Highest Scoring Fighter Ace, Still Living?

[Josh64]

With the unfortunate passing of the great ace Gunther Rall, I was wondering who is now the highest scoring fighter ace still living?

Anyone Know?

[vikingBerserker]

Erich Rudorffer - 222 kills, 12 flying the Me 262.

[Josh64]

Thanks

[Erich]

hate to say it but many of ER's kills are suspect especially his 262 claims

[Juha]

Hello Eric
there was also accusation that he bullied his wingman to substantiate bogus claims during his Eastern front service, but of course that is nowadays at least almost impossible to prove or disprove without complete access to Soviet/Russian records.

Juha

[Arsenal VG-33]

It would be interesting to see a list of all surviving WW 2 aces, if it would possible to compile such information into one place. We could do something like that here, if it doesn't already exist elsewhere.

[Juha]

The last of Finnish famous aces died in last month, at least I don't recall any living over 30 kills FAF aces now, after "Kössi" died.

Juha

[Erich]

yes it is very possible. mine has been trashed so many times as my access to the O.d.R. is sometimes not very current

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I am going to try and tackle this. I will probably never be completed, but I will try and make a list of all known living aces from any country (no matter how many they shot down).

If anyone knows of any, please send me the ones you are certain of in a pm.

I will get a thread going here in a bit, once I have some info.

[Erich]

have fun Chris picking and sorting through, this is who is left amongst the living with the highest awards

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords:

Waldemar von Gazen (Heer)
Hajo Herrmann (Luftwaffe)

Erich Rudorffer (Luftwaffe)

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves: - Alphabetical

Otto Carius (Heer)
Kurt Dahlmann (Luftwaffe)
Oskar Hubert Dennhardt (Heer)

Martin Drewes (Luftwaffe)
Klaus Feldt (Kriegsmarine)
Walter Girg (SS)
Hermann Greiner (Luftwaffe)
Reinhard Hardegen (Kriegsmarine)
Rolf Hermichen (Luftwaffe)
Albert Kerscher (Heer)
Franz Kieslich (Luftwaffe)
Hans Gunther Lange (Kriegsmarine)
Georg Lassen (Kriegsmarine)
Kuno von Meyer (Heer)
Dr. Josef Georg Mulzer (Heer)
Heinz Rökker (Luftwaffe)
Heinrich Ruhl (Heer)
Wolfgang Schenck (Luftwaffe)
Walter Schuck (Luftwaffe)
Johann Schwerdfeger (Heer)
Gerhard Simons (Heer)
Georg Störck (Heer)
Wilhelm Weidenbrück (Heer)
Dr. Eberhard Zahn (Heer)
Paul Zorner (Luftwaffe)

Knight's Cross: - Alphabetical

Friedrich Adrario (Heer)
Hinrich Ahrens (Heer)
Heinz Angelmaier (Heer)
Dietrich Ascher (Heer)
Erich Axthammer (Luftwaffe)

Erwin Bachmann (SS)



Karl-Ludwig Barths (Heer)
Ludwig Bauer (Heer)
Artur Becker- Neetz (Heer)
Karl Heinz Becker (Heer)
Winrich Behr (Heer)
Dr. Anton Benning (Luftwaffe)
Frhr. Werner von Beschwitz (Heer)
Heinz Beutler ( Heer)
Gunther Bierbrauer (Luftwaffe)
Georg Bleher (Heer)

Kurt Bischof (Heer)
Hans Ekkehard Bob (Luftwaffe)
Engelbert Bockhoff (Heer)
Walter Boehm (Heer)
Joachim Boosfeld (SS)
Hans Georg Borck (Heer)
Georg Bose (Heer)
Gunther Braake (Heer)
Max Brandenburg (Luftwaffe )
Paul Brasack (Kriegsmarine)
Hugo Broch (Luftwaffe)
Karl Brommann (SS)
Friedrich Buck (SS)
Arthur Büssecker ( Luftwaffe)

Friedrich Carl (Heer)


Dieter Damerius (Heer)
Fritz Darges (SS)
Erwin Diekwisch (Luftwaffe)
Albert Dubicki (Heer)

Dipl. Ing. Helmut Eberspächer (Luftwaffe)
Hermann Eckardt (Heer)
Alfred Eick (Kriegsmarine)
Hans Eikmeier (Heer)
Karl Heinz Euling (SS)

Walter Fasel (Heer)
Gerhard Fischer (Heer)
Gerhard Fischer (SS)
Gunther Frenzel (Luftwaffe)
Sigfried Freyer (Heer)
Herbert Fries (Luftwaffe)

Franz Gapp (Luftwaffe)
Walter Gerhold ( Kriegsmarine)
Siegfried Gerstner (Luftwaffe)
Dieter Gläsche (Heer)
Karl Glaetzer (Heer)
Gunter Glasner (Luftwaffe)


Leopold Hackl (Luftwaffe)
Gunther Halm (Heer)
Willi Hammerich (Heer)
Josef Hammerschmidt (Heer)
Karl Gunther von Hase (Heer)
Eberhard Heder (SS)
Hans Joachim Heinrici (Heer)
Othmar Hermes (Heer)
Justin Hönig (Heer)
Ahrend Höper (Heer)
Werner Hoffmann (Luftwaffe)
Willi Hümmerich (Heer)

Siegfried Jamrowski (Luftwaffe)

Helmut Jeserer (Heer)

Karl Kainz (Heer)
Soren Kam (SS)
August Kaminski (Heer)

Hans Klaus (Luftwaffe)
Paul Georg Kleffel (Heer)

Karl Heinz Knollmann (Heer)
Helmut Klemann (Heer)
Peter Kox (Heer)
Gerhard Krems (Luftwaffe)
Erwin Kressmann (Heer)
Heinz Krettek (Heer)
Theo Kroj (Heer)
Wilhelm Kröhne (Heer)
Prof. Dr. Fritz Krück (Heer)

Walter Kuhn (Heer)
Hermann Kunz (Heer)


Ludwig lang (Heer)
Fritz Langanke (SS)

Ludwig Laubmeier (Heer)
Wilhelm Lehner (Heer)
Helmut von Leipzig (Heer)
Karl Wilhelm Lindemann (Heer)


Hermann Mangels (Heer)
Siegmund Matheja (Heer)
Maximilian Mayerl (Luftwaffe)
Julius Meimberg (Luftwaffe)
Ludwig Meister (Luftwaffe)
Kuno von Meyer (Heer)
Wilhelm Moritz (Luftwaffe)
Gerhard Möws (Heer)

Rudolf Munser (Heer)
Johannes Naumann (Luftwaffe)
Ernst Neufeld (Heer)
Lorenz Neumayr (Heer)
Wilhelm Noller (Luftwaffe)
Harald Nugiseks (SS)

Dieter Oster (Luftwaffe)
Jürgen Oesten (Kriegsmarine)




Frhr. Robert von Prochazka (Heer)
Georg Pröhl (Luftwaffe)
Erwin Prössl (Luftwaffe)

Karl Rademacher (Heer)
Heinz Rafoth (Heer)

Dr. Alfred Regeniter (Heer)
Max Heimo Rehbein (Heer)
Heinz Remmert (Heer)
Willi Reschke (Luftwaffe)
Erich Reuter (Heer)
Ernst -Martin Rhein (Heer)
Rudolf von Ribbentrop (SS)
Heinz Ritter (Heer)


Josef Rollecke (SS)
Heinz Rothhardt (Heer)
Karl Ruef (Heer)
Heinrich Ruhl (Heer)
Freidrich Rumpelhardt (Luftwaffe)

Kurt Sametreiter (SS)
Oskar Schäfer (SS)
Hermann Schleinhege (Luftwaffe)
Erich Schlemminger (Heer)
Bruno Schmelzinger (Heer)
Alois Schnaubelt (SS)
Karl Heinz Schnell (Luftwaffe)
Herbert Schneider (Luftwaffe)

Gunther Seeger (Luftwaffe)
Karl Selinger (Heer)
Gunther Sempert (Luftwaffe)
Fritz Seyffardt (Luftwaffe)

Heinrich Sonne (SS)
Dr. Hubert Spadiut (Luftwaffe)


Paul Heinrich Stoll (Heer)
Hans Hermann Sturm (Heer)
Heinrich Südel (Luftwaffe)
Heinrich Timpe (Heer)
Willy Tscherning (Luftwaffe)
Hans Uhde(Heer)
Fritz Vehse (Heer)
Viktor Vitali (Luftwaffe)
Georg Vögerl (Luftwaffe)
Helmut Vögtle (Heer)

Wilhelm Walther (Heer)
Gunter Wanhofer (SS)
Franz Weber (Heer)
Anton Wehinger (Heer)
Hermann Wehking (Heer)

Helmut Wieselhuber (Heer)

Dietrich Witzel-Kirn (Heer)
Walter Wolfrum (Luftwaffe)
Gunther Wrona (Heer)
Achim Wunderlich (Heer)

Max Zastrow (Heer)
Dr. Gerhard Zoppoth (Heer)

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It will be tough, but I think it will be fun and time consuming task.

[Arsenal VG-33]

Just to clarify, what is the criterion? Every surviving pilot who shot down at least one plane, or surviving aces, with 5 or more kills?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by Arsenal VG-33

Just to clarify, what is the criterion? Every surviving pilot who shot down at least one plane, or surviving aces, with 5 or more kills?

Only Ace's.

Not trying to diminish anyone's service, but if we were to list all pilots it would be 100% impossible. At least with ace's it is only 95% impossible....

[drgondog]

Bill Cullerton 355th FG - 5 Air 15 Ground, in two separate missions destroyed 15 a/c of his total of 20. Of course Bud anderson and chuck yeager and korea aces robby risner, jim kasler, ralph parr, boots blesse.. off the top

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I will tell you what is sad. While starting this little research here, is the number of these brave men that have recently in the past few months passed away. You never hear anything about it. It is a real shame I find.