The term ace (now commonly flying ace) was first used by French newspapers during World War I, describing Adolphe Pégoud as l'as ('the ace'), after he downed five German aircraft. When aircraft began to shoot or force down other aircraft, systems to count "air victories" were subsequently developed. The American qualification of five victories eventually became the standard, even though other air services had previously used differing figures.
While "ace" status was most often won by fighter pilots, bomber and reconnaissance crews, and observers in two-seater aircraft such as the Bristol F.2b ("Bristol Fighter"), also destroyed enemy aircraft. If a two-seater aircraft destroyed an aircraft, both crew members were credited with a victory. Because pilots usually teamed with differing observer/gunners in two-seater aircraft, an observer might be an ace when his pilot was not, and vice versa. The few aces among combat aviators have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history.
Loss of records by mischance and the passage of time complicates reconstructing the actual count for given aces. The scores presented in the list cannot be definitive, but are based on itemized lists that are the best available sources of information. Aces are listed after verifying the date and location of combat, and the foe vanquished, for every victory accredited by an aviator's home air service using their own aerial victory standards. Those victories for which the evidence is unavailable or fragmentary have been excluded from the victory count.
List of World War I aces by victory count:
Aces
This along with the symbolic dagger †, indicates that the pilot was known to be either killed in action, missing in action, died of wounds, or killed in a flying accident during World War I.
| Name | Country | Air service(s) including post-war | Victories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Alberry |  Australia
|
Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Charles Allen |  United Kingdom
|
Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Fritz Anders |  German Empire
|
Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Ernest Antcliffe | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Lionel Ashfield | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Alfred Auger† |  France
|
Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Thomas Barkell | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Gerhard Bassenge | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| John Bateman | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| François Battesti | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Alan Duncan Bell-Irving |  Canada
|
Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force | 7 |
| Charles J. Biddle |  United States
|
Aéronautique Militaire, United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Thomas Birmingham | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William Harry Bland | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| André Louis Bosson† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Cecil Brock | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| George Ai Brooke | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Helmut Brünig | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Archibald Buchanan | United States | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Stanton Bunting | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| David Luther Burgess | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Lynn Campbell† | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Eugene Camplan | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Leslie Capel | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Reed Chambers | United States | United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Robert Chandler | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Charles Chapman† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Fernand Henri Chavannes | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| William Chisam | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service | 7 |
| Arthur Claydon† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Stanley Cockerell | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| James Connelly | United States | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Harvey Weir Cook | United States | United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Arthur Cyril Cooper | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Arthur Gabbettis Cooper | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Sidney Cowan† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Jesse Creech | United States | Royal Flying Corps, United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Roland Critchley† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Edward Crundall | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Alec Cunningham-Reid | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Hermann Dahlmann | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Rowan Daly | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Ernest Davies | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Ernest Davis | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Pierre De Cazenove De Pradines | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Pierre Delage† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Robert Delannoy | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| François Delzenne | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| François de Rochechouart† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Noël de Rochefort† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Jean Derode† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| James Dewhirst | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Helmut Dilthey† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Roy Dodds | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force | 7 |
| Henry Dolan† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| John Donaldson | United States | Royal Flying Corps, United States Army Air Service attached to the Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Thomas A. Doran | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| René Doumer† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Arthur Draisey | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Herbert Drewitt |  New Zealand
|
Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Pierre Ducornet | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Raoul Echard | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Cedric Edwards† | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Leopoldo Eleuteri |  Italy
|
Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 7 |
| Herbert Ellis | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Conway Farrell | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Julius Fichter† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| George Buchanan Foster | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Gordon Fox-Rule | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Adrian Franklyn | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Maurice Freehill | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Josef Friedrich |  Austria-Hungary
|
Luftfahrtruppen | 7 |
| Mario Fucini | Italy
|
Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 7 |
| John Gamon | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Hermann Gilly | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Eric Gilroy | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Hans Goerth | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Walter Grant | Australia | Australian Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William Edrington Gray | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Wilfred Green | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| John Griffith | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, United States Army Air Force, United States Air Force | 7 |
| Gisbert-Wilhelm Groos | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 77 |
| Hermann Habich | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Frank Hale | United States | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Frederick Hall† | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Herbert Hamilton† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Herbert Hartley† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Otto Hartmann† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Harold Hartney | United States | Royal Flying Corps, United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Ludwig Hautzmayer | Austro-Hungarian Empire | Luftfahrtruppen | 7 |
| Lanoe Hawker† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Ian Henderson† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Georg Ritter von Hengl | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| William Carrall Hilborn† | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Charles Hill | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Richard Frank Hill† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| John Hills | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Edward Hoare | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Percy Hobson | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Josef Hohly | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Lansing Holden | United States | Aéronautique Militaire, United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Jeffrey Batters Home-Hay | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Norman William Hustings | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Kurt Jacob | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Fernand Jacquet |  Belgium
|
Aviation Militaire Belge | 7 |
| Otto Jäger† | Austro-Hungarian Empire | Luftfahrtruppen | 7 |
| Arthur Jarvis | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Louis Jarvis | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Archie Nathaniel Jenks | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Karl Jentsch | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Alan Jerrard | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Martin Johns | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Albert Leslie Jones | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| George Jones | Australia | Australian Flying Corps, Royal Australian Air Force | 7 |
| Hubert Jones | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Harold Joslyn† | Canada | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Christian Kairies† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Edward Patrick Kenney | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Walter Kirk | Australia | Australian Flying Corps, Royal Australian Air Force | 7 |
| Frederick John Knowles | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Emil Koch | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Hans Körner | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Yevgraph Kruten† |  Russia
|
Imperial Army Air Service | 7 |
| Wilhelm Kühne† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Hans Kummetz† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Henri Languedoc† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| DeFreest Larner | United States | Aéronautique Militaire, United States Army Air Service, New York National Guard, United States Army Air Corps | 7 |
| Maurice Le Blanc-Smith | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Marie Lecog De Kerland | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Arthur Lee | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Alfred Alexander Leitch | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force | 7 |
| Thomas Le Mesurier† | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Herman Leptien | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Jean Loste | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Albert Lux | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Hector MacDonald |  Union of South Africa
|
Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, South African Air Force | 7 |
| Peter MacDougall | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Norman MacGregor | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| John MacKereth | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William MacLanachan | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Malcolm Plaw MacLeod | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force | 7 |
| Henry Maddocks | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Josef von Maier | Austria-Hungarian Empire | Luftfahrtruppen | 7 |
| Alexandre Marty† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Roy Kirkwood McConnell | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Paul McGinness | Australia | Australian Flying Corps, Royal Australian Air Force | 7 |
| Karl Mendel† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Xavier Moissinac† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Ernest Stanley Moore | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Ernest Morrow | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William Nel | Union of South Africa | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Alfred Niederhoff† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Charles Odell | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Augustus Orlebar | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Paul von Osterroht† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Hugh Owen | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Robert Owen | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| John Albert Page† | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service | 7 |
| Arthur Palliser† | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| William Patrick | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William Pearson† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Pierre Pendaries | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| George Peters | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Paul Petit† | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Orazio Pierozzi | Italy
|
Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 7 |
| Richard Plange† | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Frank Potter† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Stuart Harvey Pratt | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| John Carberry Preston | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Stephen Price | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William Price | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Johann Pütz | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Stanley Puffer | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force | 7 |
| Josef Raesch | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Lewis Ray | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Cosimo Rennella | Italy | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 7 |
| Lancelot Richardson† | Australia | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Antonio Riva | Italy | Corpo Aeronautico Militare | 7 |
| James Robb | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Wendel Robertson | United States | United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Charles Robinson | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Jean C. Romatet | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Leslie Rummell | United States | United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Howard Saint | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service | 7 |
| Paul Santelli | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Douglas Savage | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Victor Sayaret | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Harry Scandrett | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Gustav Schneidewind | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Karl Schoen† | United States | United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Marat Schumm | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Kenneth Gordon Seth-Smith | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Sumner Sewall | United States | United States Army Air Service | 7 |
| Leonard Slatter | Union of South Africa | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Emerson Smith | Canada | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Frederick Stanton | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Charles Steele | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Charles Owen Stone | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Gilbert Strange† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Georg Strasser | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Charles Stubbs | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Oliver Sutton | United Kingdom | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Arthur Gilbert Vivian Taylor† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps | 7 |
| Merrill Samuel Taylor† | Canada | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| James Tennant | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Gabriel Thomas | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| David Tidmarsh | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| William Tinsley | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Alexander Tranter | United Kingdom | Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Karl Treiber | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Norman Trescowthick | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Francis Turner | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Kurt Ungewitter | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Awdry Vaucour† | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Marie Vitalis | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Joseph Vuillemin | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| Harold Walkerdine | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7. |
| Franz Walz | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Eugène Weismann | France | Aéronautique Militaire | 7 |
| James Wellwood | Australia | Australian Flying Corps | 7 |
| Johannes Werner | German Empire | Luftstreitkräfte | 7 |
| Harold Albert White | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Hugh White | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Percy Williams | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Percy Wilson | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
| Albert Woodbridge | United Kingdom | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 |
References
- Maksel, Rebecca (7 April 2008). "What does it take to become an "ace"?". Need to Know. Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- Franks, Bailey & Guest 1993, p. 10
- Dunnigan 2003, p. 149
- Shores, Franks & Guest 1990, p. 7
- ^ Shores, Franks & Guest 1990
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest 1993
- ^ Franks, Guest & Alegi (1997)
- ^ Franks, Bailey, (1992).
- Franks, Guest & Alegi 1997, p. 101.
- Franks (2005) pp 49-50.
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