Who shot down the most planes? Aces of World War II

The title ace, in reference to military pilots, first appeared in French newspapers during the First World War. In 1915 Journalists nicknamed “aces”, and translated from French the word “as” means “ace”, pilots who shot down three or more enemy aircraft. The legendary French pilot Roland Garros was the first to be called an ace.
The most experienced and successful pilots in the Luftwaffe were called experts - “Experte”

Luftwaffe

Eric Alfred Hartman (Boobie)

Erich Hartmann (German: Erich Hartmann; April 19, 1922 - September 20, 1993) was a German ace pilot, considered the most successful fighter pilot in the history of aviation. According to German data, during the Second World War he shot down “352” enemy aircraft (of which 345 were Soviet) in 825 air battles.

Hartmann graduated from flight school in 1941 and was assigned to the 52nd Fighter Squadron on the Eastern Front in October 1942. His first commander and mentor was the famous Luftwaffe expert Walter Krupinsky.

Hartmann shot down his first plane on November 5, 1942 (an Il-2 from the 7th GShAP), but over the next three months he managed to shoot down only one plane. Hartmann gradually improved his flying skills, focusing on the effectiveness of the first attack

Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann in the cockpit of his fighter, the famous emblem of the 9th Staffel of the 52nd Squadron is clearly visible - a heart pierced by an arrow with the inscription “Karaya”, in the upper left segment of the heart the name of Hartman’s bride “Ursel” is written (the inscription is almost invisible in the picture) .

German ace Hauptmann Erich Hartmann (left) and Hungarian pilot Laszlo Pottiondy. German fighter pilot Erich Hartmann - the most successful ace of World War II

Krupinski Walter is the first commander and mentor of Erich Hartmann!!

Hauptmann Walter Krupinski commanded the 7th Staffel of the 52nd Squadron from March 1943 to March 1944. Pictured is Krupinski wearing the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, which he received on March 2, 1944 for 177 victories in air combat. Shortly after this photograph was taken, Krupinski was transferred to the West, where he served with 7(7-5, JG-11 and JG-26), ending the war in an Me-262 with J V-44.

In the photo from March 1944, from left to right: commander of 8./JG-52 Lieutenant Friedrich Obleser, commander of 9./JG-52 Lieutenant Erich Hartmann. Lieutenant Karl Gritz.

Wedding of Luftwaffe ace Erich Hartmann (1922 - 1993) and Ursula Paetsch. To the left of the couple is Hartmann's commander, Gerhard Barkhorn (1919 - 1983). On the right is Hauptmann Wilhelm Batz (1916 - 1988).

Bf. 109G-6 Hauptmann Erich Hartmann, Buders, Hungary, November 1944.

Barkhorn Gerhard "Gerd"

Major Barkhorn Gerhard

He began flying with JG2 and was transferred to JG52 in the fall of 1940. From January 16, 1945 to April 1, 1945 he commanded JG6. He ended the war in the “squadron of aces” JV 44, when on 04/21/1945 his Me 262 was shot down while landing by American fighters. He was seriously wounded and was held captive by the Allies for four months.

Number of victories - 301. All victories on the Eastern Front.

Hauptmann Erich Hartmann (04/19/1922 - 09/20/1993) with his commander Major Gerhard Barkhorn (05/20/1919 - 01/08/1983) studying the map. II./JG52 (2nd group of the 52nd fighter squadron). E. Hartmann and G. Barkhorn are the most successful pilots of the Second World War, having 352 and 301 aerial victories, respectively. In the lower left corner of the photo is E. Hartmann’s autograph.

The Soviet fighter LaGG-3, destroyed by German aircraft while still on the railway platform.

The snow melted faster than the white winter color was washed off the Bf 109. The fighter takes off right through the spring puddles.)!.

Captured Soviet airfield: I-16 stands next to Bf109F from II./JG-54.

In tight formation, a Ju-87D bomber from StG-2 “Immelmann” and “Friedrich” from I./JG-51 are carrying out a combat mission. At the end of the summer of 1942, the pilots of I./JG-51 switched to FW-190 fighters.

Commander of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (Jagdgeschwader 52) Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich Hrabak, commander of the 2nd Group of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (II.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 52) Hauptmann Gerhard Barkhorn and an unknown Luftwaffe officer with a Messerschmitt fighter Bf.109G-6 at Bagerovo airfield.

Walter Krupinski, Gerhard Barkhorn, Johannes Wiese and Erich Hartmann

The commander of the 6th Fighter Squadron (JG6) of the Luftwaffe, Major Gerhard Barkhorn, in the cockpit of his Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 fighter.

Bf 109G-6 “double black chevron” of I./JG-52 commander Hauptmann Gerhard Barkhorn, Kharkov-Yug, August 1943.

Note the aircraft's own name; Christi is the name of the wife of Barkhorn, the second most successful fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. The picture shows the plane Barkhorn flew in when he was commander of I./JG-52, when he had not yet crossed the 200-victory mark. Barkhorn survived; in total he shot down 301 aircraft, all on the eastern front.

Gunther Rall

German ace fighter pilot Major Günther Rall (03/10/1918 - 10/04/2009). Günther Rall was the third most successful German ace of World War II. He has 275 air victories (272 on the Eastern Front), won in 621 combat missions. Rall himself was shot down 8 times. On the pilot’s neck is visible the Knight’s Cross with oak leaves and swords, which he was awarded on September 12, 1943 for 200 air victories.

“Friedrich” from III./JG-52, this group in the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa covered the troops of the countries operating in the coastal zone of the Black Sea. Note the unusual angular tail number “6” and the “sine wave”. Apparently, this plane belonged to the 8th Staffel.

Spring 1943, Rall looks on approvingly as Lieutenant Josef Zwernemann drinks wine from a bottle

Günther Rall (second from left) after his 200th aerial victory. Second from right - Walter Krupinski

Shot down Bf 109 of Günter Rall

Rall in his Gustav IV

After being seriously wounded and partially paralyzed, Oberleutnant Günther Rall returned to 8./JG-52 on 28 August 1942, and two months later he became a Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Rall ended the war, taking an honorable third place in performance among Luftwaffe fighter pilots
won 275 victories (272 on the Eastern Front); shot down 241 Soviet fighters. He flew 621 combat missions, was shot down 8 times and wounded 3 times. His Messerschmitt had the personal number "Devil's Dozen"

The commander of the 8th squadron of the 52nd fighter squadron (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52), Oberleutnant Günther Rall (Günther Rall, 1918-2009), with the pilots of his squadron, during a break between combat missions, plays with the squadron’s mascot - a dog named “Rata” .

In the photo in the foreground from left to right: non-commissioned officer Manfred Lotzmann, non-commissioned officer Werner Höhenberg, and lieutenant Hans Funcke.

In the background, from left to right: Oberleutnant Günther Rall, Lieutenant Hans Martin Markoff, Sergeant Major Karl-Friedrich Schumacher and Oberleutnant Gerhard Luety.

The picture was taken by frontline correspondent Reissmüller on March 6, 1943 near the Kerch Strait.

photo of Rall and his wife Hertha, originally from Austria

The third in the triumvirate of the best experts of the 52nd squadron was Gunther Rall. Rall flew a black fighter with tail number “13” after his return to service on August 28, 1942 after being seriously wounded in November 1941. By this time, Rall had 36 victories to his name. Before being transferred to the West in the spring of 1944, he shot down another 235 Soviet aircraft. Pay attention to the symbols of III./JG-52 - the emblem on the front of the fuselage and the “sine wave” drawn closer to the tail.

Kittel Otto (Bruno)

Otto Kittel (Otto "Bruno" Kittel; February 21, 1917 - February 14, 1945) was a German ace pilot, fighter, and participant in World War II. He flew 583 combat missions and scored 267 victories, which is the fourth most in history. Luftwaffe record holder for the number of shot down Il-2 attack aircraft - 94. Awarded the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords.

in 1943, luck turned his face. On January 24, he shot down the 30th plane, and on March 15, the 47th. On the same day, his plane was seriously damaged and fell 60 km behind the front line. In thirty-degree frost on the ice of Lake Ilmen, Kittel went out to his own.
This is how Kittel Otto returned from a four-day journey!! His plane was shot down behind the front line, 60 km away!!

Otto Kittel on vacation, summer 1941. At that time, Kittel was an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot with the rank of non-commissioned officer.

Otto Kittel in the circle of comrades! (marked with a cross)

At the head of the table is "Bruno"

Otto Kittel with his wife!

Killed on February 14, 1945 during an attack by a Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft. Shot down by the gunner's return fire, Kittel's Fw 190A-8 (serial number 690 282) crashed into a swampy area near Soviet troops and exploded. The pilot did not use a parachute because he died in the air.

Two Luftwaffe officers bandage the hand of a wounded Red Army prisoner near a tent

Airplane "Bruno"

Novotny Walter (Novi)

German ace pilot of World War II, during which he flew 442 combat missions, scoring 258 air victories, of which 255 on the Eastern Front and 2 over 4-engine bombers. The last 3 victories were won while flying the Me.262 jet fighter. He scored most of his victories flying the FW 190, and approximately 50 victories in the Messerschmitt Bf 109. He was the first pilot in the world to score 250 victories. Awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds

Luftwaffe aces are considered the best aces of the Second World War. Luftwaffe pilots break all records for downing enemy aircraft.

However, this is another 1001 myth about the Wehrmacht and the power of German weapons....

At the end of the war, Joseph Goebbels summed up the results and called military aviation a disgrace to Germany.

ACCOUNTING

The Luftwaffe's record of downed enemy aircraft had no analogues anywhere in the world.

Firstly, all enemy aircraft were taken into account as shot down, even those that flew to their airfields with damage

Secondly, the number of downed planes was reported by pilots who allegedly shot down someone and this was considered a victory.

Thirdly, the Nazis’ method of counting those shot down was such that those shot down in the group were also recorded as shot down on a personal account, i.e. The larger the group, the more “killed” there are. And as noted above, those shot down were counted according to the “advertisement”...

However, often no one could confirm whether the pilot shot down someone or not.... no documentation was required at all

Because of all this, the number of “victories” of German aces grew by leaps and bounds

GÖHRING

The Luftwaffe was led by Hermann Goering.

The brave ace of the German Air Force, and after the Nazis came to power, the President of Germany, a money-grubber, a drug addict, a looter and just a thief

Goering specially made statistics with such an account in order to report to Hitler about the dizzying victories.

FIRST PERFORMANCES

The Luftwaffe had its first combat experience in Poland.

On the very first day, September 1, the air war ended...400 Polish Air Force planes were destroyed "at peacefully sleeping airfields"....

In France, the Luftwaffe faced a strong enemy - allied aviation

The Luftwaffe lost 2380 aircraft, of which 1200 were irretrievable.....

Allied aviation, unlike the ground army, performed well, and if not for the surrender, who knows how the air war would have ended

Hitler was concerned about the heavy losses, but Goering convinced him that he would fix everything....

FIRST BATTLES

You can get some idea of ​​the inflated number of victories in the accounts of German aces in the first weeks of the war from the battles on the southern sector of the front, where, according to pilot reports, 10 SB-2s and five DB-3s were shot down, .of which 8 SBs were immediately assigned to the commander of one of the detachments of II/JG 77, Oberleutnant Walter Höckner.

At the same time, the rest of the pilots who shot down these planes were simply ignored

It is not mentioned that in this battle, two German fighters were also shot down by defensive fire from the airborne gunners, their pilots went missing, that is, they actually died.

According to Soviet documents, 6 bombers were lost during the day.

LIES FROM LUFTWAFFE ACES

JG 77 fighters, in the absence of “loud” successes, on June 26 announced 47 “shot down” Soviet aircraft, of which only no more than 10 actually shot down and damaged aircraft are confirmed by Soviet documents.

Apparently, unlike other units, where attributions at the initial stage of the war were a consequence of the peculiarities of air combat, the command and the pilots of the 77th squadron deliberately overstated their victories in order to keep up with their more successful colleagues in other sectors of the front, and not to provoke anger high authorities

Some “victories” defy explanation, for example, the most famous future ace, non-commissioned officer Kittel, who at that time had two “downed” planes, said that he shot down a pair of Il-2s and attacked the Yak-1s, which did not take part in the raids at all .

And if with some stretch we can assume that Kittel confused the single-engine Il-2 with the twin-engine SB-2, then what type of aircraft did he confuse the Yak-1 and LaGG-3?

The large losses of DB-3 and SB-2 were caused precisely by the lack of fighter cover. By the time of his death on the Eastern Front in 1945,

Kittel will “shoot down” 267 Soviet aircraft... but in reality he shot down no more than 100 enemy aircraft

THEODOR WEISINBERG

Theodor Weissenberg in March 43 announced the destruction of 33 Soviet vehicles, in September there were already 100(!)

knocked down (oak leaves), in March 44 another 150 (!) and by May another 25!!!

He had many “serial victories”, so 03/10/43 - 6 shot down, 03/12/43 - 5, and so on.

MULTIPLY BY TWO

In the documents about the losses of the parties, the difference is incredible...

In the middle of the war, in the battles in the Kuban, the Red Army aviation lost 750 aircraft (of which 296 fighters) in air battles from enemy ground fire and for other reasons.

And at that time the German aces filled out forms for the 2280 (!) Soviet aircraft they shot down in Kuban.

THE GREAT HARTMANN

Hartmann was loved very much... and the calculations were kept according to him....

I cannot help but quote an excerpt from the book of American researchers R. Toliver and T. Constable about Hartmann:

« The rest of the squadron pilots dragged the happy Blonde Knight into the dining room. The party was in full swing when Hartmann's technician burst in. The expression on his face instantly extinguished the jubilation of those gathered.

– What happened, Bimmel? – asked Erich.

– Armourer, Herr Lieutenant.

– Is there something wrong?

– No, everything is okay. It's just that you only fired 120 shots at 3 downed planes. I think you need to know this.

Whispers of admiration ran through the pilots, and schnapps flowed like a river again. ».

Worthy grandchildren of Baron Munchausen

You don't have to be an aviation expert to suspect something is wrong. On average, for every shot down « IL-2», Namely, Hartmann declared victory over such aircraft that time; it took him about 40 shells....

Somewhere in the conditions of a training air battle, when the enemy himself is exposed, is very doubtful. And here everything happened in combat conditions, at exorbitant speeds, and even taking into account the fact that the same fascists called ours"Ilyushin" - "flying tank".

And there were reasons for this -The mass of the armored hull during development and modifications reached 990 kg. Elements of the armored hull were tested by shooting. That is, the armor was not placed out of the blue, but strictly in vulnerable places...

And what does a proud statement look like after that, that in one battle three were shot down at once? « Ilyushina» and even 120 bullets

OUTSTANDING LIES FROM HARTMAN

24.08.1944 year (you understand the state of the situation in the air at that time and who dictated the terms to whom) - Hartman flew out in the morning to hunt and upon his return reported that he no longer had 290, but 296 downed aircraft.

Which his wingman apparently confirmed under oath, or rather signed in a special form.

After which I had lunch and flew again. This flight was followed by radio communications and our “superhero” did not disappoint and announced 5 more victories on the radio in the second flight, i.e. 11 shot down in 2 missions in 1944!.

He came back - he got flowers, etc. and so on.,

However, there is such a fact - in the combat log of JG-52 it is written that on August 24, 1944, Hartman shot down one P-39. One!

All!

13 PLANES IN...17 MINUTES

Something similar with another German ace Erich Rudoferr.

Here is an excerpt from another book - « Encyclopedia of military art. Military pilots. Aces of World War II » :

"6On November 1943, during a 17-minute battle over Lake Ladoga, Rudorffer announced that he had shot down 13 Soviet vehicles.

This was, naturally, one of the greatest successes in fighter aviation and at the same time one of the most controversial battles... »

Why exactly 13 planes in 17 minutes? You need to ask Erich himself about this....

True, there was an unbelieving Thomas who asked, who can confirm this fact?

To which Rudoffer, without blinking an eye, said:

« How do I know? All thirteen Russian planes fell to the bottom of Ladoga ».

Do you think this fact confused the compilers of the Guinness Book of Records? No matter how it is! Rudoffer's name is included in this book as an example of the highest combat effectiveness.

IN AFRICA

In August 1942, in North Africa, the flight of Oberleutnant Vogel, commander of the fourth group of the 27th fighter squadron, shot down 65 enemy aircraft in a month.

When flying out on a mission, the German pilots amused themselves in the following way: shooting ammunition into the sand, they returned to the airfield and reported on the “victories” they had won.

When they were finally discovered, they simply disbanded the unit, leaving all victories intact.

Apparently, this practice was not new, and therefore did not make a serious impression on the Germans.

HOW WERE THE VICTORIES OF THE SOVIET ACES COUNTERED

In the Soviet Air Force, downed aircraft were counted in two categories: those shot down personally and those shot down in a group.

An enemy plane was considered shot down if the pilot's report of victory was confirmed by evidence from other participants in the air battle and supported by information from ground observers.

In the further course of the war, this information was further monitored by photographic equipment installed on aircraft, which recorded shells hitting enemy aircraft.

THE BEST ACES OF THE ALLIES

Best English Ace –Colonel D. Johnson -flew 515 combat missions during the war, but shot down only 38 German aircraft.

Best French ace –lieutenant (lieutenant colonel in the British Air Force) P. Klosterman -flew 432 combat missions during the war and shot down only 33 German aircraft.

CONCLUSION

The German aces were truly special in every way....

First of all, in unprecedented amounts of lies, cowardice and meanness...

They lost the battle between Allied aviation and USSR aviation.

What the Luftwaffe aces did best was bombing peaceful cities and killing civilians

Any war is a terrible grief for any people that it affects in one way or another. Throughout its history, humanity has experienced many wars, two of which were world wars. The First World War almost completely destroyed Europe and led to the fall of some major empires, such as the Russian and Austro-Hungarian ones. But even more terrible in its scale was the Second World War, in which many countries from almost all over the world were involved. Millions of people died, and many more were left homeless. This terrible event still affects modern man in one way or another. Its echoes can be found everywhere in our lives. This tragedy left behind a lot of mysteries, disputes over which have not subsided for decades. The heaviest burden was assumed in this life-and-death battle by the Soviet Union, which was not yet fully strengthened from the revolution and civil wars and was only expanding its military and peaceful industry. An irreconcilable rage and desire to fight the invaders who encroached on the territorial integrity and freedom of the proletarian state settled in the hearts of people. Many went to the front voluntarily. At the same time, the evacuated industrial facilities were reorganized to produce products for the needs of the front. The struggle has assumed a truly national scale. That is why it is called the Great Patriotic War.

Who are the aces?

Both the German and Soviet armies were well trained and equipped with equipment, aircraft and other weapons. The personnel numbered in the millions. The collision of such two war machines gave birth to its heroes and its traitors. Some of those who can rightfully be considered heroes are the aces of World War II. Who are they and why are they so famous? An ace can be considered a person who has achieved heights in his field of activity that few others have managed to conquer. And even in such a dangerous and terrible matter as the military, there have always been their professionals. Both the USSR and the Allied forces, and Nazi Germany had people who showed the best results in terms of the number of enemy equipment or manpower destroyed. This article will tell about these heroes.

The list of World War II aces is extensive and includes many individuals famous for their exploits. They were an example for an entire people, they were adored and admired.

Aviation is without a doubt one of the most romantic, but at the same time dangerous branches of the military. Since any equipment can fail at any time, the job of a pilot is considered very honorable. It requires iron endurance, discipline, and the ability to control oneself in any situation. Therefore, aviation aces were treated with great respect. After all, to be able to show good results in such conditions when your life depends not only on technology, but also on yourself is the highest degree of military art. So, who are these ace pilots of World War II, and why are their exploits so famous?

One of the most successful Soviet ace pilots was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub. Officially, during his service on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, he shot down 62 German aircraft, and he is also credited with 2 American fighters, which he destroyed at the end of the war. This record-breaking pilot served in the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and flew a La-7 aircraft.

The second most productive during the war was Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin (who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times). He fought in Southern Ukraine, in the Black Sea region, and liberated Europe from the Nazis. During his service he shot down 59 enemy aircraft. He did not stop flying even when he was appointed commander of the 9th Guards Aviation Division, and achieved some of his aerial victories while already in this position.

Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev is one of the most famous military pilots, who set a record of 4 flights per destroyed aircraft. In total, during his military service he destroyed 57 enemy aircraft. Twice awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

He also had a high result. He shot down 55 German aircraft. Kozhedub, who happened to serve for some time with Evstigneev in the same regiment, spoke very respectfully of this pilot.

But, despite the fact that the tank forces were one of the most numerous in the Soviet army, for some reason the USSR did not have ace tankers of the Second World War. Why this is so is unknown. It is logical to assume that many personal scores were deliberately inflated or underestimated, so it is not possible to name the exact number of victories of the above-mentioned masters of tank combat.

German tank aces

But the German tank aces of World War II have a much longer track record. This is largely due to the pedantry of the Germans, who strictly documented everything, and they had much more time to fight than their Soviet “colleagues.” The German army began active operations back in 1939.

German tanker No. 1 is Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann. He fought with many tanks (Stug III, Tiger I) and destroyed 138 vehicles throughout the war, as well as 132 self-propelled artillery installations from various enemy countries. For his successes he was repeatedly awarded various orders and badges of the Third Reich. Killed in action in 1944 in France.

You can also highlight such a tank ace as For those who are in one way or another interested in the history of the development of the tank forces of the Third Reich, the book of his memoirs “Tigers in the Mud” will be very useful. During the war years, this man destroyed 150 Soviet and American self-propelled guns and tanks.

Kurt Knispel is another record-breaking tanker. During his military service, he knocked out 168 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns. About 30 cars are unconfirmed, which prevents him from matching Wittmann's results. Knispel died in battle near the village of Vostits in Czechoslovakia in 1945.

In addition, Karl Bromann had good results - 66 tanks and self-propelled guns, Ernst Barkmann - 66 tanks and self-propelled guns, Erich Mausberg - 53 tanks and self-propelled guns.

As can be seen from these results, both Soviet and German tank aces of World War II knew how to fight. Of course, the quantity and quality of Soviet combat vehicles was an order of magnitude higher than that of the Germans, however, as practice has shown, both were used quite successfully and became the basis for some post-war tank models.

But the list of military branches in which their masters distinguished themselves does not end there. Let's talk a little about submarine aces.

Masters of Submarine Warfare

Just as in the case of aircraft and tanks, the most successful are the German sailors. Over the years of its existence, Kriegsmarine submariners sank 2,603 ​​ships of allied countries, the total displacement of which reaches 13.5 million tons. This is a truly impressive figure. And the German submarine aces of World War II could also boast of impressive personal accounts.

The most successful German submariner is Otto Kretschmer, who has 44 ships, including 1 destroyer. The total displacement of the ships sunk by him is 266,629 tons.

In second place is Wolfgang Lüth, who sent 43 enemy ships to the bottom (and according to other sources - 47) with a total displacement of 225,712 tons.

He was also a famous naval ace who even managed to sink the British battleship Royal Oak. This was one of the first officers to receive oak leaves; Prien destroyed 30 ships. Killed in 1941 during an attack on a British convoy. He was so popular that his death was hidden from the people for two months. And on the day of his funeral, mourning was declared throughout the country.

Such successes of German sailors are also quite understandable. The fact is that Germany began a naval war back in 1940, with a blockade of Britain, thus hoping to undermine its naval greatness and, taking advantage of this, to successfully capture the islands. However, very soon the plans of the Nazis were thwarted, as America entered the war with its large and powerful fleet.

The most famous Soviet submarine sailor is Alexander Marinesko. He sank only 4 ships, but what ones! The heavy passenger liner "Wilhelm Gustloff", the transport "General von Steuben", as well as 2 units of the heavy floating battery "Helene" and "Siegfried". For his exploits, Hitler added the sailor to his list of personal enemies. But Marinesko’s fate did not work out well. He fell out of favor with the Soviet regime and died, and people stopped talking about his exploits. The great sailor received the Hero of the Soviet Union award only posthumously in 1990. Unfortunately, many USSR aces of World War II ended their lives in a similar way.

Also famous submariners of the Soviet Union are Ivan Travkin - he sank 13 ships, Nikolai Lunin - also 13 ships, Valentin Starikov - 14 ships. But Marinesko topped the list of the best submariners of the Soviet Union, as he caused the greatest damage to the German navy.

Accuracy and stealth

Well, how can we not remember such famous fighters as snipers? Here the Soviet Union takes the well-deserved palm from Germany. Soviet sniper aces of World War II had a very high track record. In many ways, such results were achieved thanks to massive government training of the civilian population in shooting from various weapons. About 9 million people were awarded the Voroshilov Shooter badge. So, what are the most famous snipers?

The name of Vasily Zaitsev frightened the Germans and inspired courage in Soviet soldiers. This ordinary guy, a hunter, killed 225 Wehrmacht soldiers with his Mosin rifle in just a month of fighting at Stalingrad. Among the outstanding sniper names are Fedor Okhlopkov, who (during the entire war) accounted for about a thousand Nazis; Semyon Nomokonov, who killed 368 enemy soldiers. There were also women among the snipers. An example of this is the famous Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who fought near Odessa and Sevastopol.

German snipers are less known, although several sniper schools have existed in Germany since 1942, which provided professional training. Among the most successful German shooters are Matthias Hetzenauer (345 killed), (257 killed), Bruno Sutkus (209 soldiers shot). Also a famous sniper from the countries of the Hitler bloc is Simo Haiha - this Finn killed 504 Red Army soldiers during the war years (according to unconfirmed reports).

Thus, the sniper training of the Soviet Union was immeasurably higher than that of the German troops, which allowed Soviet soldiers to bear the proud title of aces of the Second World War.

How did you become aces?

So, the concept of “ace of World War II” is quite broad. As already mentioned, these people achieved truly impressive results in their business. This was achieved not only through good army training, but also through outstanding personal qualities. After all, for a pilot, for example, coordination and quick reaction are very important, for a sniper - the ability to wait for the right moment to sometimes fire a single shot.

Accordingly, it is impossible to determine who had the best aces of World War II. Both sides performed unparalleled heroism, which made it possible to single out individual people from the general mass. But it was possible to become a master only by training hard and improving your combat skills, since war does not tolerate weakness. Of course, dry statistics will not be able to convey to modern people all the hardships and adversities that war professionals experienced during their rise to the honorary pedestal.

We, the generation that lives without knowing such terrible things, should not forget about the exploits of our predecessors. They can become an inspiration, a reminder, a memory. And we must try to do everything to ensure that such terrible events as the past wars do not happen again.

Actually, the problem is this: 104 German pilots have a record of 100 or more downed aircraft. Among them are Erich Hartmann (352 victories) and Gerhard Barkhorn (301), who showed absolutely phenomenal results. Moreover, Harmann and Barkhorn won all their victories on the Eastern Front. And they were no exception - Gunther Rall (275 victories), Otto Kittel (267), Walter Nowotny (258) - also fought on the Soviet-German front.

At the same time, the 7 best Soviet aces: Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, Gulaev, Rechkalov, Evstigneev, Vorozheikin, Glinka were able to overcome the bar of 50 enemy aircraft shot down. For example, Three-time Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Kozhedub destroyed 64 German aircraft in air battles (plus 2 American Mustangs shot down by mistake). Alexander Pokryshkin, a pilot about whom, according to legend, the Germans warned by radio: “Achtung! Pokryshkin in der Luft!”, chalked up “only” 59 aerial victories. The little-known Romanian ace Constantin Contacuzino has approximately the same number of victories (according to various sources, from 60 to 69). Another Romanian, Alexandru Serbanescu, shot down 47 aircraft on the Eastern Front (another 8 victories remained “unconfirmed”).

The situation is much worse for the Anglo-Saxons. The best aces were Marmaduke Pettle (about 50 victories, South Africa) and Richard Bong (40 victories, USA). In total, 19 British and American pilots managed to shoot down more than 30 enemy aircraft, while the British and Americans fought on the best fighters in the world: the inimitable P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning or the legendary Supermarine Spitfire! On the other hand, the best ace of the Royal Air Force did not have the opportunity to fight on such wonderful aircraft - Marmaduke Pettle won all his fifty victories, flying first on the old Gladiator biplane, and then on the clumsy Hurricane.
Against this background, the results of Finnish fighter aces look completely paradoxical: Ilmari Yutilainen shot down 94 aircraft, and Hans Wind - 75.

What conclusion can be drawn from all these numbers? What is the secret of the incredible performance of Luftwaffe fighters? Maybe the Germans simply didn’t know how to count?
The only thing that can be stated with a high degree of confidence is that the accounts of all aces, without exception, are inflated. Extolling the successes of the best fighters is a standard practice of state propaganda, which by definition cannot be honest.

German Meresyev and his "Stuka"

As an interesting example, I propose to consider the incredible story of bomber pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel. This ace is less known than the legendary Erich Hartmann. Rudel practically did not participate in air battles; you will not find his name in the lists of the best fighters.
Rudel is famous for having flown 2,530 combat missions. He piloted the Junkers 87 dive bomber and at the end of the war took the helm of the Focke-Wulf 190. During his combat career, he destroyed 519 tanks, 150 self-propelled guns, 4 armored trains, 800 trucks and cars, two cruisers, a destroyer, and seriously damaged the battleship Marat. In the air he shot down two Il-2 attack aircraft and seven fighters. He landed on enemy territory six times to rescue the crews of downed Junkers. The Soviet Union placed a reward of 100,000 rubles on the head of Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Just an example of a fascist

He was shot down 32 times by return fire from the ground. In the end, Rudel's leg was torn off, but the pilot continued to fly on a crutch until the end of the war. In 1948, he fled to Argentina, where he became friends with dictator Peron and organized a mountaineering club. Climbed the highest peak of the Andes - Aconcagua (7 kilometers). In 1953 he returned to Europe and settled in Switzerland, continuing to talk nonsense about the revival of the Third Reich.
Without a doubt, this extraordinary and controversial pilot was a tough ace. But any person accustomed to thoughtfully analyzing events should have one important question: how was it established that Rudel destroyed exactly 519 tanks?

Of course, there were no photographic machine guns or cameras on the Junkers. The maximum that Rudel or his gunner-radio operator could notice: covering a column of armored vehicles, i.e. possible damage to tanks. The dive recovery speed of the Yu-87 is more than 600 km/h, the overload can reach 5g, in such conditions it is impossible to accurately see anything on the ground.
Since 1943, Rudel switched to the Yu-87G anti-tank attack aircraft. The characteristics of this "laptezhnika" are simply disgusting: max. speed in horizontal flight is 370 km/h, rate of climb is about 4 m/s. The main weapons of the aircraft were two VK37 cannons (caliber 37 mm, rate of fire 160 rounds/min), with only 12 (!) rounds of ammunition per barrel. Powerful guns installed in the wings, when firing, created a large turning moment and rocked the light aircraft so much that firing in bursts was pointless - only single sniper shots.

And here is a funny report on the results of field tests of the VYa-23 aircraft gun: in 6 flights on the Il-2, the pilots of the 245th assault air regiment, with a total consumption of 435 shells, achieved 46 hits in a tank column (10.6%). We must assume that in real combat conditions, under intense anti-aircraft fire, the results will be much worse. What is a German ace with 24 shells on board the Stuka!

Further, hitting a tank does not guarantee its defeat. An armor-piercing projectile (685 grams, 770 m/s), fired from a VK37 cannon, penetrated 25 mm of armor at an angle of 30° from the normal. When using sub-caliber ammunition, armor penetration increased by 1.5 times. Also, due to the aircraft’s own speed, armor penetration in reality was approximately another 5 mm greater. On the other hand, the thickness of the armored hull of Soviet tanks was less than 30-40 mm only in some projections, and it was impossible to even dream of hitting a KV, IS or heavy self-propelled gun in the forehead or side.
In addition, breaking through armor does not always lead to the destruction of a tank. Trains with damaged armored vehicles regularly arrived in Tankograd and Nizhny Tagil, which were quickly restored and sent back to the front. And repairs to damaged rollers and chassis were carried out right on site. At this time, Hans-Ulrich Rudel drew himself another cross for the “destroyed” tank.

Another question for Rudel relates to his 2,530 combat missions. According to some reports, in the German bomber squadrons it was customary to count a difficult mission as an incentive for several combat missions. For example, captured captain Helmut Putz, commander of the 4th detachment of the 2nd group of the 27th bomber squadron, explained the following during interrogation: “... in combat conditions I managed to make 130-140 night sorties, and a number of sorties with a complex combat mission was counted towards me, like others, for 2-3 flights." (interrogation protocol dated June 17, 1943). Although it is possible that Helmut Putz, having been captured, lied, trying to reduce his contribution to the attacks on Soviet cities.

Hartmann against everyone

There is an opinion that ace pilots filled their accounts without any restrictions and fought “on their own,” being an exception to the rule. And the main work at the front was performed by semi-qualified pilots. This is a deep misconception: in a general sense, there are no “averagely qualified” pilots. There are either aces or their prey.
For example, let's take the legendary Normandy-Niemen air regiment, which fought on Yak-3 fighters. Of the 98 French pilots, 60 did not win a single victory, but the “selected” 17 pilots shot down 200 German aircraft in air battles (in total, the French regiment drove 273 aircraft with swastikas into the ground).
A similar picture was observed in the US 8th Air Force, where out of 5,000 fighter pilots, 2,900 did not achieve a single victory. Only 318 people recorded 5 or more downed aircraft.
American historian Mike Spike describes the same episode related to the actions of the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front: “... the squadron lost 80 pilots in a fairly short period of time, 60 of whom never shot down a single Russian aircraft.”
So, we found out that ace pilots are the main strength of the Air Force. But the question remains: what is the reason for the huge gap between the performance of the Luftwaffe aces and the pilots of the Anti-Hitler Coalition? Even if we split the incredible German bills in half?

One of the legends about the inconsistency of the large accounts of German aces is associated with an unusual system for counting downed aircraft: by the number of engines. Single-engine fighter - one plane shot down. Four-engine bomber - four aircraft shot down. Indeed, for pilots who fought in the West, a parallel score was introduced, in which for the destruction of a “Flying Fortress” flying in battle formation, the pilot was credited with 4 points, for a damaged bomber that “fell out” of battle formation and became easy prey other fighters, the pilot was given 3 points, because He did the bulk of the work - fighting through the hurricane fire of "Flying Fortresses" is much more difficult than shooting down a damaged single aircraft. And so on: depending on the degree of participation of the pilot in the destruction of the 4-engine monster, he was awarded 1 or 2 points. What happened next with these reward points? They were probably somehow converted into Reichsmarks. But all this had nothing to do with the list of downed aircraft.

The most prosaic explanation for the Luftwaffe phenomenon: the Germans had no shortage of targets. Germany fought on all fronts with a numerical superiority of the enemy. The Germans had 2 main types of fighters: Messerschmitt 109 (34 thousand were produced from 1934 to 1945) and Focke-Wulf 190 (13 thousand fighter version and 6.5 thousand attack aircraft were produced) - a total of 48 thousand fighters.
At the same time, about 70 thousand Yaks, Lavochkins, I-16s and MiG-3s passed through the Red Army Air Force during the war years (excluding 10 thousand fighters delivered under Lend-Lease).
In the Western European theater of operations, Luftwaffe fighters were opposed by about 20 thousand Spitfires and 13 thousand Hurricanes and Tempests (this is how many vehicles served in the Royal Air Force from 1939 to 1945). How many more fighters did Britain receive under Lend-Lease?
Since 1943, American fighters appeared over Europe - thousands of Mustangs, P-38s and P-47s plied the skies of the Reich, accompanying strategic bombers during raids. In 1944, during the Normandy landings, Allied aviation had a six-fold numerical superiority. “If there are camouflaged planes in the sky, it’s the Royal Air Force, if there are silver ones, it’s the US Air Force. If there are no planes in the sky, it’s the Luftwaffe,” German soldiers joked sadly. Where could British and American pilots get large bills under such conditions?
Another example - the most popular combat aircraft in the history of aviation was the Il-2 attack aircraft. During the war years, 36,154 attack aircraft were produced, of which 33,920 Ilovs entered the army. By May 1945, the Red Army Air Force included 3,585 Il-2s and Il-10s, and another 200 Il-2s were in naval aviation.

In a word, the Luftwaffe pilots did not have any superpowers. All their achievements can only be explained by the fact that there were many enemy aircraft in the air. The Allied fighter aces, on the contrary, needed time to detect the enemy - according to statistics, even the best Soviet pilots on average had 1 air battle per 8 sorties: they simply could not meet the enemy in the sky!
On a cloudless day, from a distance of 5 km, a World War II fighter is visible like a fly on a window pane from the far corner of the room. In the absence of radar on aircraft, air combat was more of an unexpected coincidence than a regular event.
It is more objective to count the number of downed aircraft, taking into account the number of combat sorties of pilots. Viewed from this angle, Erich Hartmann's achievements fade: 1,400 sorties, 825 air combats and "only" 352 aircraft shot down. Walter Novotny has a much better figure: 442 sorties and 258 victories.

Friends congratulate Alexander Pokryshkin (far right) on receiving the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union

It is very interesting to trace how ace pilots began their careers. The legendary Pokryshkin, in his first combat missions, demonstrated aerobatic skill, audacity, flight intuition and sniper shooting. And the phenomenal ace Gerhard Barkhorn did not score a single victory in his first 119 missions, but he himself was shot down twice! Although there is an opinion that not everything went smoothly for Pokryshkin either: his first plane shot down was the Soviet Su-2.
In any case, Pokryshkin has his own advantage over the best German aces. Hartman was shot down fourteen times. Barkhorn - 9 times. Pokryshkin was never shot down! Another advantage of the Russian miracle hero: he won most of his victories in 1943. In 1944-45 Pokryshkin shot down only 6 German aircraft, focusing on training young personnel and managing the 9th Guards Air Division.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that you should not be so afraid of the high bills of Luftwaffe pilots. This, on the contrary, shows what a formidable enemy the Soviet Union defeated, and why Victory has such high value.

On November 13, 1985, Air Marshal Alexander Pokryshkin passed away. During World War II he was one of the most successful Soviet pilots - according to various sources, Pokryshkin personally shot down from 46 to 59 enemy aircraft. For his exploits, he was awarded the “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union three times. LJ magazine has several interesting stories about Pokryshkin and other air aces who fought in the skies over the USSR and occupied Europe.

At the end of the war, Pokryshkin was not only the most famous pilot in the world, but also the most authoritative figure in Soviet aviation, writes andrey_ka23 , who in 2013 attended the celebrations in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Soviet ace:

“Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin is in the air! - the German warning posts shouted, urgently warning - the famous Russian ace was in the air. Which meant - to increase caution, to get out of protracted air battles, for the “hunters” to gain altitude, for young people to return to the airfields.

Generous rewards awaited the one who brought down the Russian ace. There was no shortage of people who wanted to distinguish themselves, but this task turned out to be too tough for the enemy. And it wasn’t just Pokryshkin’s exceptional skill. It is appropriate to remember that in his squadron, and then in the regiment and division, such aces as Rechkalov and the Glinka brothers, Klubov and Babak, Fedorov and Fadeev took place. When such a group fought, it was, at least, imprudent to expect to defeat its commander. And today pilots continue the glorious traditions of the aces of the Great Patriotic War.

The Germans undoubtedly shot down more: Erich Hartmann (352 enemy aircraft shot down), Johan Steinhoff (176), Werner Mölders (115), Adolf Galland (103). Even if you divide it into two, it’s still more. Another thing is that these are hunters whose goal is precisely the maximum number of people shot down. Ours professed a different strategy, which turned out to be more effective and efficient. This allowed us to gain air supremacy. It is worth adding that Hartman shot down not only Soviet planes, but also 7 American ones.

As for quantity, here are a few facts.

Just a few days and heroic victories. Are you winning?
Summer 1944. June 1 6 aircraft shot down (5 Lags and 1 Airacobra). June 2 - 2 Airacobras, June 3 - 4 aircraft (two Lags and two Airacobras each). June 4 - 7 aircraft (all but one are Airacobras). June 5 - 7 aircraft (3 of them “Laga”). And finally, on June 6 - 5 aircraft (2 of them “Lag”). In total, in 6 days of fighting, 32 Soviet aircraft were shot down. And on August 24 of the same year there were 11 planes at once.

But here’s what’s strange: Eric Hartmann shot down 32 planes in the first six days of June, and the entire Luftwaffe by day: 1st - 21, 2nd - 27, 3rd - 33, 4th - 45, 5th - 43, 6th - 12. Total - 181 aircraft. Or an average of more than 30 aircraft per day. How much were the Luftwaffe's losses? Official figures for June 1944 are 312 aircraft, or just over 10 per day. It turns out that our losses are 3 times greater? And if you consider that German losses also include planes shot down by our anti-aircraft artillery, then the loss ratio is even greater!

But it’s not 1941. Plausible?

Let's assume that everything is true. And let’s compare two pilots - the same Hartmann and three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Kozhedub. Hartmann flew 1,404 sorties and shot down 352 aircraft, an average of about 4 sorties per aircraft; Kozhedub’s figures are as follows: 330 sorties and 62 enemy aircraft, an average of 5.3 sorties. In terms of numbers, everything seems to correspond...

How were downed planes counted? Below is an excerpt from the book by American researchers R. Toliver and T. Constable about Hartmann:

“The rest of the squadron pilots dragged the happy Blonde Knight into the mess hall. The party was in full swing when Hartmann's technician burst in. The expression on his face instantly extinguished the jubilation of those gathered.
- What happened, Bimmel? - asked Erich.
- Gunsmith, Herr Lieutenant.
- Is there something wrong?
- No, everything is okay. It's just that you only fired 120 shots at 3 downed planes. I think you need to know this.
Whispers of admiration ran through the pilots, and the schnapps flowed like a river again.”

Plausible? If anyone thinks yes, a little information. Hartmann's aircraft (Messerschmitt Bf.109) is equipped with MG-17 machine guns and a 20-mm MG 151/20 cannon. The rate of fire for machine guns is 1200 rounds per minute, for cannons - 700-800 per minute (depending on the type of projectile). Thus, 53 charges are consumed per second. Hartman used up 120 in 2.26 seconds. And he shot down THREE planes. Still plausible?

But we are not talking about bookcases or even plywood Yaks. All three shot down were Il-2.

The most successful fighter pilot of all countries participating in World War II, with the exception of Germany, is considered to be the Finn - Eino Ilmari Juutilainen, who shot down 94 Soviet aircraft. His story is summarized merelana :

Yesterday this name came up by chance - in a conversation about who is from our area and who is not from ours. Eino Ilmari Juutilainen is one of our kind. He spent most of his childhood in Sortavala, beginning his military service at an airfield near Viipuri - while Viipuri was still on the Finnish side.
Eino Ilmari Juutilainen is an ace pilot, one of the best in the Second World War, which the Finns say they call “continental” or “long”, as opposed to the winter one, which is also “short”.
During the Winter War, he conducted 115 combat missions - and there were only two victories. And during the “ongoing” war, he scored 92 victories. With almost five hundred sorties. And none of his planes received a single damage.

Fierce air battles took place not only in the European theater of operations. From the blog litvinenko_ai You can learn about the ace pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy:

The main feature of the Japanese is their collectivism. For many centuries, the main source of food for the Japanese was rice. To grow rice, it had to be constantly watered. In the mountainous regions of the country it is impossible to water rice alone; here people acted as one team. The crop could be grown either by everyone together or by no one. The Japanese had no room for error. There will be no rice, famine will begin. Hence the collectivism of the Japanese. There is a Japanese proverb that goes something like this: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered in first.” That is, don’t stick your head out, don’t stand out from the crowd—the Japanese don’t tolerate white crows. From early childhood, Japanese children were instilled with the skills of collectivism and the desire not to stand out from the rest. This feature of Japanese culture was also reflected in naval aviation pilots during the Great Pacific War or, as we commonly call it, World War II. Instructors at flight schools taught cadets as a whole, without singling out any of them; there was no individual approach at all. In parts of the incentive or penalty, the entire unit usually also received.

Japanese pilots fought in the skies over China long before the start of the Pacific War, they gained experience and became outstanding combat pilots. Japanese pilots swept away everything over Pearl Harbor and spread death over the Philippines, New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. They were aces. The French word as means ace, the first in his field is a master of air combat, it appeared during the First World War and referred to military pilots who were fluent in the art of piloting and air combat and who shot down at least five enemy aircraft. There were aces in World War II, for example, the best Soviet pilot Ivan Kozhedub shot down 62 enemy aircraft, the Finn was credited Eino Ilmari Juutilainen 94 Soviet aircraft. The best pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy - Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Saburo Sakai And Shioki Sugita were also aces. For example, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa reported to his family about 147 downed planes, some sources mention 102, according to other sources - 87 planes, which is still much more than the American and British aces, who shot down at most 30 planes.