Which fighter scored the most kills in history of air combat?

[F4UDOA]

Total kill numbers for the PAC theater Army and Navy types.

F6F=5156 306 aces
F4U=2140 93 aces
P-38 1,700 90 aces
F4F 1,006 58 aces
P-40 706 27 aces
P-47 697 32 aces
P-51 296 5 aces
P-39 243 1 ace
P-61 63 1 ace

From U.S. Navy Fighters of WW2 by Tillman and Lawson.

[Nashwan]

Kill claims are most accurate when the fighting is over friendly territory, because claims can be checked against ground observers statements, wreckage etc.
So for example, during the BoB, the Luftwaffe awarded 3500 kills, whilst shooting down approx 1000 aircraft. The RAF awarded 2500 kills, whilst shooting down 1700 aircraft.
For much of the war, the Luftwaffe was fighting over friendly territory, so their figures should be, and were, more accurate than their opponents.
However, it's interesting to look at many of the top scoring German aces, and the number of kills they scored away from the possibility of cast iron confirmation.
The Luftwaffe required verification of all kills, but where there was no chance of ground observers or wreckage, the word of the claimaints wingman or other squadron member was accepted. Does anyone really believe that ensures accuracy? It certainly didn't during the Battle of Britain.

[R4M]

Originally posted by MEDAL303:



hmmm i know that the best pilot of the ww2 was Errich Hartman
I`m new here so i don`t want to argue whit any one but the history is the history so we just can`t say that it was difrent

History says that Hartmann was the highest scoring ace ever. That doesnt mean he was the BEST ACE ever. I think that either Molders or Galland would have got way higher tallies had they kept on flying (and they were best pilots, too).

But Marseille was the best 109 fighter pilot IMHO; and the best fighter gunner of the war,period.

And he was not even killed by enemy fire, but because a stupid accident (his 109G2's engine stopped and he died while bailing out). He was unlucky where Hartmann was terribly lucky (ever read that story of Hartmann escaping after being captured by the russians?...one dies while bailing from a plane wich engine seizes alone, the other escapes death or capture by a hair several times...such are the things of the war)

[ 10-02-2001: Message edited by: R4M ]

[GRUNHERZ]

Marsaille had 158 kills before Hartmann even started combat flying. Marsaille was getting often 30 or more kills a month in parts of 1942. Marsaille averaged 15 bullets and 20mm shells per kill, the groundcrew would count yes. He got 17 kills in one day.

Who is better? I donno. Hartmann is the best in total kills by a wide margin, the next best Gerd Barkhorn is at 301 kills 51 behind hartmann. But people like Nowotny and Rall had 200 or more kills much earlier than Hartman, but were prevented from scoring more due to injury or political/propaganda reasons. For example Rall was inactive for some 9 months at one period.

Anyway Hartmann scored the most kills and thats without a doubt. As he said he wasnt paid to play with the  enemy planes, just to kill them. In the end, for many reasons, he was the best at that.

However Marsaille was best at shooting down the western allies. At 158 kills all in the west he is the undisputed leader. Another noteworthy pilot in the west is Josef "Pips" Priller with 101 kills all in the west. He was with JG26 from BOB till early 1945.

[Sorrow[S=A]]

Marsaille was not the best ace- he was the best liar.

No other Ace has had as many kills discounted from him with investigation. He often "shot down" more planes than the British had operational in a given month. He benifited from claiming them all over a desert where no-one could second guess him. Once he became famous no-one could discredit him either.

Sorrow

[lazs2]

the 109 was the most shot down fighter ac in WWII... more 109's were shot down than any other plane by far.   It had less than a 1/1 kill death ratio even against polish bi-planes.

marsailles shot down many of his planes with only one or two thirty caliber rounds.   it is said that most of his kills took even less.

The Hellcat does indeed have a better K/D than the the Corsair.   Hard to say if it means much since the Corsair did have a harder time of it being outnumbered more often and mostly land based.  Still... 11/1 aint bad.
lazs