List of German World War II night fighter aces

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A German Bf 110G-4 night fighter at the RAF Museum in London.

A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] German day and night fighter pilots claimed roughly 70,000 aerial victories during World War II, 25,000 over British or American and 45,000 over Soviet flown aircraft. 103 German fighter pilots shot down more than 100 enemy aircraft for a total of roughly 15,400 aerial victories. Roughly a further 360 pilots claimed between 40 and 100 aerial victories for round about 21,000 victories. Another 500 fighter pilots claimed between 20 and 40 victories for a total of 15,000 victories. According to Obermeier, it is relatively certain, that 2,500 German fighter pilots attained ace status, having achieved at least 5 aerial victories.[2] 453 German day and Zerstörer (destroyer) pilots received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 85 night fighter pilots, including 14 crew members, were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[3] The list is sorted by the number of aerial victories claimed at night.

Due to the worsening war situation for Germany and Luftwaffe policies, night fighter aces remained in frontline roles until they were killed or wounded in combat or no longer capable of flying due to exhaustion.[4]

German night fighter aces

      This along with the * (asterisk), indicates that the pilot was either killed in action, missing in action or killed in a flying accident.

Name Rank Night
victories
Day
victories
Total wartime
victories
Unit Notes
Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer[5] Major 121 0 121 NJG 1, NJG 4 Nicknamed "The Spook of St. Trond",
Helmut Lent*[5] Oberst 102 8 110 ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3 killed in flying accident 7 October 1944 Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1987-137-10, Helmut Lent.jpg
Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein*[5] Major 83 0 83 NJG 2 killed in action 21 January 1944
Werner Streib[5] Oberst 67 1 68 ZG 1, NJG 1
Manfred Meurer*[5] Hauptmann 65 0 65 NJG 1, NJG 5 killed in action 21 January 1944
Günther Radusch[5] Oberst 64 1 65 ZG 1, NJG 1, NJG 3, NJG 2
Rudolf Schoenert[5] Major 64 0 64 NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJGr 10, NJG 5
Heinz Rökker[5] Hauptmann 63 1 64 NJG 2
Paul Zorner[5] Major 59 0 59 NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJG 5
Martin Becker[5] Hauptmann 58 0 58 NJG 4, NJG 6
Gerhard Raht[5] Hauptmann 58 0 58 NJG 3, NJG 2
Wilhelm Herget[5] Major 57 16 73 ZG 76, NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 4, JV 44
Kurt Welter[5] Oberleutnant 56 7 63 JG 301, Kdo Welter, NJG 11
Gustav Francsi[5] Oberleutnant 56 0 56 NJG 100
Josef Kraft[5] Hauptmann 56 0 56 NJG 4, NJG 5, NJG 6, NJG 1
Heinz Strüning*[5] Hauptmann 56 0 56 ZG 26, NJG 2, NJG 1 killed in action 25 December 1944 Heinz Strüning.jpg
Hans-Dieter Frank*[5] Hauptmann 55 0 55 ZG 1, NJG 1 killed in action 27 September 1943
Heinz Vinke*[5] Oberfeldwebel 54 0 54 NJG 1 killed in action 26 February 1944
August Geiger*[5] Hauptmann 53 0 53 NJG 1 killed in action 29 September 1943
Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld*[5] Major 51 0 51 ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 5 Killed in flying accident 22 March 1944 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2007-0221-500, Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld.jpg
Werner Hoffmann[5] Major 50 1 51 ZG 52, ZG 2, NJG 3, NJG 5
Reinhard Kollak[5] Stabsfeldwebel 49 0 49 NJG 1, NJG 4
Hermann Greiner[5] Hauptmann 47 4 51 NJG 1
Herbert Lütje[5] Oberstleutnant 47 3 50 NJG 1, NJG 6
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Johannes Hager[6] Hauptmann 47 1 48 NJG 1
Paul Gildner*[7] Oberleutnant 46 2 48 ZG 1, NJG 1 killed in action 24 February 1943
Hans-Heinz Augenstein*[8] Hauptmann 46 0 46 NJG 1 killed in action 7 December 1944
Ludwig Becker*[7] Hauptmann 46 0 46 NJG 1 killed in action 26 February 1943
Paul Semrau*[9] Major 46 0 46 NJG 2 killed in action 8 February 1945 Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2008-0024, Paul Semrau.jpg
Ernst-Georg Drünkler[10] Hauptmann 45 2 47 ZG 2, NJG 1, NJG 5
Rudolf Frank[11] Leutnant 45 0 45 NJG 3
Alois Lechner*[12] Major 45 0 45 NJG 2, NJG 100 missing in action 23 February 1944
Reinhold Knacke*[13] Hauptmann 44 0 44 ZG 1, NJG 1 killed in action 3 February 1943
Walter Borchers*[14] Oberstleutnant 43 16 59 NJG 5 killed in action 6 March 1945 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-533-0006-14, Pilot mit Ritterkreuz und Schwimmweste.jpg
Martin Drewes[9] Major 43 6 49 ZG 76, NJG 1
Werner Baake[15] Hauptmann 41 0 41 NJG 1
Dietrich Schmidt[16] Hauptmann 40 0 40 NJG 1
Leopold Fellerer[17] Hauptmann 39 2 41 NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6
Ludwig Meister[18] Hauptmann 38 1 39 NJG 1, NJG 4
Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin[19] Major 37 2 39 NJG 1, NJG 102
Walter Ehle[20] Major 35 4 39 ZG 1, NJG 1
Wilhelm Beier[21] Oberleutnant 38 0 38 NJG 2, NJG 1, NJG 3
Helmut Bergmann*[22] Hauptmann 36 0 36 NJG 4, NJG 1 killed in action 6 August 1944
Günther Bertram Oberleutnant 35 0 35 NJG 100
Günther Bahr[23] Oberfeldwebel 34 3 37 SKG 210, NJG 4, NJG 6
Heinz-Horst Hißbach*[24] Hauptmann 34 0 34 NJG 2 killed in action 14 April 1945
Werner Husemann[25] Major 34 0 34 NJG 1, NJG 3
Wilhelm Johnen[26] Hauptmann 34 0 34 NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6
Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow[27] Hauptmann 34 0 34 NJG 1
Heinz-Martin Hadeball[28] Hauptmann 33 0 33 NJG 1, NJG 4, NJG 6, NJGr 10
Josef Kociok[29] Oberfeldwebel 33 0 33 ZG 76, SKG 210, 10(NJ)/ZG 1 killed in action 26 September 1943
Karl-Heinz Scherfling*[30] Oberfeldwebel 33 0 33 NJG 1 killed in action 21 July 1944
Paul-Hubert Rauh[31] Major 31 0 31 NJG 1, NJG 4
Gerhard Friedrich*[32] Major 30 0 30 NJG 4, NJG 6 killed in action 16 March 1945
Heinz Ferger Hauptmann 30 0 30 NJG 2, NJG 3
Hans Leickhardt Major 30 0 30 NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 5 missing in action 5 March 1945
Friedrich-Karl Müller[33] Major 30 0 30 JG 300, NJGr 10
Paul Szameitat*[34] Hauptmann 28 1 29 NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 3 killed in action 2 January 1944
Hans-Joachim Jabs[35] Oberstleutnant 28 22 50 ZG 76, NJG 1
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R63400, Hans-Joachim Jabs.jpg
Rudolf Sigmund*[36] Hauptmann 27 2 28 NJG 1 killed in action 4 October 1943
Heinz Grimm*[37] Leutnant 26 1 27 NJG 1 Died of wounds 13 October 1943
Alfons Köster*[38] Hauptmann 25 1 26 NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3 killed in action 6 January 1945
Helmuth Schulte[39] Hauptmann 25 0 25 NJG 5, NJG 6
Lothar Linke*[40] Oberleutnant 24 3 27 ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2 killed in action 14 May 1943
Peter Spoden Hauptmann 24 0 24 NJG 5, NJG 6
Wolfgang Thimmig Oberstleutnant 24 0 24 NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 4
Wolfgang Schneeweis*[41] Hauptmann 17 0 17 NJG 200 missing in action 28/29 July 1943
Helmut Woltersdorf* Oberleutnant 16 8 24 ZG 141, ZG 76, NJG 1 killed in action 2 June 1942
Hans Hahn*[6] Leutnant 13 0 13 NJG 2 killed in flying accident 11 October 1941

References

Citations

  1. Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  2. Obermaier 1989, p. 241.
  3. Obermaier 1989, p. 14.
  4. Spick 1996, p. 6
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 Scutts 1998, p. 88.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 127.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 56.
  8. Obermaier 1989, p. 82.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 77.
  10. Obermaier 1989, p. 103.
  11. Obermaier 1989, p. 68.
  12. Obermaier 1989, p. 155.
  13. Obermaier 1989, p. 55.
  14. Obermaier 1989, p. 92.
  15. Obermaier 1989, p. 83.
  16. Obermaier 1989, p. 197.
  17. Obermaier 1989, p. 110.
  18. Obermaier 1989, p. 167.
  19. Obermaier 1989, p. 91.
  20. Obermaier 1989, p. 106.
  21. Obermaier 1989, p. 86.
  22. Obermaier 1989, p. 87.
  23. Obermaier 1989, p. 84.
  24. Obermaier 1989, p. 133.
  25. Obermaier 1989, p. 138.
  26. Obermaier 1989, p. 141.
  27. Obermaier 1989, p. 170.
  28. Obermaier 1989, p. 126.
  29. Obermaier 1989, p. 147.
  30. Obermaier 1989, p. 194.
  31. Obermaier 1989, p. 184.
  32. Obermaier 1989, p. 114.
  33. Obermaier 1989, p. 171.
  34. Obermaier 1989, p. 213.
  35. Obermaier 1989, p. 62.
  36. Obermaier 1989, p. 206.
  37. Obermaier 1989, p. 121.
  38. Obermaier 1989, p. 149.
  39. Obermaier 1989, p. 202.
  40. Obermaier 1989, p. 159.
  41. Obermaier 1989, p. 199.

Bibliography

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External links

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