Introduction A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The concept of the “ace” emerged… Read More
Introduction Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 to 18 June 1916) PLM was the first German World War I flying ace. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchronised gun, which was in fact achieved on 01 July 1915 by the German ace Kurt… Read More
Introduction Oswald Boelcke (19 May 1891 to 28 October 1916) was a German flying ace of the First World War credited with 40 victories; he was one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is honoured as the father of the German fighter air force, as… Read More
Introduction Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (08 October 1890 to 23 July 1973) was an American fighter ace in World War I and a Medal of Honour recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was the United States’ most successful fighter ace in the war and is considered to have received the most awards for valour by an… Read More
Introduction Anton Hermann Benning (15 May 1918 to 29 September 2013) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Career Benning joined the Luftwaffe in 1938 and was initially posted as a flying instructor. As a transport pilot flying the Junkers Ju 52, he… Read More
Introduction Lothar Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 to 04 July 1922) was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) and a distant cousin of Luftwaffe Field Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen. Following the war, he worked… Read More
Introduction Werner Voss (German: Werner Voß; 13 April 1897 to 23 September 1917) was a World War I German flying ace credited with 48 aerial victories. A dyer’s son from Krefeld, he was a patriotic young man even while still in school. He began his military career in November 1914 as a 17‑year‑old Hussar. After… Read More
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