List of Korean War flying aces

MiG-15s photographed during combat in Korea, 1951.

Dozens of aviators were credited as flying aces in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The number of total flying aces, who are credited with downing five or more enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat, is disputed in the war.

The Korean War saw the first widespread use of jet engine-powered fighter aircraft for both sides of a conflict. Subsequently, difficulty arose in crediting the number of victories for each side, thanks in part to poor records, intentional overestimation, and the difficulty of confirming crashes in MiG alley, where the majority of air-to-air combat took place in the war. As a result, there is a large discrepancy on both sides as to the number of victories claimed versus aircraft lost, and it is extremely difficult to determine the accuracy of many victories. The ace status of dozens of pilots still remains in question.

Aviators from four nations may have qualified as aces during the Korean War; between six and nine aces have been estimated for China and up to four in North Korea. Pilots of the Soviet Union had the most difficulty confirming victories and accurately determining which pilots achieved ace status, and between 34 and 60 pilots from that nation have been postulated as possible aces in the war. For the United Nations, the United States was the only country with pilots to attain ace status, with 40 documented aces. No pilot from another UN country attained ace status, though many claimed victories. Among these, Royal Canadian Air Force pilot Ernest A. Glover claimed three victories.^[1]

Controversy

The status of many claimed aces in the Korean War is a subject of intense dispute owing to conflicting records from the two sides in the conflict. Records from the United Nations generally agree there were only 40 pilots to reach ace status during the Korean War, all of them from the United States. However, records from China, the Soviet Union, and North Korea conflict widely and accounts vary on how many aircraft on each side were lost and who is credited with the victories.^[2] Air victory claims, which are often controversial between two sides of a conflict, were particularly difficult to measure in Korea thanks to the difficulty recovering crashed aircraft and confirming losses, as well as poor records for the two sides which fought the bulk of their engagements in an area known as MiG Alley.^[3][4]

The number of aircraft lost during the war is in dispute among both the UN and the Soviet bloc nations.^[5] UN pilots claim 840 aircraft shot down during the war, while Chinese, Soviet, and North Korean sources indicate only 600 were lost among the three nations. Conversely, the Soviet Union sources claim to have shot down 800 UN aircraft, while US sources indicate only 100 were lost in combat. Overestimation of victories on both sides has been attributed to the stress and confusion of air combat situations during the war, as well as the tendency for pilots to deliberately exaggerate claims for career advancement.^[3] Claims from the Soviet-bloc nations were arguably more likely to be accurate because the majority of air-to-air action in the war occurred over Soviet airspace. However, historians suggest that numbers in these nations were deliberately exaggerated for propaganda purposes and to appease their superiors. Soviet pilots faced harsh penalties for perceived failure or ineffectiveness, making inaccurate or false claims of victories more common.^[6] Compounding the problem, both sides were using jet engine-powered fighter aircraft on a large scale for the first time, and the high speeds of combat made visual identification of damaged and destroyed aircraft difficult. As a result, UN planners required multiple witnesses to confirm victories, hoping to gain the best intelligence possible. Soviet leaders had relatively lax standards for confirming kills at the beginning of the war, leading to widespread over-claiming.^[7] Both sides made extensive use of gun cameras to better track effectiveness, but Soviet cameras were less effective, further contributing to over-claiming.^[8]

The Soviet bloc nations claim to have destroyed a combined total of between 1,000 and 1,600 UN aircraft in air-to-air combat, the most common number in sources being 1,106 UN aircraft total, including 651 F-86 Sabres. The most authoritative numbers indicate 1,016 UN aircraft, including 595 Sabres. Chinese sources claim an additional 330 victories, including 211 Sabres. The most common number used is a total of 271 victories for China and North Korea.^[9] Other, more recent works claim 1,337 UN aircraft.^[10]

During the entire course of the war, UN air forces lost about 3,000 aircraft. US Air Force reported a total of 1,466 aircraft lost to all causes.^[11] with 757 of them lost to enemy action.^[10] Of these only 139 were destroyed in air-to-air combat, with another 305 unknown or missing. Of these, just 78 Sabres were listed as lost in combat, with 26 missing.^[9] US Navy and Marine Corp lost 1,248 aircraft to all causes ^[12] and the other UN countries lost about 300 aircraft.

Tallying claims for the many Soviet pilots who claim to have achieved ace status is extremely difficult. The system of claims awards in that former country is unclear and appears to have been highly inconsistent during the conflict. There is also no single list of victories for each pilot in the Soviet Union, with numbers instead drawn from after action reports and accounts from pilots and unit leaders. These complications, in addition to the intentional exaggeration of kills in order to please superiors, means that the about 50 Soviet pilots claiming ace status have a total number of victories which far exceeds the number of aircraft the UN troops lost in the Korean War's air battles.^[2] Realizing the chronic problem with false claims, Soviet leaders began to tighten the criteria for confirming victories in 1952. As a result, far fewer Soviet pilots were made aces in the second half of the war.^[13]

List of aces

China

Various sources claim that between six and nine Chinese pilots attained ace status during the course of the war.^[2] A report from the United States Air Force listed six Chinese pilots attained ace status during the Korean War.^[14] Although all Chinese aces have received the title Combat Hero in acknowledgement of their services,^[15] very little information is known of the Chinese pilots during the war due to the lack of published records.^[16]

      This with the * indicates that the pilot was either killed in action or killed in a training event during the war.
      This indicates that certain historians have expressed doubt regarding the ace status of the pilot listed.

Photo	Name	Service	Rank	Victories	Unit	Aircraft	Notes
—	Zhao Baotong	PLAAF	not applicable[note 1]	9[14]	3rd Fighter Aviation Division[17]	MiG 15	First Chinese pilot to achieve ace status.[17] Also known as Chao Bao Tun.[16]
—	Wang Hai	PLAAF	not applicable	9[14]	3rd Fighter Aviation Division[18]	MiG 15	Although the USAF report listed Wang's nine victories, historian Zhang Xiaoming contended that only four victories were actual kills while other five were damages.[18] Also known as Van Hai.[14]
—	Li Han	PLAAF	not applicable	8[14]	4th Fighter Aviation Division[19]	MiG 15	First Chinese pilot credited with shooting down a U.S. aircraft.[19]
—	Lu Min	PLAAF	not applicable	8[14]	12th Fighter Aviation Division[20]	MiG 15	Later purged due to alleged connections with Marshal Lin Biao's coup attempt against Mao Zedong.[21]
—	Fan Wanzhang*	PLAAF	not applicable	8[14]	3rd Fighter Aviation Division[15]	MiG 15	Also known as Fan Van Chou.[16] Killed in action on August 8, 1952.[15]
—	Sun Shenlu*	PLAAF	not applicable	6[14]	3rd Fighter Aviation Division[22]	MiG 15	Killed in action on December 3, 1952 near the Ch'ongch'on River.[22]
—	Liu Yudi	PLAAF	not applicable	6[15]	3rd Fighter Aviation Division[23]	MiG 15	Although Liu was credited with four victories during a single mission on November 23, 1951, US Air Force records indicated that only two F-84 were actually damaged with no aircraft lost.[24]
—	Han Decai	PLAAF	not applicable	5 {?}[25]		MiG 15	In a December 2001 issue of Military History magazine Confirmed 2 shot down claims {fifth Credit was US Ace Harold Fischer} and couldnt confirm 4 others; however KORWALD listing of USAF losses in the Korean War confirm 2 aircraft lost in action and 2 aircraft damaged. [26]

North Korea

There is some controversy as to whether any pilots of the North Korean People's Air Force attained ace status. Various sources claim there were either zero, two or four aces from North Korea.^[2] Research by the United States Air Force in 1999 concluded two North Korean pilots may have attained the status.^[14] However, historian Michael J. Varhola subsequently contended that Chinese and Soviet records indicate it is unlikely any North Korean pilots attained enough victories for ace status.^[16]

      This with the * indicates that the pilot was either killed in action or killed in a training event during the war.
      This indicates that certain historians have expressed doubt regarding the ace status of the pilot listed.

Photo	Name	Service	Rank	Victories	Unit	Aircraft	Notes
—	Kam Den Dek	KPAF	unknown	8	1st Air Division	MiG 15	Ace status disputed.[14]
—	Kim Di San	KPAF	unknown	6	1st Air Division	MiG 15	Ace status disputed.[14]

Soviet Union

Various sources claim between 43 and 60 pilots from the Soviet Union attained ace status in the conflict.^[2] Most sources claim around 50 pilots attained ace status during the Korean War, of whom many are very controversial.^[9] Research by the United States Air Force named 52 pilots who may have had legitimate claim to the title, though little is known of some of the pilots and it is impossible all of them attained the title with the number of aircraft the USAF claims to have lost in the war.^[2] Subsequent independent sources generally agree the number of aces claimed was around 52, but 15 names differ among the lists, particularly lower-scoring pilots. The number of victories for virtually all of the ace pilots is subject to dispute. Listed are names of 67 Soviet pilots attributed as aces in various sources. Of these, the ace status of 30 are in question among historians.^[27]

      This with the * indicates that the pilot was either killed in action or killed in a training event during the war.
      This indicates that certain historians have expressed doubt regarding the ace status of the pilot listed.

Photo	Name	Service	Rank[27]	Victories[14]	Unit[27]	Aircraft	Notes
—	Yevgeny Pepelyaev	VVS	Polkovnik	022522.5 (1 Shared)	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.[28] Various sources credit Pepelyaev with 19, 20, or 23 aircraft. Of the issue, Pepelyaev claimed he was "absolutely sure" of only six of his victories, of which he had seen only two of the aircraft crash into the ground.[9]
—	Nikolay V. Sutyagin	VVS	Major	022022 (2 Shared)	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP), 523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.[28]
—	Alexandr P. Smortzkow	VVS	Podpolkovnik	015015	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Lev K. Schukin	VVS	Kapitan	015015	18th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15
—	Dimitri P. Oskin	VVS	Major	014014	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Number of victories is disputed, and may be 11.[14]
—	Mikhail S. Ponomaryev	VVS	Major	014014	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Number of victories is disputed, and may be 11.[14]
—	Sergei M. Kramarenko	VVS	Kapitan	013013	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union. Scored between 3 and 14 victories in World War II. He is one of four Soviet pilots to claim ace status in both wars. One of Kramarenko's victories in Korea is disputed.[28]
—	Ivan A. Suchkov	VVS	Kapitan	012012	176th Guards Fighter Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Number of victories is disputed and may be 10.[14]
—	Konstantin N. Sheberstov	VVS	Major	012012	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Number of victories is disputed. In 1951, he made a false claim on one of Yevgeny Pepelyaev's victories and was exposed, disgracing Sheberstov.[28]
—	Stepan A. Bahayev	VVS	Major	011011	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Nikolai K. Dokashenko	VVS	Kapitan	011011	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Grigorii U. Ohay	VVS	Kapitan	011011	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Also claimed 6 or 8 victories in World War II.[29]
—	Pomaz	VVS	unknown	011011	494th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Dimitri A. Samoilov	VVS	Starshiy leytenant	010010	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Pavel S. Milaushkin	VVS	Kapitan	010010	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15
—	Grigorii I. Pulov	VVS	Podpolkovnik	010010	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Number is disputed, and may be 8.[14]
—	Mikhail I. Mihin	VVS	Kapitan	00909	518th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.[13]
—	Serafim P. Subbotin	VVS	Major	00909	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union. Some sources claim Subbotin had up to 15 victories, though most sources agree on 9.[28]
—	H. V. Zabelin	VVS	Major	00909	256th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP), 821st Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Grigorii I. Ges	VVS	Kapitan	00808	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Also claimed 5 victories in World War II. Some sources claim Ges may have had up to 10 victories, though most sources agree on 8.[29]
—	V. N. Alfeev	VVS	Kapitan	00707	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources.[30]
—	P. N. Antonov	VVS	Major	00707	18th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	N. N. Babonin	VVS	unknown	00707	18th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Semen A. Fedorets	VVS	Major	00707	913th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Lev M. Ivanov	VVS	Kapitan	00707	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	A. N. Karasev	VVS	Podpolkovnik	00707	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[27]
—	A. I. Mitusov	VVS	Podpolkovnik	00707	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	V. F. Shulev	VVS	Kapitan	00707	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	N. S. Volkov	VVS	Kapitan	00707	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	Ivan M. Zaplavnev	VVS	Kapitan	00707	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	S. S. Artemchenko	VVS	Major	00606	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	Arkadii S. Boitsov	VVS	Major	00606	16th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.[13]
—	B. V. Bokatz	VVS	Kapitan	00606	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	V. M. Hvostontsev	VVS	unknown	00606	unknown	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Nikolai I. Ivanov	VVS	unknown	00606	726th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	A. A. Kalyuzhniy	VVS	Major	00606	Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	A. P. Nikolayev	VVS	unknown	00606	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	P. F. Nikulin	VVS	unknown	00606	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Fiodor A. Shebanov*	VVS	Starshiy leytenant	00606	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Killed in action October 29, 1951.[31]
—	F. A. Vesshnyakov	VVS	Polkovnik	00606	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15
—	Nikolai M. Zameskin	VVS	Major	00606	878th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	Boris S. Abakumov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	A. T. Bashman	VVS	Major	00505	148th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15
—	V. I. Belousov	VVS	unknown	00505	324th Fighter Air Division (IAD), 303rd Fighter Air Division (IAD)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Grigorii N. Berelidze	VVS	Kapitan	00505	224th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	G. I. Bogdanov	VVS	unknown	00505	unknown	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Bychkov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	17th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not the US Air Force.[30]
—	Nikolai I. Gerasimenko	VVS	unknown	00505	18th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	S. D. Danilov	VVS	unknown	00505	unknown	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Grigorii F. Dmitryuk	VVS	Major	00505	821st Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	N. M. Goncharov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	Anatoli M. Karelin	VVS	Major	00505	351st Fighter Air Regiment (IAP), 303rd Fighter Air Division (IAD)	MiG 15	Awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.[13]
—	V. I. Kolyadin	VVS	Podpolkovnik	00505	28th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[27]
—	Nikolai L. Korniyenko	VVS	Kapitan	00505	18th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15
—	A. M. Kochegarov	VVS	unknown	00505	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	V. L. Lepikov	VVS	unknown	00505	415th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	V. G. Muravyov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	Stepan I. Naumenko	VVS	Kapitan	00505	29th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	First Soviet ace in the war, scoring his fifth kill on December 24, 1950.[27]
—	Boris A. Obraztsov*	VVS	unknown	00505	176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Killed in action. Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	Afanasii A. Olenitsa	VVS	Major	00505	821st Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	V. P. Popov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	A. R. Prudnikov	VVS	unknown	00505	821st Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Listed by the USAF report but not independent sources.[14]
—	G. T. Shatalov*	VVS	Starshiy leytenant	00505	523rd Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Killed in action November 28, 1951. Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[27]
—	Boris N. Siskov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	224th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15	Final soviet ace of the war, scoring his fifth victory on July 20, 1953.[30]
—	N. K. Shelamanov	VVS	Kapitan	00505	196th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP)	MiG 15
—	V. I. Stepanov	VVS	Starshiy leytenant	00505	18th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	Listed by independent sources but not the USAF report.[30]
—	Nicolai I. Shkodin	VVS	unknown	00505	147th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (GvIAP)	MiG 15	The USAF report found Shkodin had been credited with 5 victories but could only confirm three of them. Independent sources do not list Shkodin on lists of aces.[14]

United States

Of 40 United States military servicemen who attained ace status in Korea, all but one of them flew primarily the F-86 Sabre during their air-to-air fights. Early in the war against the older North Korean People's Air Force aircraft, US pilots flew a variety of aircraft including the F-51 Mustang, F-80 Shooting Star and F-82 Twin Mustang. However, with the introduction of the MiG 15 when the People's Liberation Army Air Force entered the conflict, only the Sabre fighter could match the Soviet-built fighters in single combat.^[32]

The pilots who attained ace status in the war scored a disproportionate number of kills in the conflict. Of 1,000 fighter pilots who served in the war, only 355 were credited with aerial victories. A total of 756.5 victories were credited for aircraft shot down by the UN, with the 40 aces shooting down a total of 310.5 aircraft, or 40 percent of the total. The top five aces are credited with a combined ten percent of the UN aircraft victories of the war.^[33] In addition to the 40 pilots who attained ace status in the Korean War, another 17 US pilots who had been aces in World War II claimed additional kills in the Korean War. Two Canadian World War II aces, J. Lindsay and John McKay, also garnered additional kills in the conflict.^[14]

      This with the * indicates that the pilot was either killed in action or killed in a training event during the war.

Photo	Name[1]	Service	Rank	Victories[34]	Unit	Aircraft	Notes
	McConnell, Joseph C.Joseph C. McConnell	USAF	Captain	16016	39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Was a navigator for the B-24 Liberator during World War II. Killed in a 1954 training accident.[34]
	Jabara, JamesJames Jabara	USAF	Major	15015	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 1.5 kills (1 shared) flying a P-51 Mustang in World War II.[1]
	Manuel J. "Pete" Fernandez	USAF	Captain	14514.5 (1 Shared)	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Killed in a 1980 aircraft crash.[1][35]
	George A. Davis*	USAF	Major	14014	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Shot down 10 February 1952. His death generated controversy between China and the Soviet Union, in which both MiG pilots Zhang Jihui and Mikhail A. Averin had claimed to be his assailant.[35] Received the Medal of Honor for his actions and posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Also claimed 7 kills in the P-47 Thunderbolt in World War II.[1]
	Royal N. "King" Baker	USAF	Colonel	13013	48th Fighter Group	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 3.5 kills (1 shared) in World War II.[1]
	Frederick C. "Boots" Blesse	USAF	Major	10010	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	P-51 Mustang F-80 Shooting Star F-86 Sabre
	Harold E. Fischer	USAF	First Lieutenant	10010	39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Shot down and captured in China on April 7, 1953.[36]
	James K. Johnson	USAF	Colonel	10010	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 1 kill in World War II.[1]
	Lonnie R. Moore	USAF	Captain	10010	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Killed in a 1956 aircraft crash.[1][34]
	Ralph Parr	USAF	Captain	10010	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	[1]
	Vermont Garrison	USAF	Lieutenant Colonel	10010	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 7.3 kills (1 Shared among three pilots) in World War II[1]
	Cecil G. Foster	USAF	Captain	0909	16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	James F. Low	USAF	First Lieutenant	0909	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	James P. Hagerstrom	USAF	Major	0858.5 (1 Shared)	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 6 kills in World War II.[1]
	James Robinson "Robbie" Risner	USAF	Major	0808	336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	George I. Ruddell	USAF	Lieutenant Colonel	0808	39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	Henry Buttelman	USAF	First Lieutenant	0707	25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Was the youngest American ace of the war, claiming 5 victories in 12 days.[1]
—	Clifford D. Jolley	USAF	Captain	0707	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
—	Leonard W. Lilley	USAF	Captain	0707	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	Donald E. Adams*	USAF	Major	0656.5 (1 Shared)	16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Killed in an airshow crash on August 30, 1952.[37]
	Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski	USAF	Colonel	0656.5 (1 Shared)	4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 28 kills in World War II.[1]
—	George L. Jones	USAF	Lieutenant Colonel	0656.5 (1 Shared)	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing	F-86 Sabre
	Winton W. Marshall	USAF	Major	0656.5 (1 Shared)	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	John F. Bolt	USMC	Major	0606	39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 6 kills in World War II.[1]
	James H. Kasler	USAF	First Lieutenant	0606	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
—	Robert J. Love	USAF	Captain	0606	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	William T. Whisner	USAF	Major	0555.5 (1 Shared)	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	Robert P. Baldwin	USAF	Colonel	0505	16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
—	Richard S. Becker	USAF	Captain	0505	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
—	Stephen L. Bettinger	USAF	Major	0505	336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 1 kill in World War II.[1] Was the final American ace of the war with his final victory claimed on July 20, 1953. Was subsequently shot down and taken prisoner.[38]
	Guy Bordelon	USN	Lieutenant (navy)	0505	Composite Squadron 3	F4U-5NL Corsair	Only US Navy aviator to be awarded ace status.[38]
—	Richard D. Creighton	USAF	Major	0505	336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
—	Clyde A. Curtin	USAF	Captain	0505	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
—	Ralph D. "Hoot" Gibson	USAF	Captain	0505	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	Iven C. Kincheloe	USAF	Captain	0505	25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Killed in a 1958 aircraft crash.[39]
—	Robert T. Latshaw	USAF	Captain	0505	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	Robert H. Moore	USAF	Captain	0505	336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre
	Dolphin D. Overton	USAF	Captain	0505	16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Attained Ace status in the shortest time of any American pilot in the war with five victories in four days.[38]
	Harrison R. Thyng	USAF	Colonel	0505	335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing	F-86 Sabre	Also claimed 5 kills in World War II. Credited to have shot down pilots of more nationalities of any American ace, with victories against Nazi Germany, Vichy France and the Empire of Japan.[38]
	William Westcott	USAF	Major	0505	25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing	F-86 Sabre
	Charles G. Cleveland	USAF	First Lieutenant	0505	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron	F-86 Sabre	Fifth victory was not recognized by the US Air Force until 2008.[40]

References

Footnotes

1. The Chinese military did not have military ranks until 1955.

Citations

1. Varhola 2000, p. 42
2. Werrell 2005, p. 214
3. Werrell 2005, p. 141
4. Krylov & Tepsurkaev 2008, p. 6
5. Krylov & Tepsurkaev 2008, p. 9
6. Werrell 2005, p. 142
7. Krylov & Tepsurkaev 2008, p. 7
8. Krylov & Tepsurkaev 2008, p. 8
9. Werrell 2005, p. 143
10. Werrell 2005, p. 213
11. Futrell 1961, p. 645
12. Hallion 1986, p. 286
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