top scoring aces

[elmilitaro]

Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

[jrk]

no worries

i think he lived until 1975 also?

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by jrk

i think it is.and then going on to fly as an air sea rescue pilot in a b-17.

ACUTALLY, no........

He was an advisor touring the pacific in WW2 and the B-17 he was flying in crashed (he was not flying) he floated for a few weeks until found.....

Eddie Rickenbcker was awarded the MOH I think in early 30s by presidential order. He never obtained a driver's license or pilot's license and when he ran Eastern Airlines he initally refused to install autopilots in his aircraft stating "he pays piolts to fly, not to sit on the duffs."

[jrk]

thanks for correcting that flyboyj.i knew there was some connection between rickenbacker and a b-17 somewhere.

so he must have been racing cars illegally?

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by jrk

so he must have been racing cars illegally?

Yep! If they need a license at Indy!

[jrk]

i was at waterstones book store in birmingham today and i picked this book up about american aces from the great war.eddie was in it with quite a few pictures of him and fellow pilots stood with him.it was interesting to see how many american airmen served in the french escardrilles.

[102first_hussars]

HEY CANADAS OWN BILLY BISHOP WAS THE HIGHEST SCORING ALLIED ACE DURING WW1 SCORING 10 LESS THAN THE RED BARON,

aND IT WAS CANDAS OWN ROY BROWN WHO ACTUALLY SHOT DOWN THE RED BARON.

[Nonskimmer]

Originally Posted by 102first_hussars

aND IT WAS CANDAS OWN ROY BROWN WHO ACTUALLY SHOT DOWN THE RED BARON.

That's highly debatable. At the time it seemed that way to many, and indeed it was a claim that existed for many, many years, but I believe that new evidence has recently come to light that makes it much more likely that it was in fact the Australian gunners on the ground who shot down von Richthofen. I'm not entirely sure of it, but I seem to have read that not long ago somewhere, and it was a pretty compelling argument. I dunno. Maybe it was Brown after all.

The highest allied ace thing has been debated for decades too. Many still say Eddie Mannock shot down 73. I don't think it'll ever really be proven one way or the other.

[Gnomey]

There was a program on TV in the UK about this and they said the Aussie gunners shot Von Richthofen down not Roy Brown.

[FLYBOYJ]

Roy Brown had to be credited with this kill. The same month the RFC became the RAF - a big headline was needed.

Back in 1967 the first book was written about this. The author cited autopsy notes and if one would read them, it was impossible for Roy Brown to have kill Richthofen. The wound came from below and exited the chest area. By his own admittance, Brown never fired at the Baron from below.

If the red Baron's aircraft wasn't torn apart by souvenir hunters, maybe the truth wold of been more apparent, but I think the Australian unit on the ground pillaged the aircraft because they were pretty sure they killed him

[Nonskimmer]

Right, so there you are. The evidence isn't so recent after all. I guess I should have actually said that I'd read about it fairly recently.

Also, in my previous post I'd completely forgotten about the Frenchman René Fonck, who was actually the top allied ace of WWI with a tally of 75 enemy planes downed. The Mannock/Bishop debate is over the top British Empire ace.

[Gnomey]

Yep.

Here is the top 15: http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/by_score.php

[FLYBOYJ]

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/12/25/13258/202

I couldn't find the author of the first book written on this subject back in 1967 (it could of even been 196 but the above link has great information on this subject.

[Nonskimmer]

Actually FJ, I think that's exactly where I'd first seen it.
Good link.

[FLYBOYJ]

Thanks NS - in the link it even talks about medical personnel orginally determining he was killed by ground fire.