aerial victories claimed at night.

German night fighter aces

Name	Rank	Night Victories	Day Victories	Total Wartime Victories	| Unit	| Notes	| Picture
	Major	121	0	121	NJG 1, NJG 4
*	Oberst	102	8	110	ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3	killed in flying accident 7 October 1944
style="background:#e3d9ff;" align="left" | *	Major	83	0	83	NJG 2	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  21 January 1944
	Oberst	67	1	68	ZG 1, NJG 1
*	Hauptmann	65	0	65	NJG 1, NJG 5	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  21 January 1944
	Oberst	64	1	65	ZG 1, NJG 1, NJG 3, NJG 2
	Major	64	0	64	NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJGr 10, NJG 5
	Hauptmann	63	1	64	NJG 2
	Major	59	0	59	NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJG 5
	Hauptmann	58	0	58	NJG 4, NJG 6
	Hauptmann	58	0	58	NJG 3, NJG 2
	Major	57	16	73	ZG 76, NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 4, JV 44 JV 44 Jagdverband 44 was a special fighter unit of top German fighter ace pilots in the Luftwaffe during the last months of World War II. The main aircraft used by the unit was the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter...
	Oberleutnant	56	7	63	JG 301, Kdo Welter, NJG 11
	Oberleutnant	56	0	56	NJG 100
	Hauptmann	56	0	56	NJG 4, NJG 5, NJG 6, NJG 1
style="background:#e3d9ff;" align="left" | *	Hauptmann	56	0	56	ZG 26, NJG 2, NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  25 December 1944
*	Hauptmann	55	0	55	ZG 1, NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  27 September 1943
*	Oberfeldwebel	54	0	54	NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  26 February 1944
*	Hauptmann	53	0	53	NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  29 September 1943
*	Major	51	0	51	ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 5	Killed in flying accident 22 March 1944
	Major	50	1	51	ZG 52, ZG 2, NJG 3, NJG 5
	Stabsfeldwebel	49	0	49	NJG 1, NJG 4
	Hauptmann	47	4	51	NJG 1
	Oberstleutnant	47	3	50	NJG 1, NJG 6
	Hauptmann	47	1	48	NJG 1
*	Oberleutnant	46	2	48	ZG 1, NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  24 February 1943
*	Hauptmann	46	0	46	NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  6 December 1944
*	Hauptmann	46	0	46	NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  26 February 1943
*	Major	46	0	46	NJG 2	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  8 February 1945
	Hauptmann	45	2	47	ZG 2, NJG 1, NJG 5
	Leutnant	45	0	45	NJG 3
*	Major	45	0	45	NJG 2, NJG 100	missing in action Missing in action Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...  23 February 1944
*	Hauptmann	44	0	44	ZG 1, NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  3 February 1943
*	Oberstleutnant	43	16	59	NJG 5	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  6 March 1945
	Major	43	6	49	ZG 76, NJG 1
	Hauptmann	43	0	43	NJG 1
	Hauptmann	41	0	41	NJG 1
	Hauptmann	39	2	41	NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6
	Hauptmann	38	1	39	NJG 1, NJG 4
	Major	37	2	39	NJG 1, NJG 102
	Major	35	4	39	ZG 1, NJG 1
	Oberleutnant	38	0	38	NJG 2, NJG 1, NJG 3
	Hauptmann	36	0	36	NJG 4, NJG 1
	Oberleutnant	35	0	35	NJG 100
	Oberfeldwebel	34	3	37	SKG 210, NJG 4, NJG 6
	Hauptmann	34	0	34	NJG 2
	Major	34	0	34	NJG 1, NJG 3
	Hauptmann	34	0	34	NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6
	Hauptmann	34	0	34	NJG 1
*	Major	33	0	33	NJG 4, NJG 6	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  16 March 1945
	Hauptmann	33	0	33	NJG 1, NJG 4, NJG 6, NJGr 10
	Oberfeldwebel	33	0	33	ZG 76, SKG 210, 10(NJ)/ZG 1
*	Oberfeldwebel	33	0	33	NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  21 July 1944
	Major	31	0	31	NJG 1, NJG 4
	Hauptmann	30	0	30	NJG 2, NJG 3
	Major	30	0	30	NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 5	missing in action Missing in action Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...  5 March 1945
	Major	30	0	30	JG 300, NJGr 10
*	Hauptmann	28	1	29	NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 3	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  2 January 1944
	Oberstleutnant	28	22	50	ZG 76, NJG 1
*	Hauptmann	26	2	28	NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  4 October 1943
*	Leutnant	26	1	27	NJG 1	Died of wounds 13 October 1943
*	Hauptmann	25	1	26	NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  6 January 1945
*	Oberleutnant	24	3	27	ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  14 May 1943
	Oberstleutnant	24	0	24	NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 4
*	Oberleutnant	16	8	24	ZG 141, ZG 76, NJG 1	killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to... 2 June 1942