Best WW2 Fighter Pilot Poll Round 2

Best Pilot Pt. 2

  • Total voters
    41
  • Poll closed .

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An interesting pilot, the top US ace of the ETO (I particularly like some of the back story in training, and of course the amazing encounter in his P-47C) I'm glad he made it to round 2 , but to be honest I don't think he can really be compared with some of the accomplishments of some pilots on here. Though I really don't know a whole lot about some of these guys. (hence why i haven't voted)
 
Yep, but to clarify (I was a bit vague), I meant the case of the Japanese pilots was not as an extreme example as the Finns. (the Finns being a much smaller force, with a much higher percent of excellent pilots making the best of fairly outmatched equipment)
 
Hans-Joachim Marseille was amazing. At one point he averiged only 15 rounds of amunition per kill. He was the best marksman in the luftwaffe and many higher scoring aces ecnoliged it them selves. He acheved all of his kills against the western allies, he was the highest scoring ace to operate soly against the western allies. And he did all of this in just under three years. He was just plane AMAZING!
 
Njaco, Rudel did indeed specialize in ground attack, but he also flew a Fw190.

I think the most impressive thing about him as a pilot, was his disclipline...even at war's end, continuing to fly even after being severely wounded.

I know there's a huge list of great aces over him, but I figured he should at least get honorable mention with his 11 kills!
 
Rudel was brilliant, i'm sure he would have been a better fighter pilot than any other Nazi if he wanted to be, he just liked blowing up stuff with bombs
 
Rudel was to a Stuka as Hartmann was to a Bf109.

People have things that they are comfortable with, and add to that a good work ethic, and you end up with people that rise to the top of thier class.

Rudel flew a total of 2,350 combat missions and in those missions, he took out 2,000 targets. This includes 800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery units, 11 confirmed aircraft kills (some argue 9), 4 armored trains, 70 assault boats, 1 destroyer, 2 Cruisers and a battleship. His tail-gunner may have also shot down one of the Soviet Union's top aces, Lev Shestakov, during an encounter.

He was also credited with innovating the 37 m/m cannon adaptation on the Stuka, the prototype being the Ju87D.

His service began in 1936, his first combat being in 1941 and last in 1945, having survived some of the most intense combat assignments of the war, he even had a bounty on his head placed by Joe Stalin (100,000 Rubles).

Even at war's end, flying a Fw190, he used it as ground attack more than a fighter.

His decorations read like a book, having some of the highest decorations Germany awarded, and he was wounded many times.

And years later, he was an advisor to the developement of the U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt...

Not bad for a guy who likes to blow stuff up, huh?
 
I don't even know if anyone will read this. I joined the forum too long after this topic was discussed. The best I have found yet while looking through the "past" in this forum!

I am torn between a few German pilots, they without a doubt were incredible. However I have a wrench to throw into this machine. Allied pilots were rotated out of theatre, AND, were fighting over enemy territory. So when they were shot down, likely thier war was over! All of the high, high scoring German pilots have been shot down numerous times, but over thier own country or occupied lands. Which of these German pilots, had the highest amount of kills before being shot down the first time??? Suppose after he himself was shot down, his score was done??? How does that would that change the voting in this poll????
 
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