Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Dace on November 05, 2006, 09:49:13 AM
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I understand this question has no factual answer, but I would like to know evryones opinion. Who is the most famous WWII fighter pilot? In your mind, who's the guy who's name you've seen pop up the most in your studies of WWII air combat. I would probably have to say Galland, but maybe ur studies have takin you down another road. So? Sakai? Bong? Hartmann? Preddy? Others?
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Hartmann, not that I'm "biased" or anything.
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Most famous? In this country it would have to be Yeager IMO, at least in the eyes of the general public. To me? Hartmann and Galland certainly come to mind as well as a handful of others but that's me.
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Galland.
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Biggles
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I'd say that here in the United States, the general public is most aware of Chuck Yeager and Pappy Boyington
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Boyington
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Originally posted by cav58d
I'd say that here in the United States, the general public is most aware of Chuck Yeager and Pappy Boyington
Gabreski pwns both, IMO. A shame he isn't more well known. Reading about Yeager whining about his kills also pushed me away from Yeager as a kid.
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Originally posted by cav58d
I'd say that here in the United States, the general public is most aware of Chuck Yeager and Pappy Boyington
I'd have to agree. If you just asked someone to name a fighter pilot, those would be the first names mentioned. Randy Cunningham might also come up, but unfortunately not for his flying. Most famous does not mean best.
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Snoopy.
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Douglas Bader without doubt. He was famous during the war.
Chuck Yeager also but he is famous for what he did after the war and not actually for his skills as a fighter pilot.
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Gunther Rall
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Originally posted by cav58d
I'd say that here in the United States, the general public is most aware of Chuck Yeager and Pappy Boyington
I'd say the US general public would most likely say Ben Affleck :p
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Originally posted by lasersailor184
Snoopy.
(http://www.pogbird.com/X45/Snoopy.gif)
WW1 yes but he stated WW2 :)
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Chuck Yeager, definately. He is the most famous pilot in the World.
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General public? Probably Yeager. Those studying WWII aircraft ... very subjective, but perhaps Eric Brown?
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Douglas Bader.....Adolf Galland.....Yeager.....Sakai. ...depends who you ask and where. Ok, ask 1.000.000 people from all countries ...hmmm...don't know.
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Bader
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Hartmann.
Just go to the MA and you'll see his still untouchable influence.
Hartmann...the King God BnZer of all time.
Plus, I have his autograph so I gotta pimp the dude.
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Originally posted by Eagler
(http://www.pogbird.com/X45/Snoopy.gif)
WW1 yes but he stated WW2 :)
How many kids in high school here know the difference?
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maybe Joe Foss, depends if you're in a Dakota or not...
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John Lennon was shot and killed infront of his Dakota.
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yeah, but he only ever got on one jap's tail
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That's because he left his wingmen. Had he not done that he'd have had plenty of Jap tail to get behind.
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my favoritte ace is Hans Ulrich-Rudel,
Rudel's personal victories include:
518+ Tanks
700 Trucks
150+ Flak and Artillery positions
9 Fighter/Ground Attack Aircraft
Hundreds of bridges, railway lines, bunkers, etc.
Battleship October Revolution, Cruiser Marat, and 70 landing craft
Shot down 32 times, survieved the war:)
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And was an unapologetic Nazi, too!
Nice pick!
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Originally posted by ghi
my favoritte ace is Hans Ulrich-Rudel,
Rudel's personal victories include:
518+ Tanks
700 Trucks
150+ Flak and Artillery positions
9 Fighter/Ground Attack Aircraft
Hundreds of bridges, railway lines, bunkers, etc.
Battleship October Revolution, Cruiser Marat, and 70 landing craft
Shot down 32 times, survieved the war:)
how it is to have nazi as an idol?
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Well, if you skip WW2 and say the most famous ace of all times, the answer is easier. VON RICHTHOFEN!!!!
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rudel also not a figher pilot
include attack pilot guys & George Bush Sr. is famousest
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Yeager is the most famous NOW because of what he did after the war not during the war. Yeager made his name with the X plane flights, not a string of WWII victory's.
Of the WWII era pilots Bong tops the list IMO, with Chenault, McGuire, Boyinton, & Gabreski right behind. Thats for US pilots, Sakai for the Japanese, Bader for the RAF.
Growing up I had no idea who the LW aces were, and didn't really care. Same for the Russian pilots. But the Bong/McGuire race to the top everyone knew about.
And even back then I'd heard of the top Japanese Ace Sakai. Once Black sheep hit the TV everyone knew about Pappy B & the Corsair drivers.
In some respects Chenault should get a lot more respect than he does.
He virtually wrote the book on how to defeat the Japanese fighters.
Would Pappy have done as well as he did without Chenault showing him how?
I don't know what happened to Chenault after the AVG disbanded. Nor how many kills he racked up with the AVG? And did he actually get a chance to fly after the AVG was disbanded? I think if he'd of been allowed to continue to fly combat for the rest of the war he'd of blown them all away.
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Chennault was flying missions? I never saw Chennault credited with missions or victories in World War II.
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Dunno about the rest of the world, but I'd say Boyington in the US. My guess is if you asked someone not well versed in WWII lore about Yeager, they'd just mention he broke the sound barrier. Ask about Boyington, and they'd say "black sheep" and "corsair (or at least the plane with the funny looking wings)." Yeager is more well known, but not as a WWII fighter pilot.
You ask the majority of the US about Bong, and they'll think you're talking about a water bong. :p
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David McCampbell pops into my mind. Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare as well. Then again, I am biased and don't represent the public at large.
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You know what the really sad thing is? Mention any of these pilots outside of this community and people will say "Who's that"? They would probably say George Washington.
But, If I was to say the most famous would be Boyington. Just because of the TV series. But my personal favorites are Yeager, Bader, Hartmann, and Jan Zumbach.
Obie
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Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
Chennault was flying missions? I never saw Chennault credited with missions or victories in World War II.
IIRC, God is My Co-pilot author Robert Lee Scott wrote in one of his books about Chennault flying combat & scoring in Chinese built Cr.32s before the AVG was around
i think it was in With Chennault in China.
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the germans had the best pilots and for the first 3 years, 39 - 42, had the best aircraft
see my sig for my answer
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Children's author Roald Dahl is pretty well known too
(http://www.imperialbulldog.com/Dahl/DAHL-AVIATOR-RAF.jpg)
Iirc he flew Hurricanes in Greece & Crete
you can kind of quantify who is most famous by who's name pull up the most pages in google
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Originally posted by ramzey
how it is to have nazi as an idol?
I idolized Rommel as a kid, and have more than 30 books about him, that I have purchased since age 13. He was a gentlemen among a bunch a power hungry hate mongers.
Heck, he was quoted upon being promoted to Field Marshal: "I'd rather him have sent me one more division instead." He also BLATANTLY disobeyed Hitler's order to Kill POW's. He ate the same food his own troops did.
I guess I'm a Nazi.
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Originally posted by Mathman
David McCampbell pops into my mind. Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare as well. Then again, I am biased and don't represent the public at large.
McCampbell, 9 in a sortie! Math, you and I have talked about him on MANY a nights in the old MA.
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Originally posted by Debonair
Children's author Roald Dahl is pretty well known too
(http://www.imperialbulldog.com/Dahl/DAHL-AVIATOR-RAF.jpg)
Iirc he flew Hurricanes in Greece & Crete
you can kind of quantify who is most famous by who's name pull up the most pages in google
Roald Dahl almost died when he crashed around where Israel is today. He might have been a little north, I forget. The swelling in his head was so severe that he couldn't see for 6 months.
He also met his bombshell wife who was the nurse for him.
Really interesting character. Read his auto-biographies.
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The very first WWII ace I ever heard about was ... yeah ... Pappy.
Nobody watch Baa Baa Blacksheep here?
:D