Fighter Ace
WWII Fighter Aces: Ralph K. ‘Kid’ Hofer
by Paul B. CoraHe could be described as reckless, impulsive, undisciplined, lucky, fearless, and also as one of the most successful fighter pilots in the history of the U.S. Read more
Fighter Ace
Innovative Soviet Fighter Ace
By Christopher J. ChlonAccording to contemporary Soviet news sources, fighter Ace Alexander Pokryshkin was the most famous pilot in the Red Air Force during World War II. Read more
Fighter Ace
Ace of Aces
By Kelly BellBy May 8, 1945, Adolf Hitler had been dead for more than a week. Germany was in the act of formally surrendering to the Soviets and the Western Allies, so occupying Red Army troops in the eastern German town of Brunn were not expecting to witness what may have been World War II’s last dogfight over Europe. Read more
Fighter Ace
A Luftwaffe Ace’s Joy-Ride in a Spitfire
By Nicholas VarangisWhen Hugo Broch flew his fighter for the Luftwaffe, he probably didn’t imagine he would ever find himself in the cockpit of a Supermarine Spitfire. Read more
Fighter Ace
An Ace in a day: Ted Crosby’s Air War in the Pacific
By Eric NiderostLieutenant (j.g.) John “Ted” Crosby banked his Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat around, observing the life-and-death drama that was unfolding below him. Read more
Fighter Ace
Alex Vraciu: U.S. Navy Ace, Philippines Guerrilla
By David SearsOn June 23, 1944, Lieutenant (j.g.) Alex Vraciu posed for a photo with Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher, commander of Task Force 58, aboard the aircraft carrier Lexington. Read more
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace Douglas Bader: The RAF’s Legless Legend
By Michael D. HullBombed almost daily for several months and in fear of an imminent German invasion, the British were hanging on by their fingernails when September 1940 came. Read more
Fighter Ace
George Preddy, Jr.: The USAAF’s Greatest P-51 Ace
By Kelly BellDarwin, Australia, was hot even though it was mid-winter. On the afternoon of July 12, 1942, four newly deployed pilots of the U.S. Read more
Fighter Ace
George Beurling: Canadian Fighter Ace Known as “The Falcon of Malta”
By Herb KugelIn September 1943, Canada’s top air ace, the “Falcon of Malta,” Flying Officer George Beurling, was faced with two problems. Read more
Fighter Ace
Adolf Galland: Winged Knight of the Luftwaffe
By Michael D. HullOn a bright spring day in 1944, a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf 190 fighter encountered a formation of U.S. Read more
Fighter Ace
William R. Dunn: Eagle Squadron Pilot
By David Alan Johnson“I jammed the throttle wide open and, attacking the Me-109 from the port quarter, fired one burst of four seconds and three bursts of two seconds each,” Pilot Officer William R. Read more
Fighter Ace
Boyd Wagner: Early American Ace
By Sam McGowanCommon wisdom has long held that Japanese pilots and aircraft, particularly their fighters, were superior to the American, Australian, and British counterparts they faced in combat in the Philippines and Southeast Asia in the opening months of U.S. Read more
