Greatest single pilot battles

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You can add Adrian Warburton onto that list, became an ace flying of all things a Maryland recon aircraft out of Malta during the siege!
 
I know one the incidents where Rudel downed a Russian ace, they were evidently very low, he didn't know if it was his tailgunner, or the wake turbulence from his Stuka that brought the Russian down.
Once a Stuka got rid of it's bombs, it'd have to be able to turn pretty good with all that wing area.
 
One of my favorite stories is about Lt. Murray Shubin and his P-38G, who flew a 45 minute air battle alone with a formation of Zero's right off the beach of Guadalcanal. Lt Shubin was credited with 5 kills after the battle. I read that the event did much to improve moral for a while for the troops who lined up to watch the battle. He had thousands of witnesses for confirmation!
 
Not a pilot, but this Italian rear gunner for floatplanes during WWII certainly deserves mention.

An Italian air gunner Aviere Scelto Pietro Bonannini was reported as an "ace" by the Italian magazine "Aerei Nella Storia" ( n. 28, February-March 2003). Bonannini was the main gunner of a FIAT-CMASA RS-14 floatplane ,a twin engine reconeissance-bomber armed with a 12.7 mm SAFAT machine gun in a dorsal turret , one 7.7 mm machine gun on each fuselage side and a 400 kg bomb load.

On May 9, 1942 - Bonannini's RS-14 floatplane was intercepted near Malta by two Spitfires from the aircraft carrier Wasp; piloted by Canadian Flight Sergeants Charlie Valiquet and John Rounsefell. Bonannini destroyed both Spitfires; while the floatplane suffered no damage.

November 4, 1942 - Bonannini's floatplane was attacked by two Beaufighters near Cape Bon. Bonannini was quickly injured by a shell, but he continued to operate his SAFAT. He shot down one Beaufighter, and severely damaged the other. The Italian floatplane made it back to base.
 
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A pilot who belongs on this list is Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa, who scored three kills against Japanese fighters with a Dauntless on 8 May 42 during the battle of Coral Sea. Shortly afterwatrds, he was transferred to a fighter squadron flying a F4F Wildcat.

On 26 October 1942, during the battle of Santa Cruz, he attacked an inbound flight of Japanese dive bombers and shot down 2, then attacked an inbound flight of Japanese torpedo bombers, and shot down 5 while spoiling thier attack and scattering the remaining enemy. Final score for the day, 7...not too bad for a day's work.
 
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I would like to point out Henry W Brown (354 sqd, 355 FG), who on April 11, 1944 bounced 4 Me-109s that were stalking 2 other P-51s returning from a mission near Berlin. Although Brown did not down any of the 109s, he did save the lives of the 2 other Mustang pilots. What makes this mission unique was that Brown, attacked the ME-109s even though he had expended off all of his ammunition in a previous engagements with a FW-190 (claimed destroyed) and in strafing a German airfield.
When bounced, the 4 Me-109's entered a Lufberry. Brown circled with them and watched each ME roll out and down as his Mustang moved into firing position. By the time he had chased the last ME-109 away and started again for England, Brown was attacked by another ME-109 (thought perhaps to be the first of the 4 to leave the fight). Fortunately, Brown was able to evade the attack and was able to regain England. Brown received a DSC for his actions. As for the 2 other P-51's that were being stalked by the 4 Me-109's, they never entered the fight, but also returned to England. The reason they did not engage- they were out of ammo (or so the story goes).
Certainly for pure guts, this flight must rank as one of the best.

Eagledad
 
Stanford Tuck in 1941.

Tuck was flying alone over the east coast of England when he was jumped by 3 Me109's. The first Me109 fired at Tuck and and passed him so he suddenly had the 109 straight in front of him. Ignoring the other two 109's he fired at the 109 in front him. Deadly accurate, the first 109 hopelessly fell into the sea below. He then banked sharply and found another 109. Letting it pass beneath him first he dived after him. After a quick burst, the second 109 went down. He had gotten very low by now and pulled straight up trying to gain height before the last 109 would attack. Too late. The 109 hit his Hurricane several times shooting the throttle out of his hand, his canopy got shot to bits and pieces along with the gunsight of the doomed Hurricane. Tuck did not jump out, but turned his Hurricane around, firing with everything he had against the last 109. He managed to damage it severely before he had to jump out himself. He was later picked up from the sea and treated for minor injuries.

John
 

It was five 109s but description close enough

BROWN, HENRY W. (POW)

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Henry W. Brown (0-2044989), Second Lieutenant (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 354th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 11 April 1944, during an air mission over Berlin, Germany. On this date Second Lieutenant Brown was escorting bombers to their target on the outskirts of Berlin. After the bombers unloaded and headed for home, the 355th turned its escort duty over to another group and prepared to strafe targets of opportunity. On the first pass, Lieutenant Brown burned a JU-52, then riddled a JU-88 bomber on his second pass. Spotting an Fw190 fighter taking off, he performed a chandelle to the left, pulling up behind the German fighter and shooting it down just as he ran out of ammunition. Returning home he became aware of five enemy fighters stalking two fellow Allied fighters. Though out of ammunition, Lieutenant Brown called out a warning and then moved in on the enemy fighters as if to attack. There followed a 20-minute engagement in which he outturned his four adversaries, forcing them one by one to roll out of a Lufberry circle and dive for the ground. His daring actions enabled the other two fighters, both of which were out of ammunition, to escape. Second Lieutenant Brown's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.
Headquarters: U.S. Strategic Forces in Europe, General Orders No. 31 (1944)
 
Another 355th pilot Billy Hovde led his four ship Red flight into ~ 70-80 Fw 190s and 109s near Berlin. He personally destroyed five, shared another and his flight down 12 in this scrap

HOVDE, WILLIAM JOHNSTON

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to William Johnston Hovde (0-25753), Major (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 5 December 1944, during an air mission over Berlin, Germany. On that date Major Hovde was leading three squadrons of P-51s that were escorting B-17s and B-24s to Berlin, Major Hovde's flight circled at 28,000 feet at the initial point for the bomb run. He spotted 80 Fw190s and Me109s massed to attack the bombers. The Germans did not see him because of the sun, and he and his wingman were able to maneuver behind them. A wild swarming dogfight ensued. When he finally ran out of ammunition, Major Hovde 'hit the deck.' at full throttle with five and one- half victories, becoming an Ace in a single day. Major Hovde's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.
Headquarters: U.S. Strategic Forces in Europe, General Orders No. 24 (1945)


Billy Hovde is the pilot I mentioned some time back. When asked by a reporter in the 67 Fighter Aces reunion what it took to be a great fighter pilot, his reply was "well, the first thing you need to recognize is that you can't live forever"..
 
I'd vote for Bill Barkers last fight as described by pbfoot. I know I'm biased being Canadian, but I first read about Barkers last fight when I was a kid and at 52 years old I still haven't read of any fight that comes close.

Slaterat
 
I would like to report the actions of
1) Otto Schultz of 4/JG 27 . On 15/02/42 took off alone to defend his airfield and shot down 5 Curtiss fighters and heavily damaged a sixth one in ten minutes. English ace Mason (KIA)was among the shot down pilots
2)Adolf Glunz of 5/Jg26 claimed 5 viernots and a P47 on 22/02/44
3) Hugo Frey of 7/JG11 claimed 4 viernots on 6/3/44 ( but was KIA in the same mission)

I searched my bibliography but i can not find a performance by a german pilot(not even Marseille) similar to Major Hovde ( 2 fighters outfighting 80) Not even on the eastern front
 

Jim - rest at ease. Hovde led his flight of four into the incoming German fighters - not just two. By Billy's own description, there were so many FW 190s and 109s that they had a hard time getting out of each other's way...the below citation is for Lieutenant Colonel John Brooks, III and his wingman Captain Bill Whalen - Brooks was CO of 2nd Scout Force attached to 355th FG, Whalen was the only Scout Force (Experimental, 1st SF, 2nd SF and 3rd SF) ace. Whalen got #4,5 and 6 in this fight. Once again - too few Mustangs, too many LW fighters for them to mount a co-ordinated attack.

In this mission the Scouts were out in front of the bomber force near Leipzig radioing the attacking bomber Task Force about weather conditions when they spotted two large German fighter forces of approximately 50 fighters each - forming up north of Leipzig/Halle area and simply attacked. We can agree that the quality of LW pilots at this stage suggests only a few experienced combat leaders in this fight.

To your list - I have read the MACR of the B-17s Frey was attacking near Holland/German border. His feat was remarkable, as was Glunz's.

BROOKS, JOHN A., III

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to John A. Brooks, III (O-23828 ), Lieutenant Colonel (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 2nd Scouting Force, EIGHTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 9 February 1945, during an air mission in the European Theater of Operations. On this date Lieutenant Colonel Brooks and his wingman attacked over 100 German fighters and Colonel Brooks shot down 2 of them while completely stopping the German attack on the bomber fleet, saving hundreds of bomber crew lives. Lieutenant Colonel Brooks' unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.
Headquarters: U.S. Strategic Forces in Europe, General Orders No. 29 (1945)
 
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I agree with Jim's number 1, really extraordinary feat, Schultz had skill and guts. Mason was just one of many Commonwealth aces Schultz shot down during his career.

Juha
 
Here's one...

Medal of Honor citation

SHOMO, WILLIAM A.

Maj. Shomo was lead pilot of a flight of 2 fighter planes charged with an armed photographic and strafing mission against the Aparri and Laoag airdromes. While en route to the objective, he observed an enemy twin engine bomber, protected by 12 fighters, flying about 2,500 feet above him and in the opposite direction Although the odds were 13 to 2, Maj. Shomo immediately ordered an attack. Accompanied by his wingman he closed on the enemy formation in a climbing turn and scored hits on the leading plane of the third element, which exploded in midair. Maj. Shomo then attacked the second element from the left side of the formation and shot another fighter down in flames. When the enemy formed for Counterattack, Maj. Shomo moved to the other side of the formation and hit a third fighter which exploded and fell. Diving below the bomber he put a burst into its underside and it crashed and burned. Pulling up from this pass he encountered a fifth plane firing head on and destroyed it. He next dived upon the first element and shot down the lead plane; then diving to 300 feet in pursuit of another fighter he caught it with his initial burst and it crashed in flames. During this action his wingman had shot down 3 planes, while the 3 remaining enemy fighters had fled into a cloudbank and escaped. Maj. Shomo's extraordinary gallantry and intrepidity in attacking such a far superior force and destroying 7 enemy aircraft in one action is unparalleled in the southwest Pacific area.
 

I was looking for this one Gray Ghost as I went through the thread. Thrilled you nailed it. It's gotta rank as tops considering the quality of the equipment Swede flew and the expected nature of his opposition. He was supposed to be opposing "slow" torpedo bomber equivalents of the USN TBD Devastator which of course wasn't the case. He would have done well to simply catch an IJN Kate. History Channel Dogfights implied he shot down three, but Lundstom seems to find proof for possible damage to three and perhaps a possible kill of only one. ONLY one!! He was flying a freakin' dump truck! Just surviving that battle makes it a top choice.
 
Another great, somewhat one-sided battle of two aces was between Saburo Sakai and Pug Southerland (F4F-4), who having just downed two Betty bombers (and whose guns were damaged and inop.) subsequently found himself engaged with and apparently (to Sakai) beating three zero opponents when sighted by Sakai who came in for the eventual kill, already discussed in this forum:

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/sakai-sutherland-tv-23567.html

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation-videos/james-pug-southerland-vs-saburo-sakai-5794.html
 
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Interesting topic, but I wonder where are stories about Japanese pilots? It seems that there should be plenty, highly maneuverable planes though outclassed later in the war and Japanese spirit of fighting to the last drop of blood...

Don't count on me I know almost nothing about Japanese air force of ww2.
 

I've been looking for such.

Remember a story of a US ace being shot down by a Pete (Japanese biplane floatplanr). Remember Pete pilots shooting/raming a B17/B24 or two. One, now proven false, story of a Japenese pilot in 1945 taking on a whole squadron of Hellcats. But nothing near as "mythical" as many of the above given incidents.
 
Well, there are some legendary battles between Lt. Tetsuzo Iwamoto and USMC, USAAF and USN (188 kills in Pacific plus 14 in China) - . Warrant Officer Hiroshi Nishizawa (somewhere between 190 and 200 claims plus 20 Probables. There are too many conflicting accounts, and near the end of the war all Japanese fighter pilots were ordered todestroy their records in fear of being branded War Criminal for shooting down US planes.

Nishizawa was twice credited with shooting down 15 in a day - 15 July 1943 Rubiana Island and August 4, 1943 over Rendova Island.

Has to be some stories of equal or greater dimension somewhere..
 
Maybe some one will shed some more light on those Japanese aces.

But for now I have a different kind of story. Single battle but fought in three parts.

First act above France in 1940, Boleslaw Gladych flying Caudron C.714 meets a Bf 109E. After a long dogfight Gladych's plane is badly damaged but Messerschmitt pilot instead of shooting him down, waggles wings and flies away. Gladych noticed only number "13" on the Bf 109.

Second act is happening in spring 1943. Gladych this time is piloting Spitfire and again after a long fight his plane is damaged and once again enemy pilot with number 13 on his side, waggles his wings before flying away and spares Gladych's life.

Third act. March 1944 above Saxony, Gladych in his P-47 finds himself in a low level fight with three Fw 190s. He shots one but the other two are trying to force him to land on a nearby airfield. Gladych lowers landing gear and prepares to land, but as he approaches the airfield he strafes some Fw 190s on the ground and starts to run away, anti-aircraft artillery returns fire but instead of shooting down P-47 the Fw 190s are hit. Gladych runs away, low on fuel and in a damaged aircraft. He runs out of fuel above the Channel and jumps, later a rescue plane saves his life.

Epilouge, 1949 or 1950, Gladych tells his story about number "13" on a pilot reuninon in Frankfurt. It turns out that the once enemy pilot is also there. His name was Georg-Peter Eder.

P.S. The story is doubtful as it does not agrees with operational records, though reportedly Gladych and Eder agreed that in all three cases they were the pilots.
 
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