List of German World War II night fighter aces
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] German day and night fighter pilots claimed roughly 70,000 aerial victories during World War II, 25,000 over British or American and 45,000 over Soviet flown aircraft. 103 German fighter pilots shot down more than 100 enemy aircraft for a total of roughly 15,400 aerial victories. Roughly a further 360 pilots claimed between 40 and 100 aerial victories for round about 21,000 victories. Another 500 fighter pilots claimed between 20 and 40 victories for a total of 15,000 victories. According to Obermeier, it is relatively certain, that 2,500 German fighter pilots attained ace status, having achieved at least 5 aerial victories.[2] 453 German day and Zerstörer (destroyer) pilots received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 85 night fighter pilots, including 14 crew members, were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[3] The list is sorted by the number of aerial victories claimed at night.
Due to the worsening war situation for Germany and Luftwaffe policies, night fighter aces remained in frontline roles until they were killed or wounded in combat or no longer capable of flying due to exhaustion.[4]
German night fighter aces
This along with the * (asterisk), indicates that the pilot was either killed in action, missing in action or killed in a flying accident.
This and the / (slash) indicates information discrepancies listed by Obermaier, Scutts, Sprick, Matthews and Foreman.
| Name | Rank | Night victories claimed | Day victories claimed | Total wartime victories claimed | Unit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer[5] | Major | 121[6]/119[7] | 0 | 121 | NJG 1, NJG 4 | Nicknamed "The Spook of St. Trond", | |
| Helmut Lent*[5] | Oberst | 102 | 8 | 110[6]/112[8] | ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3 | killed in flying accident 7 October 1944 |  |
| Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein*[5] | Major | 83[6]/79[9] | 0 | 83 | NJG 2 | killed in action 21 January 1944 | — |
| Werner Streib[5] | Oberst | 67 | 1 | 68 | ZG 1, NJG 1 | — | — |
| Manfred Meurer*[5] | Hauptmann | 65 | 0 | 65 | NJG 1, NJG 5 | killed in action 21 January 1944 | — |
| Günther Radusch[5] | Oberst | 64 | 1 | 65 | ZG 1, NJG 1, NJG 3, NJG 2 | — | — |
| Rudolf Schoenert[5] | Major | 64[10] | 0 | 64 | NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJGr 10, NJG 5 | — | — |
| Heinz Rökker[5] | Hauptmann | 63 | 1 | 64 | NJG 2 | — | — |
| Paul Zorner[5] | Major | 59 | 0 | 59 | NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJG 5 | — | — |
| Martin Becker[5] | Hauptmann | 58 | 0 | 58 | NJG 4, NJG 6 | — | — |
| Gerhard Raht[5] | Hauptmann | 58 | 0 | 58 | NJG 3, NJG 2 | — | — |
| Wilhelm Herget[5] | Major | 57 | 16 | 73 | ZG 76, NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 4, JV 44 | — | — |
| Kurt Welter[5] | Oberleutnant | 56 | 7 | 63 | JG 301, Kdo Welter, NJG 11 | — | — |
| Gustav Francsi[5] | Oberleutnant | 56 | 0 | 56 | NJG 100 | — | — |
| Josef Kraft[5] | Hauptmann | 56 | 0 | 56 | NJG 4, NJG 5, NJG 6, NJG 1 | — | — |
| Heinz Strüning*[5] | Hauptmann | 56 | 0 | 56 | ZG 26, NJG 2, NJG 1 | killed in action 25 December 1944 |  |
| Hans-Dieter Frank*[5] | Hauptmann | 55 | 0 | 55 | ZG 1, NJG 1 | killed in action 27 September 1943 | — |
| Heinz Vinke*[5] | Oberfeldwebel | 54 | 0 | 54 | NJG 1 | killed in action 26 February 1944 |  |
| August Geiger*[5] | Hauptmann | 53 | 0 | 53 | NJG 1 | killed in action 29 September 1943 | — |
| Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld*[5] | Major | 51 | 0 | 51 | ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 5 | Killed in flying accident 22 March 1944 |  |
| Werner Hoffmann[5] | Major | 50 | 1 | 51 | ZG 52, ZG 2, NJG 3, NJG 5 | — | — |
| Reinhard Kollak[5] | Stabsfeldwebel | 49 | 0 | 49 | NJG 1, NJG 4 | — | — |
| Hermann Greiner[5] | Hauptmann | 47 | 4 | 51 | NJG 1 | — | — |
| Herbert Lütje[5] | Oberstleutnant | 47 | 3 | 50 | NJG 1, NJG 6 | — |  |
| Johannes Hager[11] | Hauptmann | 47 | 1 | 48 | NJG 1 | — | — |
| Paul Gildner*[12] | Oberleutnant | 46 | 2 | 48 | ZG 1, NJG 1 | killed in action 24 February 1943 | — |
| Hans-Heinz Augenstein*[13] | Hauptmann | 46 | 0 | 46 | NJG 1 | killed in action 7 December 1944 | — |
| Paul Semrau*[14] | Major | 46[15] | 0 | 46 | NJG 2 | killed in action 8 February 1945 |  |
| Ernst-Georg Drünkler[16] | Hauptmann | 45 | 2 | 47 | ZG 2, NJG 1, NJG 5 | — | — |
| Rudolf Frank[17] | Leutnant | 45 | 0 | 45 | NJG 3 | — | — |
| Alois Lechner*[18] | Major | 45 | 0 | 45 | NJG 2, NJG 100 | missing in action 23 February 1944 | — |
| Ludwig Becker*[12] | Hauptmann | 44 | 0 | 46 | NJG 1, NJG 2 | killed in action 26 February 1943 | — |
| Reinhold Knacke*[19] | Hauptmann | 44 | 0 | 44 | ZG 1, NJG 1 | killed in action 3 February 1943 | |
| Walter Borchers*[20] | Oberstleutnant | 43 | 16 | 59 | NJG 5 | killed in action 6 March 1945 | — |
| Martin Drewes[14] | Major | 43 | 6 | 49 | ZG 76, NJG 1 | — | — |
| Werner Baake[21] | Hauptmann | 41 | 0 | 41 | NJG 1 | — | — |
| Dietrich Schmidt[22] | Hauptmann | 40 | 0 | 40 | NJG 1 | — | — |
| Leopold Fellerer[23] | Hauptmann | 39 | 2 | 41 | NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6 | — | — |
| Ludwig Meister[24] | Hauptmann | 38 | 1 | 39 | NJG 1, NJG 4 | — | — |
| Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin[25] | Major | 37 | 2 | 39 | NJG 1, NJG 102 | — | — |
| Walter Ehle[26] | Major | 35 | 4 | 39 | ZG 1, NJG 1 | — | — |
| Wilhelm Beier[27] | Oberleutnant | 38 | 0 | 38 | NJG 2, NJG 1, NJG 3 | — | — |
| Helmut Bergmann*[28] | Hauptmann | 36 | 0 | 36 | NJG 4, NJG 1 | killed in action 6 August 1944 | — |
| Günther Bertram | Oberleutnant | 35 | 0 | 35 | NJG 100 | — | — |
| Günther Bahr[29] | Oberfeldwebel | 34 | 3 | 37 | SKG 210, NJG 4, NJG 6 | — | — |
| Heinz-Horst Hißbach*[30] | Hauptmann | 34 | 0 | 34 | NJG 2 | killed in action 14 April 1945 | — |
| Werner Husemann[31] | Major | 34 | 0 | 34 | NJG 1, NJG 3 | — | — |
| Wilhelm Johnen[32] | Hauptmann | 34 | 0 | 34 | NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6 | — | — |
| Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow[33] | Hauptmann | 34 | 0 | 34 | NJG 1 | — | — |
| Heinz-Martin Hadeball[34] | Hauptmann | 33 | 0 | 33 | NJG 1, NJG 4, NJG 6, NJGr 10 | — | — |
| Josef Kociok[35] | Oberfeldwebel | 33 | 0 | 33 | ZG 76, SKG 210, 10(NJ)/ZG 1 | killed in action 26 September 1943 | — |
| Karl-Heinz Scherfling*[36] | Oberfeldwebel | 33 | 0 | 33 | NJG 1 | killed in action 21 July 1944 | — |
| Paul-Hubert Rauh[37] | Major | 31 | 0 | 31 | NJG 1, NJG 4 | — | — |
| Gerhard Friedrich*[38] | Major | 30 | 0 | 30 | NJG 4, NJG 6 | killed in action 16 March 1945 | — |
| Heinz Ferger | Hauptmann | 30 | 0 | 30 | NJG 2, NJG 3 | — | — |
| Hans Leickhardt | Major | 30 | 0 | 30 | NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 5 | missing in action 5 March 1945 | — |
| Friedrich-Karl Müller[39] | Major | 30 | 0 | 30 | JG 300, NJGr 10 | — | — |
| Paul Szameitat*[40] | Hauptmann | 28 | 1 | 29 | NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 3 | killed in action 2 January 1944 | — |
| Hans-Joachim Jabs[41] | Oberstleutnant | 28 | 22 | 50 | ZG 76, NJG 1 | — |  |
| Rudolf Sigmund*[42] | Hauptmann | 27 | 2 | 28 | NJG 1 | killed in action 4 October 1943 | — |
| Heinz Grimm*[43] | Leutnant | 26 | 1 | 27 | NJG 1 | Died of wounds 13 October 1943 | — |
| Alfons Köster*[44] | Hauptmann | 25 | 1 | 26 | NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3 | killed in action 6 January 1945 | — |
| Helmuth Schulte[45] | Hauptmann | 25 | 0 | 25 | NJG 5, NJG 6 | — | — |
| Lothar Linke*[46] | Oberleutnant | 24 | 3 | 27 | ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2 | killed in action 14 May 1943 | — |
| Peter Spoden | Hauptmann | 24 | 1 | 25 | NJG 5, NJG 6 | — | — |
| Wolfgang Thimmig | Oberstleutnant | 23[47] | 0 | 24 | NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 4 | — | — |
| Wolfgang Schneeweis*[48] | Hauptmann | 17 | 0 | 17 | NJG 200 | missing in action 28/29 July 1943 | — |
| Helmut Woltersdorf* | Oberleutnant | 16 | 8 | 24 | ZG 141, ZG 76, NJG 1 | killed in action 2 June 1942 | — |
| Hans Hahn*[11] | Leutnant | 13 | 0 | 13 | NJG 2 | killed in flying accident 11 October 1941 | — |
References
Citations
- Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 241.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 14.
- Spick 1996, p. 6.
- Scutts 1998, p. 88.
- Spick 1996, p. 242.
- Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1519.
- Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1505.
- Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1517.
- Spick 1996, p. 243.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 127.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 56.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 82.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 77.
- Spick 1996, p. 244.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 103.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 68.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 155.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 55.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 92.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 83.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 197.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 110.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 167.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 91.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 106.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 86.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 87.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 84.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 133.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 138.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 141.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 170.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 126.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 147.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 194.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 184.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 114.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 171.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 213.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 62.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 206.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 121.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 149.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 202.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 159.
- Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1525.
- Obermaier 1989, p. 199.
Bibliography
- Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1941 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Scutts, Jerry (1998). German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-696-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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