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.

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.

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. Little is known of some of the pilots and their combined tally is incompatible 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.^[25]

  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.

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.^[30]

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.^[31] 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]

Similarly to the Chinese and Soviet aces, the kill totals of many American pilots are disputed. Their combined tally is incompatible with recorded losses by communist forces.

  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[32]	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.[32]
	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][33]
	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.[33] 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.[34]
	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][32]
	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.[35]
	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.[36]
	Guy Bordelon	USN	Lieutenant (navy)	0505	Composite Squadron 3	F4U-5NL Corsair	Only US Navy aviator to be awarded ace status.[36]
—	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	Colonel	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.[37]
—	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.[36]
	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.[36]
	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.[38]

References

Footnotes

Citations

Sources

Korean War
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Korean People's Army) Republic of Korea (Republic of Korea Armed Forces)
Participants	Australia Belgium and Luxembourg Canada China Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Netherlands New Zealand Philippines Thailand Turkey South Africa Soviet Union United Kingdom United States Arkansas Army National Guard 65th Infantry Regiment (Puerto Rico)
Medical (non-combat) participants	Denmark India Italy Norway Sweden
Popular culture	Documentary films Films Books Reenactment M*A*S*H Television series
Order of battle	Australia China United Nations contingents United States Eighth Army United States Seventh Fleet
Other	Aftermath Allegations of biological warfare American and British defectors Armistice Flying aces Impact on the economy of the United States MiG Alley Operation Blacklist Forty Operation Glory United Nations Memorial Cemetery Weapons