Vote in the Best Pilot Poll.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Go to the Best Pilot thread and cast your vote for who you think is the Best Pilot of WW2.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/best-wwii-fighter-pilot-12686.html

The Poll will be open for 20 days and then the top pilots will be put into another poll and then the top pilots there will go into another poll and so forth until we as a forum decide who we think is the best pilot of WW2.

This should spark up some good interesting conversation and maybe we can all learn something about the pilots and maybe learn some stuff about pilots that we never new.

If there is a pilot that is not in the poll and you think he should be added then dont vote and tell us in a post why you think that should pilot should be added and I will add him to the poll.

Remember this is just for fun guys...

 

[Der_blaue_Ritter]

I think this is a somewhat foolish mission. I am familiar with the German aces (many of whom ought to be in the top rankings) but total number of sorties flown and their own instances of being shot-down would have to be considered. On the other hand just surviving all those missions is not to be ignored--especially when conditions during the last year of the war in Europe are taken into account. As an example, an Expert with 30 kills in the West during 1943/45 might have displayed more skill than one with 120 kills in the East during 1941/43.

 

[Njaco]

This is just an announcement. The discusions are in the thread Adler posted. Its now on Part 2. You can go there and make an opinion if you want.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I think this is a somewhat foolish mission.

Then don't post or vote on it!

 

[vstoyanov12]

Gunter Lutzov- Germany is the top ww2 ace as per my opinion.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

This is not the poll. This is a link to the polls...

 

[cougar32d]

how come some of the top german aces have 200+ kills, how is that possible?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

What do you mean?

They shot down that many aircraft. German pilots flew until either they were killed or the war ended. It was not like it was for the US pilots who would fly so and so many missions and then rotate out. They did not have a rotation system.

 

[ccheese]

how come some of the top german aces have 200+ kills, how is that possible?

Because some of them were shooting down aircraft during the Spanish civil
war in 1936. World War II didn't start til 1939 (in Europe). Plus I don't think
their method of "confirmation" was like the US's.

Charles

 

[cougar32d]

ok, thanks guys i've always wondered why their numbers were so high.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Because some of them were shooting down aircraft during the Spanish civil
war in 1936. World War II didn't start til 1939 (in Europe). Plus I don't think
their method of "confirmation" was like the US's.

Charles

None of the kills from 1936 counted as far as I know. They only counted from 1939 to 1945.

The "confirmation" method was not really any different.

 

[Marcel]

What do you mean?

They shot down that many aircraft. German pilots flew until either they were killed or the war ended. It was not like it was for the US pilots who would fly so and so many missions and then rotate out. They did not have a rotation system.

Chris, I was wondering in order to put it into perspective, how many missions did allied pilots fly in comparison to for instance Hartman?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Chris, I was wondering in order to put it into perspective, how many missions did allied pilots fly in comparison to for instance Hartman?

I will be honest. I do not have that answer. I know it was far few than the average Germany pilot.

Bill might be the better person to ask here.

 

[pbfoot]

A tour IIRC with the RCAF was 150 hours which came out to about 100 missions after which you got rotated back to training or a rear area

 

[marshall]

"On 20 July 1944, Gabreski had reached the 300-hour combat time limit for Eighth Air Force fighter pilots"

"Gabreski was officially credited by the USAF with 28 aircraft destroyed in air combat and 3 on the ground, flying 166 combat sorties."

"Johnson flew a total of 89 combat missions between April 1943 and May 1944." - Robert S. Johnson 27 kills in that time

"He scored 352 aerial victories (of which 345 were won against the Soviet Air Force, and 260 of which were fighters) in 1,404 combat missions and engaging in aerial combat 825 times while serving with the Luftwaffe in World War II." - Hartmann

source wikipedia

 

[Marcel]

"On 20 July 1944, Gabreski had reached the 300-hour combat time limit for Eighth Air Force fighter pilots"

"Gabreski was officially credited by the USAF with 28 aircraft destroyed in air combat and 3 on the ground, flying 166 combat sorties."

"Johnson flew a total of 89 combat missions between April 1943 and May 1944." - Robert S. Johnson 27 kills in that time

"He scored 352 aerial victories (of which 345 were won against the Soviet Air Force, and 260 of which were fighters) in 1,404 combat missions and engaging in aerial combat 825 times while serving with the Luftwaffe in World War II." - Hartmann

source wikipedia

Thanks, that's quite a huge difference and explains a lot.

 

[csisco]

I don't remember where I read this but, acording to allied and German war records. Multiple credits went out for kills, they weren't questioned to much for morale purposes. Allied pilots and bomber gunners frequently shared claims for kills. Also in bomber formations several gunners from different aircraft, would claim the same kill. I believe the estimate was 2 or 3 times more planes were shot down, then actually flew! Except for those made by the 332nd FG, whose claims were rigourously confirmed. They were almost routinely denied, since most claims could only be called probables. Unless the plane was followed all the way down and the plane exploding or pilot bailout was captured on gun camera.

 

[jaheise]

This sort of debate will never end, nor will the opportunity for the number of sorties ever exist again that existed with WWII. Of all pilots in the US arsenal Richard Bong, Don Gentile, George Preddy, and Francis Gabreski stand out as arguably the best. Given that Gentile "pranged his kite" on his last mission I would not include him for the best pilot shouldn't have that mark on his record. Of the remaining three George Preddy's opportunities were cut short when he tragically shot down and killed by his own forces. Given that Bong and Gabreski had more time to build up their scores than Preddy my "US" vote would go to George Preddy. Given a similar situation exists for Hans-Joachim Marseille compared to his counter-parts he would receive my vote. It's too bad I do not know more about the Soviet pilots who flew with different tatics and equipment than the Germans or Americans. The best statistical judge would be kills/sortie flown - if someone has those figures it would be great to know it. The more equal match of equipment existed in the west so figures by theatre could be misleading (in my opinion).

Overall, my vote currently goes to George Preddy.

 

[drgondog]

Given that Bong and Gabreski had more time to build up their scores than Preddy my "US" vote would go to George Preddy. Given a similar situation exists for Hans-Joachim Marseille compared to his counter-parts he would receive my vote. It's too bad I do not know more about the Soviet pilots who flew with different tatics and equipment than the Germans or Americans. The best statistical judge would be kills/sortie flown - if someone has those figures it would be great to know it. The more equal match of equipment existed in the west so figures by theatre could be misleading (in my opinion).

Overall, my vote currently goes to George Preddy.

Preddy had more combat hours and fewer missions than Gabreski but Bob Johnson had 1/2 of the time and far fewer missions than any of the other US aces in that 25+ range. And Johnson's scores were against a LW that had not been 'bent' as badly as many of Preddy's opponents in late Spring/Summer and Fall of 1944.

 

[B-17engineer]

I want to say Erich Hartmann