15 Greatest Fighter Pilots of All Time from Around the World

Top 15 Greatest Fighter Pilots In The World's History

There are few people as interesting as fighter pilots in military history. They carry out their dangerous missions and amass casualties independently, not depending on fellow soldiers or armed battalions.

Since they have shot down hundreds of enemy planes, earning the admiration of many, it can be said that they are all world-class fighter pilots. Let's use KnowInsiders.com to go over the top pilots of all time.

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1. Erich Hartmann

Erich Hartmann

Erich Alfred Hartmann born April 19, 1922, nicknamed "Bubi" by his teammates or "Black Devil" by Soviet opponents was a German fighter pilot during World War II.

The ace pilot has the most victories in world military aviation with 352 in 1,404 sorties. He flew 825 air battles and landed 14 times due to debris from planes he shot down or technical errors. Nobody shot down Hartmann or forced him to land. Hartmann flew gliders before WWII. It was 1940 when he joined the Luftwaffe and finished fighter pilot training in 1942. Fortunately, fighter pilots guided him at the 52nd Fighter Wing on the Soviet-German front. Experienced Luftwaffe fighters have developed their own combat tactics. After 301 victories, he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Sword, and Diamond on August 25, 1944.

His final victory was May 8, 1945. After surrendering to the US Army, he and JG 52 survivors joined the Soviet Red Army. To force Hartmann to join the East German Air Force (Volksarmee), the Soviets falsely accused him of being a war criminal, which a Russian court later upheld. Hartmann was released in 1955 after 25 years in difficult labor and 10 years in Soviet prison camps and gulags. Hartmann joined the West German Air Force (Bundesluftwaffe) in 1956 and became Geschwaderkommodore of the 71st Fighter Wing "Richthofen".

After opposing his superiors' introduction of the F-104 Starfighter into combat service, Hartmann retired early in 1970. After retiring, he continued flight training. Disease killed him on September 20, 1993.

2. Manfred von Richthofen

Manfred von Richthofen

Manfred von Richthofen, the notorious "Red Baron" of World War One, is widely considered to be the most renowned fighter pilot in aviation history. His achievements are noteworthy even though he is mostly famous today because of the Peanuts character Snoopy.

The Red Baron had achieved an impressive feat for the flying technology of that era—80 kills—prior to his downfall in combat.

Not only is the Red Baron famous for his kill count, but he is also famous for his flair. In an effort to draw attention to himself and his command of the "Flying Circus," he painted his Fokker a vivid shade of red, while his fellow pilots attempted to camouflage their aircraft.

3. James Jabara

James Jabara

James Jabara was a US Air Force fighter pilot during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Jabara flew a P-51 Mustang on two WWII combat tours, winning one and a half victories (one shared victory) over German aircraft. In April 1951, Jabara shot down four Soviet MiG-15s in an F-86 Sabre with.50-caliber machine guns during the Korean War. He volunteered to join the 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in Korea after his squadron returned to America.

In May, Jabara attempted to jettison his spare fuel tank to reduce weight and improve maneuverability while supporting an aerial battle in MiG Alley, northwestern North Korea, but the tank did not completely separate from the wing. He continued despite his aircraft's maneuverability requiring him to return to base. Jabara became the first American jet ace by defeating MiG-15s twice more despite his aircraft's disadvantage. Jabara became the Air Force's youngest colonel after Korea.

He bombed Viet Cong-held buildings in Vietnam with an F-100 Super Sabre flight group. He retired with 16.5 aerial wins.

4. Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh

The young man who would give aviation its most significant boost since the Wright brothers began his career as a wingwalker, barnstormer, and parachutist. His ability in the latter paid dividends when he had to bail out of a trainer during his Army service and three more times while flying the Chicago-St. Louis mail run for the Robertson Air Corporation.

In 1931, Lindbergh and his wife, radio operator/navigator Anne Morrow, set out in a Lockheed Sirius on floats to establish the shortest air route from New York to China via Churchill in Canada, Nome, Petropavlosk, Tokyo, and Nanking. Two years later, they scouted cities in the north and south Atlantic for operational facilities on Pan Am's transatlantic routes. This transatlantic flight included stops in Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Scotland, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Brazil, and Puerto Rico.

5. Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart

The year after Lindbergh's historic flight, Amelia Earhart made history by becoming the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. On June 17, 1928, she took off from Trespassey Harbor in Newfoundland, Canada, in 'Friendship,' a Fokker F.Vllb/3m, with co-pilot and mechanic Louis E. Gordon and fellow pilot Wilmer Stultz. They arrived in Wales at Burry Point after a journey of just under 21 hours.

Due to inclement weather, Stultz flew the plane for the entire trip on this trip, and Amelia kept the flight log. Sadly, her final flight brought her the most attention of her career. Earhart attempted to circumnavigate the globe in a Lockheed Model 10 Electra in 1937, but she crashed near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean after radioing that her fuel was running low and the weather was cloudy. The other details are still unknown to this day.

6. Joseph Christopher McConnell

Joseph Christopher McConnell

Joseph Christopher McConnell (1922 - 1954) is recognized as the leading and most successful jet pilot in American history, having participated in the Korean War (1950 - 1953). By shooting down 16 enemy MiG15s, McConnell was honored to receive the Medal of the Cross for Outstanding Service and the Silver Star for his dedication.

When given the opportunity to fly rather than navigate, McConnell excelled behind the controls of an F-86, shooting down 16 enemy fighters in just four months during the Korean War. He also went toe-to-toe with Soviet MIG-15 ace Semyon Fedorets, claiming one of his many kills in his MIG-15. McConnell was tragically killed while testing a new variant of the F-86.

7. Douglas Bader

Douglas Bader

The presence of British fighter ace Douglas Bader so high on this list may surprise you. What makes Bader so remarkable? After all, he only has 20 aerial kills, 4 shared, 11 damaged, and a probable. However, Bader lost his legs in an earlier aviation career when he crashed a plane eight years before WWII. And he did all of this despite having no legs later on, before the Germans shot him down and captured him in 1941. Fortunately, he was so respected that the Germans requested that his prosthesis be sent over from the UK.

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8. Major Richard Bong

Major Richard Bong

One of the most decorated fighter pilots in American history was Richard Bong. A fighter pilot became an ace when they achieved five confirmed kills. By the end of WWII, however, Bong had 40 confirmed kills, which earned him the moniker "Ace of Aces." Although Bong acknowledged that he was not very good with guns, he made up for it by flying as close to his targets as he could, occasionally passing through the wreckage of enemy aircraft. After surpassing WWI ace Eddie Rickenbacker's record of 26 kills during WWII, he was congratulated by military elite with gifts, including a case of Scotch.

Bong was awarded 15 Air Medals, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Silver Stars, the Medal of Honor, and the Distinguished Service Cross. During a routine exercise on August 6, 1945, Bong's P-80 malfunctioned shortly after takeoff; he was killed in the crash, but he was able to eject.

9. Rene Fonck

Rene Fonck

Rene Fonck (March 27, 1894 – June 18, 1953) was a French Allied pilot in WWI. Famous for shooting down 142 enemy aircraft, including 75 German in 500 hours of flight, he sometimes pursued alone without his teammates. Rene Fonck was named the greatest pilot of all time and received the medal of honor for his heroic struggle.

Fonck published Mes Combats, prefaced by Marechal Foch, in 1920 after returning to civilian life. War fame helped him get elected. represented Vosges in Congress from 1919 to 1924. Fonck convinced Igor Sikorsky to redesign the S-35 for the transatlantic or Orteig in the 1920s. On September 21, 1926, Fonck's landing gear collapsed during takeoff, killing two of the three crew members. Charles Lindbergh won seven months later in 1927.

10. Max Immelmann

Max Immelmann

The first major war in which armies used air battles to their advantage was World War One. As a result, several fighter pilots, including Max Immelmann, rose to prominence.

Max Immelmann was Germany's first air ace, dubbed "the Eagle over Lille" for his exploits on the Western Front. To become an ace, a pilot must shoot down five or more enemy planes.

Immelmann achieved 17 victories before his death in 1917. He also developed a number of dogfight maneuvers, including the Immelmann turn.

11. Muhammad Mahmood Alam

Muhammad Mahmood Alam

Muhammad Mahmood Alam was a Pakistani Air Force jet fighter pilot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. On September 7, 1965, he became the last fighter pilot to become an ace in a single day, shooting down five Indian Hawker Hunter fighter jets in less than a minute, the last four of which he downed within 30 seconds. Alam, a Pakistani national hero, holds the world record for becoming an ace in the shortest amount of time. This daring feat also makes him the only jet pilot to achieve ace status in a single day.

When the war began in April 1965, Alam was already a respected leader and skilled pilot and gunner. During the 1965 war, he piloted an F-86 Sabre and downed nine Indian Hawker Hunters while damaging two others.

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12. Charles E. Yeager

Charles E. Yeager

After overcoming airsickness as an Army Air Forces pilot in training, Yeager downed 12 German fighters, including the first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt 262. While in the AAF after the war, he trained as a test pilot at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, where he flew the Bell P-59, the first jet fighter, over his West Virginia hometown's main street.

Yeager reached Mach 1.07 on October 14, 1947, despite two cracked ribs, in the bullet-shaped XS-1. The X-1 was airdropped from a mothership, not designed to fly. Yeager launched four X-1 rockets from the runway in January 1949. Later, he wrote, "There was no ride like that one ever in the world!" The aircraft's rapid acceleration snapped an actuating rod and blew off the wing flaps when the landing gear was retracted.

13. James ‘Jimmy’ Doolittle

James ‘Jimmy’ Doolittle

General James 'Jimmy' Doolittle was a great pilot, combat leader, and aeronautical engineer. He learned to fly and became a second lieutenant in the Army from 1917 to 1930. He first flew with instruments in 1928. He resigned from the Army in 1930 but was called back in 1940. He is best known for the 1942 Doolittle Raid after Pearl Harbor.

Doolittle trained pilots to fly 16 US bombers into Tokyo and other Japanese cities on April 18, 1942. After the raid, the planes ran out of fuel and crashed or landed in China or the USSR, where locals rescued them. Japanese morale was so low after the Doolittle raid that Doolittle was accommodated.

14. Johnny Johnson

Johnny Johnson

Johnnie Johnson was one of the leading Allied pilots in World War II and the leader of the Royal Air Force's 610 Squadron. Previously, due to a shoulder injury, he thought he had no chance to join the air force, after successful surgery, he was agreed to join and from here began his illustrious career. During the war, he performed more than 1,000 missions without ever being shot down and he also destroyed 34 enemy aircraft. When the Korean War broke out, he continued to serve until his retirement.

With these achievements, Johnnie Johnson was honored to receive many awards and medals, becoming a legendary pilot in the history of the British Air Force. He died in 2001 at the age of 85

15. Ernst Udet

Ernst Udet

World War I German aviator Ernst Udet (April 26, 1896 – November 17, 1941) became a Colonel-General of the German Air Force (Generaloberst) in World War II. After joining the German Imperial Air Service at 19, Udet became a famous World War I airman with 62 confirmed feats. Udet was squadron commander under Richthofen and then Hermann Göring as the German fighter pilot with the highest score to survive the war and the second highest score after Reichthofen, his Flying Circus commander. In the 1920s and 1930s, Udet was a stunt pilot, international barnstormer, light aircraft manufacturer, and playboy.

Udet joined the Nazi Party in 1933 and became Luftwaffe research and development director. Udet became Luftwaffe Director of Procurement and Supply in 1939 after influencing dive bombing and the Stuka. Udet became alcoholic due to job stress and dislike of administrative work.

Operation Barbarossa, the Luftwaffe's equipment shortage, and poor relations with the Nazi Party led Udet to shoot himself in the head on November 17, 1941. Hitler said "Our defeat is caused by Udet". "That man created the most senseless situation ever seen in the history of the Luftwaffe."

Conclusion

With so many incredible fighter pilots, it's difficult to name all of the best, but here are a few that stand out. With their remarkable achievements and outstanding talent, these pilots deserve to become legendary symbols of world aviation history.

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