Colonel Paul’s Corner – No More Aces

The word “Ace” came into popular use in the English language in the 18th century. The meaning then and now is “the best at something”. The expert at any given undertaking. It is the highest ranking card in a deck of playing cards. Strangely enough, until the early 16th century the King was the highest card in the deck.

The first use of the word Ace in aviation was in French newspapers in WWI. The French used the word to designate a heroic pilot who had shot down five or more enemy airplanes. We still use that standard today. Prior to U.S. entry into WWI, over 200 American pilots went to the war in Europe to fly for the English and French. Some claimed to be Canadians to make their enlistment easier.

Most American pilots were scattered among British and French units. The French also created an all-American unit, the Lafayette Escadrille, composed of 38 American pilots. The most famous was Eddie Rickenbacker who scored 26 victories to become America’s “Ace of Aces”. History’s first American Ace is a matter of dispute. The first American pilot to shoot down five aircraft was Gervais Raoul Lufbery who ended up with 17 kills. Because Lufbery was flying with a foreign unit, many historians claim Paul Baer to be the first as he was flying in an American unit after the U.S. entered the war. The top Ace in WWI is not in dispute. Manfred Von Richthofen, also known as The Red Baron, shot down 80 aircraft before he was killed in 1918.

World War II once again saw American adventurers flying in foreign air forces before America entered the war. Almost 250 Americans went to England to fly in three “Eagle Squadrons”. Seventy eight would be killed before the Eagle Squadrons were absorbed into the U.S. Army’s 8th Air Force in September, 1942. One hundred American pilots and 200 ground crew members went to fly P-40s for the Chinese Air Force. They were the famous “Flying Tigers”. Twenty of them became Aces, destroying almost 300 Japanese aircraft before the unit was made part of the U.S. Army in July, 1942. The Soviet Air Force accepted no foreigners.

The massive U.S. Army Air Force flying in every theater of war produced more than 1200 Aces in World War II. The top American Ace was Richard Bong who flew the twin-engine P-38 fighter in the Pacific while shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft. World War II also produced history’s top ace. He was the German pilot, Erich Hartmann, who shot down an incredible 352 enemy aircraft. He counted 345 Soviet aircraft on the Eastern front and seven American aircraft in Western Europe.

Korea produced six American Aces including James Jabara, our first Jet Ace flying the F-86 Sabre Jet. The war in Vietnam produced two Aces among our pilots, Steve Ritchie of the Air Force and Randy Cunningham of the Navy, both flying F-4s. The North Vietnamese had 18 Aces flying the Mig 17 and the Mig 21. There has been no Ace since Vietnam. Cunningham later served a prison sentence for accepting bribes while a member of congress.

Richard Bong and Erich Hartmann will forever hold their records. The reason is simple. Air warfare has changed. Although our F-22, F-35, and Super Hornet are light years ahead of past fighter planes and our pilots are the most skilled in history, they will never have the opportunity to shoot down five enemy aircraft. Massive air battles have not happened since WWII. The weapon of choice today is the unmanned air vehicle. Drones and missiles. We have thus far produced more than 9000 Tomahawk cruise missiles and used almost 3000. They travel up to 1500 miles to deliver a 1000 lb high explosive warhead within 30 feet of the target. No pilots are at risk. The downside is they cost over $2 million each to build.

By Paul Warrick: January 29, 2026 - Great Falls, Mt