Top Aces by plane

R988 · Apr 18, 2006

If anyone has read Roald Dahls book going Solo, he was actually in the same Squadron in Greece as Pat Pattle, a bit of a forgotten campaign, the BEF was really outnumbered and outclassed in that one, quite an interesting campaign as well.

On the P-39, there are some other points to consider, most covered in the articles below.

There is a very interesting, often amusing (but rather long!) interview with a soviet pilot who flew many types here, which probably explains most of it, I'll add some quotes below.
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/golodnikov/part1.htm

and some more articles on Soviet aviation lend lease aircraft here
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/index.htm

Returning to the Airacobra, it must be noted that the British somewhat underrated it. Soviet pilots preferred the Cobra despite its many shortcomings to any other aircraft received from the Allies, including the Spitifire VB, which the British deigned to give us only in 1943.

While completing the account of the Airacobra I in Soviet aviation, the following conclusions can be drawn. Despite a number of design deficiencies of this first model of the air frame (undercarriage weakness, engine seizures, inadequate rate of climb, tendency to flat spin), it was a threatening weapon in the hands of skilled aerial warriors. As was written in the summary of the commander of 153d (28th Guards) IAP regarding the combat work in the Voronezh and West Fronts in July-August 1942, "The Airacobra aircraft is considered by the Germans to be the most dangerous enemy and should be engaged in combat only when they [the Germans] have numerical superiority and the advantage in altitude and surprise." Therefore, the decision by the VVS command regarding preliminary serious study of the aircraft and its testing and subsequent delivery to units that had combat experience turned out to be correct. Combat tested and experienced pilots were able to master the correct tactical employment of the airplane in a minimal period of time. They learned to compensate inadequate vertical maneuver with good formation flying, echeloned by altitude (pair above pair with 100-200 meter interval). Mutual fire support also made possible minimal losses and maximum damage to the enemy. The most clear example of this was in the 19th Guards IAP, where group kills were almost three times greater than individual kills. A year later A. I. Pokryshkin, the creator of the celebrated "Kuban' bookshelf", arrived at this same "group" tactic independently and in more complete form. The conclusion regarding whom the Airacobra engaged-slow-moving transports and aging bombers, or Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs of the latest models, can be drawn from the statistics presented above.

and from other articles

Russians doggedly supported their Army with massive air support.
Flying the lower altitudes gave the higher flying German aircraft a distinct advantage
and used well tested Boom and Zoom to pummel the lower flying planes.

Yet the vast majority of German Aircraft were shot down a lower altitudes.
The Russians played a bait game to attract the Germans to attack and
used B&Z tactics to force them into energy waisting turns compromising excape.
The P39 could climb with the German 109 with the deletion of the 4-30 cal up to 18K.

Regardless of the tactics the Russians lost 2 to 1 over the whole course of the war.
But Russia could sustain the losses better with new manufactured aircraft
and their factories were never attacked by the Germans to slow production.

This was a war of attrition. Who had more war materiale and men(women) was going to win.
Especially with the Allies on the Western fronts eating away at German resources.
The attrition developed excellent Russian pilots.

Twitch · Apr 19, 2006

It all ends up like any aircraft- it was exploited for its strengths by savvy pilots who learned how to avoid its weaknesses and get the most out of it. The relatively few superior Red AF pilots that excelled with it would have excelled with any similar crate since having the right touch, intuitiveness and aggressiveness to win put them above their comrades. For the relative few that stood out with the P-39 staggering amounts of less skilled pilots met their death in it.

Both the Germans and ther Reds were doggedly tied to the old school command idea that air power was some sort of extension of artillery to be used at the whim of army commanders instead of independently. Many was the time that they were bounced while droning around waiting for army orders forbidden to stray from a central point. This spelled annihilation when they couldn't defend themselves adequately by employing normal air combat patrol techniques.

The epitaph of the P-39 and other inadequate aircraft was more in the archaic chain of command and control by the Red Army than by anything else.

Pisis · Apr 21, 2006

I'd only correct the table of Czechoslovak aces.

In the first list, there's that Karel Kuttelwascher scored 18 air victories, but the correct number is 20 (15 night kills on NF Hurricane). He is oficially concerned as a top scoring Czechoslovak ace.
http://cshq-czechs.wz.cz/eng_bio kut.html

In the 2nd, Les' list, there's mentioned Sgt. Josef František with 28 air victories. He is oficially credited with 17 RAF victories (in amazing 3 weeks!, also on Hurricane (Mk.I)). But his Battle of France campaign is covered in unclear fog. All the official documents were lost, and maybe, he even didn't serve under his real name, to avoid oppression by Gestapo against his family in Czechoslovakia. Eye witnesses (Czech Jozef Balejka and Pole Witold Lokuciewski) say he really had another 11 victories (9 airborne, 2 ground (Stukas)). Also in only three weeks!
Sgt. Josef František was - probably - Czechoslovak top scoring pilot.

plan_D · Apr 21, 2006

The success of the P-39 on the Eastern Front is simply because of the operating altitudes. It was a adequete machine in combat if kept below 15,000 feet , and most combat on the Eastern Front was anywhere from there to tree-top height. While the combat in the West was amongst the bomber formations at anywhere up to 35,000 feet.

Twitch · Apr 21, 2006

Pisis- yeah I saw that too. Everybody has a different list with varying kill amounts. Bizarre.

lesofprimus · Apr 21, 2006

Actually, the # I posted for Frantisek is the correct #, with 95% of reliable sources counting his final as total being 28.... The only country that is truly undecided is Japan, and the # I have posted for Nishizawa, 147, is the # he told his family members, from his personal logbook, which is pretty much regarded as the most accurate total for him...

Marmaduke Pattle on the otherhand, his total is alittle harder to guess, but his plane captain and best freind has pretty much put a solid # up for him, according to his relativly recent logbook revealing, pretty much making his total of 62 about as accurate as can be figured out....

Bullockracing · Apr 22, 2006

Anyone know of an ace flying the Boomerang?

Wildcat · Apr 23, 2006

An ace or two probably flew the Boomerang, but I'm 99% sure no one became an ace flying a Boomer. If you didn't know the Boomerang wasn't a particulary successful fighter, had good manouverbility but was under powered. Although it lacked as a fighter, it made its mark darting in and around mountains supporting the soldiers on the ground in New Guinea. Was particuly good in flushing out hidden Jap gun emplacements which it would then mark with smoke for other aircraft, notably RNZAF Corsairs, to pound the crap out of.

Aggie08 · Apr 24, 2006

I haven't heard much of the New Zealand AF. Where were they involved and for how long? The Pacific theater, of course, but which engagements?

Wildcat · Apr 24, 2006

Well I can't tell you much, but apart from the many men that fought in Europe, The RNZAF also saw action at Singapore and Malaya, The Solomons and Bougainville that I know of. The RNZAF shot down a total of 103 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific. Some aircraft the RNZAF was equipped with include P-40's, Corsairs, Avengers, Ventura's, Dauntless's, Hudson's and PBY's (That's off the top of my head, I'm sure there are others).

Twitch · Apr 24, 2006

Never heard of anyone scoring 5 in a Boomerang.....

Aggie08 · Apr 24, 2006

Wildcat said:
Well I can't tell you much, but apart from the many men that fought in Europe, The RNZAF also saw action at Singapore and Malaya, The Solomons and Bougainville that I know of. The RNZAF shot down a total of 103 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific. Some aircraft the RNZAF was equipped with include P-40's, Corsairs, Avengers, Ventura's, Dauntless's, Hudson's and PBY's (That's off the top of my head, I'm sure there are others).

Cool beans.

RAFster · Jan 10, 2007

What about Greg Boyington?

Major Greg Boyington - USMC - F4U Corsair - 24

22 were credited by the USMC and 2 by the AVG with the Flying Tigers.
Some records dispute the numbers and Boyington felt he had 5.75 victories with the AVG.
With the AVG he and 4 other pilots destroyed 15 aircraft in a raid. The AVG split it among the 6 pilots in the flight (2 provided top cover during the raid) and that reduced the number to 2.5 victories per pilot. Then he had 2 air-to-air victories bringing his total to 5.75 rounded up to 6...thus some records claim 28 victories.

RAFster
David

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Jan 10, 2007

He was a very good pilot.

Brain32 · Jan 11, 2007

Can't help much with other planes/aces but Mato Dukovac as all Croatian aces flew 109's

Pisis · Jan 13, 2007

Another correction:

Slovak
Jan Gerthoffer 33

No, it was Ján Režňák from 13.(Slowakei) Staffel/JG52 (flying Bf 109G-4), credited with 32 (15x LaGG-3, 5x I-16, 3x I-153, 2x MiG-1, 2x MiG-3, 2x DB-3, 1x Pe-2, 1x Jak-1, 1x Jak-3) confirmed and 5 (1x I-16, 1x LaGG-3, 1x Jak-1, ???, ???) unconfirmed airborne kills.

GregP · Jan 14, 2007

There are MANY reasons why the Russians loved the P-39s.

1) They refused to be drawn to high altitude where the P-39 was at a disadvantage. They fought at or below 10,000 feet and ignored the huigh-flying Luftwaffe. If they noticed the German planes, they attacked the german bases at low altitude to stop the raids. Very few planes were as good as the P-39 at low altitide.

2) They were much more interested in reliability, and the Allison was more reliable than the Merlin, and so WOULD have been better liked by the Soviet forces.

3) They replaced the bad armament with good Soviet cannon designs as stated above.

4) They flew mostly in support of ground units. So, there was a lot of friendly flak when needed. Tough to do that in the Pacific theater since there simply isn't much in the way of ground in the ocean. In Europe, we were flying over German-held terrotory while attacking, so all the flak was unfriendly.

5) The P-39, while unliked by the Western Allies, was superior in technology to most Soviet aircraft and was heartily adopted by them. They concentrated in developing tactics which it could use to advantage while we simply proclaimed it to be unsuited to our requirements. Of course, the real culprit was the U.S. Military procurement people who deleted the Supercharger from the aircraft.

CharlesBronson · Jan 17, 2007

Hey ¡¡

What about Otto Kittel from JG 54....more than 200 kills with the FW-190A.

Erich · Jan 17, 2007

CB:

~ Lomma mentioned him just with a sentance and his kill score on the first page

hey, what no night fighter pilots ? .......... this must be a day thing again 8)

CharlesBronson · Jan 17, 2007

Sorry, I overlooked that.

And yes that could be 121 kills for the Bf-110s, in Schnauffer case.

Top Aces by plane

Senior Airman

Staff Sergeant

2nd Lieutenant

Lieutenant Colonel

Staff Sergeant

Brigadier General

Airman 1st Class

Major

Staff Sergeant

Major

Staff Sergeant

Staff Sergeant

Recruit

Private Chemtrail Disperser

Airman

2nd Lieutenant

Major

Senior Master Sergeant

the old Sage

Senior Master Sergeant

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