Best fighter Pilot

[earl1937]

  I have heard over the years, quite a discussion as to who were the best fighter pilots to ever fly in air to air combat. A lot of good men come to mind, both American, German, English and others, but who do you think were the best and why!
I think as far as fighter to fighter, in a gun battle, The German pilots were good sticks, up until most of their experienced pilots were killed for a number of reasons. The 51D didn't really come into play until late 43 or so and by then they were flying against in-experienced pilots, and with having the quantity of fighters in he air, they of course pretty well dominated the Kruats.
A good case can be made for the Israel Air Force, the 67 war pretty proved that! But how would they have faired in the air over Europe during the big war?
There have been many other pilots of different countries who fought in the skies, which one do you think is best and why?

[glzsqd]

I'd say Alexander Pokryshkin. Revolutionized Soviet fighter tactics and score nearly all his kills in obsolete aircraft.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

The best might not even be the ones that survived. I'm sure they were incredible sticks that never made it to fame. 

[Rino]

     Best...hmmm..the ones that made it home?

[PR3D4TOR]

Hans-Joachim "Jochen" Marseille. The Star of Africa.



His flying skills and marksmanship was second to none. Another flying ace and later General of the German fighter force, whom himself would be in the running for "best fighter pilot ever" had this to say about Marseilles:

"Marseille was the unrivaled virtuoso among the fighter pilots of World War 2. His achievements had previously been regarded as impossible and they were never excelled by anyone after his death." - Adolf Galland

He was a killer in the air, but he also had a heart, in a letter to his mom he wrote: "Today I shot down my first opponent. It does not sit well with me. I keep thinking how the mother of this young man must feel when she gets the news of her son's death. And I am to blame for this death. I am sad, instead of being happy about the first victory."

He claimed 158 enemy aircraft destroyed in little more than two years until his death. All against the Western Allies. 17 kills in one day. Unlike most other 100+ German aces Marseilles was never shot down and remains undefeated. His death came in the form of an engine malfunction and he did not survive the bail out.

What makes a great fighter pilot is perhaps also his popularity, Marseilles was an international icon in his time, much like the Red Baron in the previous war. He was every bit the ladies man in real life that Tom Cruise tried to be on-screen.

Johannes Steinhoff, another German ace who was Marseilles' commander at one time said this about him: "Marseille was extremely handsome. He was a very gifted pilot, but he was unreliable. He had girlfriends everywhere, and they kept him so busy that he was sometimes so worn out that he had to be grounded. His sometime irresponsible way of conducting his duties was the main reason I fired him. But he had irresistible charm."

And when he died his whole fighter wing (JG27) had to be withdrawn from combat for about a month because of the impact Marseille's death had on morale.

I don't know of anyone who can top that.

[bustr]

In a strange parallel with AH and gunnery. Many of the best German pilots spent time shooting down large numbers of obsolete Russian aircraft before being moved back to the western front. They benefitted immeasurably from honing their shooting skills almost daily while risking their lives. Which was one of the greatest hurdles for any fighter pilot who has to go guns without a lead computing aiming system or rockets smarter than a college graduate.

A second parallel to AH. No matter how fantastic your flying and shooting abilities are, too many times exposing yourself to the enemy will eventually catch up with you. Attrition was the greatest enemy of German and Japanese aces. It would have been for the RAF if the US had not entered the war.

As knights of the sky, the German and Japanese pilots were better trained for that concept. Cultural history probably had something to do with the attitude. If the outcome of the war were to have been dictated by the prowess of individual combatants in the air. This conversation would not be in English.

[Muzzy]

I don't think this is easily quantifiable as the variables are hard to pin down.

Raw kill score, like RBI's in baseball, is dependent largely on circumstance and opportunity. Western Allied pilots generally never flew in the prolonged combat conditions that existed on the Eastern Front and the rotation system in the US services ensured that the best pilots would be rotated home as instructors. Japanese pilots were generally saddled with inferior rides for the latter half of the war, German pilots flew against inexperienced Soviet pilots in crappy aircraft for the first part of the Eastern Front battles, and the Americans showed up late. Kill score alone isn't an effective measurement on who would be the best pilot.

You could add difficulty factors like types of aircraft flown or flown against, but even then I think it would be really tough to judge each pilot fairly. Reputation and accounts of fellow pilots can help, but much of that is subjective. In the end, I don't think you could make a truly convincing argument on who was the very best, although you could probably narrow it down by nationality.

[Vraciu]

Marseille
Sakai
Vraciu
Nishizawa

[earl1937]

Marseille
Sakai
Vraciu
Nishizawa

These were all good fighter jocks, but the German fighter pilot in N. Africa was by far the best that I can think of right now. 17 kills in one day! wow!

[PR3D4TOR]

Thanks to his stardom some news footage of him in Africa survives to this day.

[eagl]

I'm the best fighter pilot.

[KgB]

The one who flew the crapiest tighter, scored most kills vs being shot down.

[Tec]

Swede Vejtasa, but then again he was a bomber pilot so maybe he doesn't count.

[DREDIOCK]

[PR3D4TOR]