Eino Ilmari “Illu” Juutilainen was a fighter pilot of the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), and the top scoring non-German fighter pilot of all time. This makes him the top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force, leading all Finnish pilots in score against Soviet aircraft in World War II (1939–40 and 1941–44), with 94 confirmed aerial combat victories in 437 sorties, though he himself claimed 126 victories.Continue reading “Finnish Ilmari Juutilainen – The Double Fighter Knight – Highest Scoring Non-German Ace – 94 Aerial Victories”
Category Archives: Air Aces
Iranian Air Ace Jalil Zandi – 11 Aerial Victories. Highest-Scoring Pilot ever on F-14 Tomcat
Brig. General Jalil Zandi was a fighter pilot in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force who served during all of the Iran–Iraq War. His combat record qualifies him as one of the most successful pilot of that conflict in air-to-air combat, as well as one of the best Iranian Aces ever. It also made him the highest-scoring pilot in the history of the F-14Continue reading “Iranian Air Ace Jalil Zandi – 11 Aerial Victories. Highest-Scoring Pilot ever on F-14 Tomcat”
Israel’s Giora “Hawkeye” Epstein – Ace of Aces of Supersonic Fighter jets – 17 Aerial Victories
Brigadier General Giora “Hawkeye” Epstein (also called Giora Even) of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), is a fighter ace credited with 17 victories, 16 against Egyptian jets, making Epstein the “Ace of Aces” of supersonic fighter jets. Epstein was an active IAF pilot from 1956 until May 26, 1997, when he retired at age 59. Like many retired IAF flyers,Continue reading “Israel’s Giora “Hawkeye” Epstein – Ace of Aces of Supersonic Fighter jets – 17 Aerial Victories”
Highest Scoring Night Ace – German Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer – 121 Victories
Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was a German Luftwaffe night-fighter pilot and the highest-scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. All Schnaufer’s 121 victories were in World War II, and mostly against British four-engine bombers. For his excellent combat record, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, Germany’s highest military decoration at the time,Continue reading “Highest Scoring Night Ace – German Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer – 121 Victories”
Japanese “Zero” Fighter Air Ace Tetsuzō Iwamoto “Tiger Tetsu”- 94 Aerial Victories – Greatest Japanese Fighter Ace of All Time
Lieutenant Junior Grade Tetsuzō Iwamoto was one of the top scoring aces among Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) fighter pilots. He joined the Imperial Navy in 1934 and completed pilot training in December 1936. His first combat occurred over China in early 1938. He emerged as one of the top aces of the Imperial Japan during WWII, credited with at least 94Continue reading “Japanese “Zero” Fighter Air Ace Tetsuzō Iwamoto “Tiger Tetsu”- 94 Aerial Victories – Greatest Japanese Fighter Ace of All Time”
Air Ace Ivan Kozhedub the Highest Scoring Allied and Soviet fighter pilot of World War II
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was a Soviet World War II fighter ace. Credited with over 62 victories. He was the highest scoring Soviet and Allied fighter pilot of World War II. He is one of the few pilots to have shot down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three occasions (4 February 1944, 19 AugustContinue reading “Air Ace Ivan Kozhedub the Highest Scoring Allied and Soviet fighter pilot of World War II”
Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc – The Highest Scoring Pilot in Vietnam War
Nguyễn Văn Cốc is a former North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter ace of the Vietnamese People’s Air Force’s (VPAF) 921st Fighter Regiment. Van Coc was shot down before scoring his first kill on Jan. 2, 1967 in Operation Bolo, a U.S. aerial ambush. He ejected and survived, and then went on to destroy an F-105 in an attack out of theContinue reading “Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc – The Highest Scoring Pilot in Vietnam War”
German Ace – Hans-Ulrich Rudel – Eagle of the Eastern Front – Greatest Fighter Pilot and Most Decorated German in WW II
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a German ground-attack pilot, and the most decorated German serviceman of World War II, being the sole recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Post-war, he was a prominent neo-Nazi activist in Latin America and West Germany. During the war, Rudel was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, as well as one battleship, one cruiser,Continue reading “German Ace – Hans-Ulrich Rudel – Eagle of the Eastern Front – Greatest Fighter Pilot and Most Decorated German in WW II”
Gabby Gabreski: America’s Two-War Ace – WW II and Korea
Francis Stanley “Gabby” Gabreski was a Polish-American career pilot in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was the top American and United States Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter ace over Europe during World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War. Although best known for his credited destructionContinue reading “Gabby Gabreski: America’s Two-War Ace – WW II and Korea”
Lieutenant Indra Lal Roy, DFC – The First and the Only Indian Air Ace
World War I had about 1.5 million Indians fighting in every theatre of the battle. Among the handful of Indians who fought in the air was a gifted combat pilot who would go on to become India’s first and only fighter ace, Indra Lal ‘Laddie’ Roy. Yet few Indians know about the story of this incredibleContinue reading “Lieutenant Indra Lal Roy, DFC – The First and the Only Indian Air Ace”
Air Power Asia 