Name Country Air service(s) Victories Note Manfred von Richthofen † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 80 [5] The Red Baron PLM plus 22 other awards René Fonck France Aéronautique Militaire 75[6] Top Allied and French ace CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG, BCdeG, MC, MM Billy Bishop Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 72[7] [b] Top Canadian and British Empire ace VC, CB, DSO*, MC, DFC. Ernst Udet German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 62[5] PLM, HOH, IC Mick Mannock † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 61[9] Top British aceVC DSO & Two Bars MC & Bar .
Raymond Collishaw Canada Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 60[10] Top Royal Naval Air Service ace DSO*, DSC, DFC, OSA, CdeG James McCudden † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 57[7] VC, DSO*, MC*, MM, CdeG Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor South Africa Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 54[7] Top South African ace VC, DSO, MC*, DFC Erich Loewenhardt † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 54 [5] PLM, IC Donald MacLaren Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 54[7] DSO, MC*, CdeLd'h, CdeG Georges Guynemer † France Aéronautique Militaire 53[11] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG, DSO, OLII William George Barker Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 50[7] VC, DSO*, MC**, MMV*(Silver), CdeG Josef Jacobs German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 48 [5] PLM, IC Werner Voss † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 48 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Robert A. Little † Australia Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 47[7] Top Australian ace DSO*, DSC*, CdeG George McElroy † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 47[12] Top Irish aceMC**, DFC*
Fritz Rumey † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 45 [5] PLM, IC Albert Ball † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 44[7] [13] VC, DSO**, MC, OSG Rudolf Berthold German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 44 [5] PLM, MOSH, IC Bruno Loerzer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 44 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Paul Bäumer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 43 [5] PLM, MMC(P), IC, WB Tom F. Hazell United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 43[7] DSO, MC, DFC* Charles Nungesser France Aéronautique Militaire 43[14] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG, DSC, MC, BCdeG, DSC(US) Georges Madon France Aéronautique Militaire 41[15] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG Oswald Boelcke † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 40[5] PLM, IC Franz Büchner German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 40 [5] PLM, MOSH, HOH, IC Philip F. Fullard United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 40[7] DSO, MC*, AFC Lothar von Richthofen German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 40 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Roderic Dallas † Australia Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 39[c] DSO, DSC* Charles George Gass United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 39[20] Top observer ace MC John Inglis Gilmour United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 39[7] DSO, MC** Heinrich Gontermann † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 39 [21] PLM, HOH, MOMJ, IC William Lancelot Jordan South Africa Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 39[7] DSC*, DFC Carl Menckhoff German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 39 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Alfred Atkey Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 38[7] Leading 2 seater pilot of war MC* William Gordon Claxton Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 37[7] DSO, DFC* Willy Coppens Belgium Belgian Military Aviation 37[22] Top Belgian and balloon busting ace of war OL, OWE, OC, CdeG, BCdeG, CdeLd'H, DSO, MC James Ira Thomas Jones United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 37[7] DSO, MC, DFC*, MM Carl Bolle German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 36[5] PLM, HOH, IC Julius Buckler German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 36 [5] PLM, MMC(P), IC, sole award of Gold WB Joseph Stewart Temple Fall Canada Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 36[7] DFC**, AFC Max Ritter von Müller † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 36 [23] PLM, MOMJ, IC Maurice Boyau † France Aéronautique Militaire 35[24] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG Godwin von Brumowski Austria-Hungary Luftfahrtruppen 35[25] Top Austro-Hungarian ace OIC, OL, MFB, MMM, IC Gustav Dörr German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 35[5] MMC(P), IC Otto Könnecke German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 35 [5] PLM, MMC(P), HOH, IC Frederick McCall Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 35[7] DSO, MC*, DFC Eduard Ritter von Schleich German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 35[5] PLM, IC, MOMJ Emil Thuy German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 35 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Josef Veltjens German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 35[5] PLM, HOH, IC Henry Winslow Woollett United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 35[7] DSO, MC*, CdeLd'h Francesco Baracca † Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 34[26] Top Italian ace MMV(Gold), MMV**(Silver), MC, CdeG, OC Michel Coiffard † France Aéronautique Militaire 34[27] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), MC Heinrich Bongartz German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 33[28] PLM, HOH, IC Heinrich Kroll German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 33 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Frank Granger Quigley † Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 33[7] DSO, MC* Kurt Wolff † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 33 [21] PLM, HOH, IC Julius Arigi Austria-Hungary Luftfahrtruppen 32[25] MFB (1 gold and 4 silver) Geoffrey Hilton Bowman United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 32[7] DSO, MC*, DFC Hermann Frommherz German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 32[5] MOSH, IC Samuel Kinkead South Africa Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 32[29] DSO, DSC*, DFC* Theodor Osterkamp German Empire Marinefliegerkorps 32[5] Also World War II ace PLM, IC Paul Billik German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 31 [5] IC Andrew Edward McKeever Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force , Canadian Air Force 31[7] Top two-seater ace for UK DSO, MC*, DFC Gotthard Sachsenberg German Empire Marinefliegerkorps 31 [5] PLM, HOH, IC Karl Allmenröder † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 30 [21] PLM, HOH, IC Carl Degelow German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 30[5] PLM, HOH, IC Josef Mai German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 30 [5] IC Ulrich Neckel German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 30[5] PLM, IC Karl Emil Schäfer † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 30[21] PLM, HOH, IC Samuel Frederick Henry Thompson † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 30[7] MC, DFC Harald Auffarth German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 29[d] HOH, IC, WB Charles Dawson Booker † United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 29[7] DSC, CdeG Percy Jack Clayson United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 29[7] MC, DFC Harry Cobby Australia Australian Flying Corps 29[7] DSO, DFC** Leonard Henry Rochford United Kingdom Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 29[7] DSC*, DFC* Walter Blume German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 28[31] PLM, IC Léon Bourjade France Aéronautique Militaire 28[32] CdeLd'h, CdeG Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 28 [33] PLM, MOSH, IC Albert Desbrisay Carter † Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 28[7] DSO*, CdeG Benno Fiala Ritter von Fernbrugg Austria-Hungary Luftfahrtruppen 28[25] OIC, OL, MMC(AH), MMM, MFB, IC Robert Ritter von Greim German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 28[34] PLM, IC, MOMJ John Everard Gurdon United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 28[7] DFC Reginald Hoidge Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 28[7] MC* Dennis Latimer United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 28[7] MC, DFC Arthur Laumann German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 28[35] PLM, HOH, IC Friedrich Ritter von Röth German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 28 [36] PLM, HOH, IC, MOMJ Fritz Otto Bernert German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 27 [37] PLM, IC Otto Fruhner German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 27[38] MMC(P), IC Hans Kirschstein † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 27 [39] PLM, HOH, IC Frank Linke-Crawford † Austria-Hungary Luftfahrtruppen 27[25] OIC Clifford McEwen Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 27[40] MC, DFC*, MMV Thomas Percy Middleton United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 27[7] DFC Armand Pinsard France Aéronautique Militaire 27[41] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG, MC Arthur Rhys Davids † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 27[7] DSO, MC* Frank Ormond Soden Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 27[7] DFC* Karl Thom German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 27[42] PLM, MMC(P), HOH, IC Adolf Ritter von Tutschek † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 27 [43] PLM, HOH, IC, MOMJ Arthur Whealy Canada Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 27[7] DSC*, DFC Kurt Wüsthoff German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 27 [44] PLM, HOH, IC Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 26[36] PLM, IC Eduard Ritter von Dostler † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 26 [45] PLM, HOH, IC, MOMJ Ronald Malcolm Fletcher United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 26[46] Observer ace DFM William Frederick James Harvey United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 26[7] MC, DFC* Elwyn King Australia Australian Flying Corps 26[7] DSO, DFC Gerald Joseph Constable Maxwell United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 26[7] DFC, MC, AFC Max Näther † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 26 [36] HOH, IC Eddie Rickenbacker United States US Army Air Service 26[47] [48] Top US ace MOH, DSC(US), CdeLd'h, CdeG Silvio Scaroni Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 26[49] MMV(Gold), MMV*(Silver) William Ernest Staton United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 26[7] DSO*, MC, DFC* William McKenzie Thomson Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 26[7] MC, DFC Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 25 [50] PLM, IC Keith Caldwell New Zealand Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 25[7] Top New Zealander ace MC, DFC* Robert J. O. Compston United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 25[7] DSC**, DFC Georg von Hantelmann German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 25 [51] HOH, IC Fritz Pütter † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 25 [36] PLM, IC Stanley Wallace Rosevear † Canada Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 25[7] DSC* Erwin Böhme † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 24 [52] PLM, HOH, IC Peter Carpenter United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 24[40] DSO, MC*, MMV George S. L. Hayward United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 24[46] Observer ace MC Harry G. E. Luchford † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 24[7] MC* Georg Meyer German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 24[36] IC Tom Cecil Noel † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 24[53] Observer ace. All victories in 1918 MC*. First MC awarded while junior infantry officer. Pier Ruggero Piccio Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 24[54] MMV**(Silver) William Ernest Shields Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 24[7] DFC* James Anderson Slater United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 24[7] MC*, DFC William Melville Alexander Canada Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 23[55] DSC Hermann Becker German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 23 [56] HOH, IC William Charles Campbell United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 23[7] DSO, MC* René Dorme † France Aéronautique Militaire 23[57] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG Matthew Brown Frew United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 23[7] DSO, MC*, AFC, MMV Gabriel Guerin † France Aéronautique Militaire 23[58] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG Howard Percy Lale United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 23[7] DSO, DFC* Alexander Pentland Australia Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 23[7] MC, DFC Harold Whistler United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 23[7] DSO, DFC* Hermann Göring German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 22[59] PLM, HOH, IC Thomas Sinclair Harrison South Africa Royal Flying Corps 22[7] DFC*, BCdeG Marcel Haegelen France Aéronautique Militaire 22[60] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG Louis Fleeming Jenkin † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 22[7] MC* Cecil Frederick King † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 22[61] MC, DFC, CdeG Hans Klein German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 22[36] PLM, HOH, IC John Leacroft United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 22[7] MC* Arthur Ernest Newland United Kingdom Royal Air Force 22[53] Observer ace DFM* Hans Martin Pippart † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 22 [36] IC Werner Preuss German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 22[62] HOH, IC Pierre Marinovitch France Aéronautique Militaire 22[63] CdeLd'h, MM(Fr), CdeG Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 22[7] DFC*, BCdeG Karl Schlegel † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 22 [36] IC Joseph Leonard Maries White Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 22[7] DFC*, BCdeG Rudolf Windisch † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 22[64] PLM, HOH, IC Hans von Adam † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 21 [65] HOH Friedrich Altemeier German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 21 [66] MMC(P), IC, WB Flavio Baracchini Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 21[67] MMV(Gold) Francis Cubbon † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 21[68] Observer ace MC* Harold Leslie Edwards Canada Royal Air Force 21[46] DFC, MM Friedrich Friedrichs † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 21 [36] PLM, HOH, IC Alfred Heurtaux France Aéronautique Militaire 21[69] CdeLd'h, CdeG Charles Hickey † Canada Royal Naval Air Service , Royal Air Force 21[7] DFC* Fritz Höhn † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 21 [36] HOH, IC William John Charles Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 21[7] DSO, MC* Richard Maybery † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 21[7] MC Edgar McCloughry Australia Australian Flying Corps 21[7] DSO, DFC* Richard Minifie Australia Royal Naval Air Service 21[7] DSC** Friedrich T. Noltenius German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 21 [36] HOH, IC George Edwin Thomson † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 21[7] DSO, MC, DFC Leonard Monteagle Barlow † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 20[7] MC** Douglas John Bell † South Africa Royal Flying Corps 20[7] MC* Hans Bethge German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20 [70] HOH, IC Kenneth Burns Conn Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 20[71] DFC Albert Deullin France Aéronautique Militaire 20[72] CdeLd'h, CdeG Rudolf von Eschwege † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20 [73] HOH, IC, Bulgarian Order for Bravery in War Wilhelm Frankl † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20[74] PLM, HOH, IC Hans von Freden German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20[36] IC Francis W. Gillet United States Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 20[75] DFC*, BCdeG Walter Göttsch † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20 [76] HOH, IC Oskar Hennrich German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20 [36] MMC, IC Edgar Johnston Australia Australian Flying Corps 20[71] DFC Alexander Kazakov Russia Imperial Army Air Service 20[77] Top Russian ace OSG, OSV, OSS, OSA, DSO, MC, DFC, CdeLd'h, CdeG Otto Kissenberth German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20 [78] PLM, HOH, IC Camille Lagesse Canada Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 20[7] DFC* Ian Donald Roy McDonald United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 20[7] MC, DFC Keith Park New Zealand Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force 20[7] MC*, DFC, CdeG Wilhelm Reinhard † German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20 [79] HOH, IC Charles G. Ross South Africa Royal Flying Corps , Royal Air Force , South African Air Force 20[7] CBE, DFC*, BCdeG Fulco Ruffo di Calabria Italy Corpo Aeronautico Militare 20[80] MMV(Gold), MMV*(Silver), MMV***(Bronze) Otto Schmidt German Empire Luftstreitkräfte 20[36] HOH, IC Walter Southey South Africa Royal Flying Corps 20[7] DFC Frederick Thayre † United Kingdom Royal Flying Corps 20[7] MC*