List of German World War II night fighter aces

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 Russian 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. It is relatively certain that 2,500 German fighter pilots attained ace status, having achieved at least 5 aerial victories.^[2] These achievements were honored with 453 German day and Zerstörer (destroyer) pilots having 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.

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	Picture
Schnaufer, Heinz-WolfgangHeinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer^[4]	Major	121	0	121	NJG 1, NJG 4	—	—
Lent, HelmutHelmut Lent*^[4]	Oberst	102	8	110	ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3	killed in flying accident 7 October 1944
Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein*^[4]	Major	83	0	83	NJG 2	killed in action 21 January 1944	—
Streib, WernerWerner Streib^[4]	Oberst	67	1	68	ZG 1, NJG 1	—	—
Meurer, ManfredManfred Meurer*^[4]	Hauptmann	65	0	65	NJG 1, NJG 5	killed in action 21 January 1944	— —
Radusch, GüntherGünther Radusch^[4]	Oberst	64	1	65	ZG 1, NJG 1, NJG 3, NJG 2	—	—
Schoenert, RudolfRudolf Schoenert^[4]	Major	64	0	64	NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJGr 10, NJG 5	—	—
Rokker, HeinzHeinz Rökker^[4]	Hauptmann	63	1	64	NJG 2	—	—
Zorner, PaulPaul Zorner^[4]	Major	59	0	59	NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100, NJG 5	—	—
Becker, MartinMartin Becker^[4]	Hauptmann	58	0	58	NJG 4, NJG 6	—	—
Raht, GerhardGerhard Raht^[4]	Hauptmann	58	0	58	NJG 3, NJG 2	—	—
Herget, WilhelmWilhelm Herget^[4]	Major	57	16	73	ZG 76, NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 4, JV 44	—	—
Welter, KurtKurt Welter^[4]	Oberleutnant	56	7	63	JG 301, Kdo Welter, NJG 11	—	—
Francsi, GustavGustav Francsi^[4]	Oberleutnant	56	0	56	NJG 100	—	—
Kraft, JosefJosef Kraft^[4]	Hauptmann	56	0	56	NJG 4, NJG 5, NJG 6, NJG 1	—	—
Struning, HeinzHeinz Strüning*^[4]	Hauptmann	56	0	56	ZG 26, NJG 2, NJG 1	killed in action 25 December 1944
Frank, Hans-DieterHans-Dieter Frank*^[4]	Hauptmann	55	0	55	ZG 1, NJG 1	killed in action 27 September 1943	— —
Vinke, HeinzHeinz Vinke*^[4]	Oberfeldwebel	54	0	54	NJG 1	killed in action 26 February 1944	— —
Geiger, AugustAugust Geiger*^[4]	Hauptmann	53	0	53	NJG 1	killed in action 29 September 1943	— —
Lippe-Weißenfeld, Egmont Prinz zurEgmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld*^[4]	Major	51	0	51	ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 5	Killed in flying accident 22 March 1944
Hoffmann, WernerWerner Hoffmann^[4]	Major	50	1	51	ZG 52, ZG 2, NJG 3, NJG 5	—	—
Kollak, ReinhardReinhard Kollak^[4]	Stabsfeldwebel	49	0	49	NJG 1, NJG 4	—	—
Greiner, HermannHermann Greiner^[4]	Hauptmann	47	4	51	NJG 1	—	—
Lütje, HerbertHerbert Lütje^[4]	Oberstleutnant	47	3	50	NJG 1, NJG 6	—
Hager, JohannesJohannes Hager^[5]	Hauptmann	47	1	48	NJG 1	—	—
Gildner, PaulPaul Gildner*^[6]	Oberleutnant	46	2	48	ZG 1, NJG 1	killed in action 24 February 1943	—
Augenstein, Hans-HeinzHans-Heinz Augenstein*^[7]	Hauptmann	46	0	46	NJG 1	killed in action 7 December 1944	—
Becker, LudwigLudwig Becker*^[6]	Hauptmann	46	0	46	NJG 1	killed in action 26 February 1943	—
Semrau, PaulPaul Semrau*^[8]	Major	46	0	46	NJG 2	killed in action 8 February 1945
Drünkler, Ernst-GeorgErnst-Georg Drünkler^[9]	Hauptmann	45	2	47	ZG 2, NJG 1, NJG 5	—	—
Frank, RudolfRudolf Frank^[10]	Leutnant	45	0	45	NJG 3	—	—
Lechner, AloisAlois Lechner*^[11]	Major	45	0	45	NJG 2, NJG 100	missing in action 23 February 1944	—
Knacke, ReinholdReinhold Knacke*^[12]	Hauptmann	44	0	44	ZG 1, NJG 1	killed in action 3 February 1943	—
Borchers, WalterWalter Borchers*^[13]	Oberstleutnant	43	16	59	NJG 5	killed in action 6 March 1945	[[File:Bundesarchiv
Drewes, MartinMartin Drewes^[8]	Major	43	6	49	ZG 76, NJG 1	—	—
Schmidt, DietrichDietrich Schmidt	Hauptmann	43	0	43	NJG 1	—	—
Baake, WernerWerner Baake	Hauptmann	41	0	41	NJG 1	—	—
Fellerer, LeopoldLeopold Fellerer	Hauptmann	39	2	41	NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6	—	—
Meister, LudwigLudwig Meister	Hauptmann	38	1	39	NJG 1, NJG 4	—	—
Bonin, Eckart-Wilhelm vonEckart-Wilhelm von Bonin	Major	37	2	39	NJG 1, NJG 102	—	—
Ehle, WalterWalter Ehle	Major	35	4	39	ZG 1, NJG 1	—	—
Beier, WilhelmWilhelm Beier	Oberleutnant	38	0	38	NJG 2, NJG 1, NJG 3	—	—
Bergmann, HelmutHelmut Bergmann*	Hauptmann	36	0	36	NJG 4, NJG 1	—	—
Bertram, GüntherGünther Bertram	Oberleutnant	35	0	35	NJG 100	—	—
Bahr, GüntherGünther Bahr	Oberfeldwebel	34	3	37	SKG 210, NJG 4, NJG 6	—	—
Hißbach, Heinz-HorstHeinz-Horst Hißbach*^[14]	Hauptmann	34	0	34	NJG 2	killed in action 14 April 1945	—
Husemann, WernerWerner Husemann^[15]	Major	34	0	34	NJG 1, NJG 3	—	—
Johnen, WilhelmWilhelm Johnen	Hauptmann	34	0	34	NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 6	—	—
Modrow, Ernst-WilhelmErnst-Wilhelm Modrow	Hauptmann	34	0	34	NJG 1	—	—
Friedrich, GerhardGerhard Friedrich*	Major	33	0	33	NJG 4, NJG 6	killed in action 16 March 1945	—
Hadeball, Heinz-MartinHeinz-Martin Hadeball^[16]	Hauptmann	33	0	33	NJG 1, NJG 4, NJG 6, NJGr 10	—	—
Kociok, JosefJosef Kociok	Oberfeldwebel	33	0	33	ZG 76, SKG 210, 10(NJ)/ZG 1	—	—
Scherfling, Karl-HeinzKarl-Heinz Scherfling*	Oberfeldwebel	33	0	33	NJG 1	killed in action 21 July 1944	—
Rauh, Paul-HubertPaul-Hubert Rauh	Major	31	0	31	NJG 1, NJG 4	—	—
Ferger, HeinzHeinz Ferger	Hauptmann	30	0	30	NJG 2, NJG 3	—	—
Leickhardt, HansHans Leickhardt	Major	30	0	30	NJG 3, NJG 1, NJG 5	missing in action 5 March 1945	—
Müller, Friedrich-KarlFriedrich-Karl Müller	Major	30	0	30	JG 300, NJGr 10	—	—
Szameitat, PaulPaul Szameitat*^[17]	Hauptmann	28	1	29	NJG 1, NJG 5, NJG 3	killed in action 2 January 1944	—
Jabs, Hans-JoachimHans-Joachim Jabs	Oberstleutnant	28	22	50	ZG 76, NJG 1	—
Sigmund, RudolfRudolf Sigmund*	Hauptmann	26	2	28	NJG 1	killed in action 4 October 1943	—
Grimm, HeinzHeinz Grimm*^[18]	Leutnant	26	1	27	NJG 1	Died of wounds 13 October 1943	—
Köster, AlfonsAlfons Köster*	Hauptmann	25	1	26	NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 3	killed in action 6 January 1945	—
Linke, LotharLothar Linke*	Oberleutnant	24	3	27	ZG 76, NJG 1, NJG 2	killed in action 14 May 1943	—
Thimmig, WolfgangWolfgang Thimmig	Oberstleutnant	24	0	24	NJG 1, NJG 2, NJG 4	—	—
Woltersdorf, HelmutHelmut Woltersdorf*	Oberleutnant	16	8	24	ZG 141, ZG 76, NJG 1	killed in action 2 June 1942	—
Hahn, HansHans Hahn*^[5]	Leutnant	13	0	13	NJG 2	killed in flying accident 11 October 1941	—

References[]

Citations

↑ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 241.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 14.
↑ ^4.00 ^4.01 ^4.02 ^4.03 ^4.04 ^4.05 ^4.06 ^4.07 ^4.08 ^4.09 ^4.10 ^4.11 ^4.12 ^4.13 ^4.14 ^4.15 ^4.16 ^4.17 ^4.18 ^4.19 ^4.20 ^4.21 ^4.22 ^4.23 Scutts 1998, p. 88.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 127.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 56.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 82.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 77.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 103.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 68.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 155.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 55.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 92.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 133.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 138.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 126.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 213.
↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 121.

Bibliography

"Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer". Verlagshaus Würzburg. 2007. ISBN 978-3-88189-736-5. .
"Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 - 1945" (in German). Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. 1989. ISBN 3-87341-065-6. .
"German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2". Osprey Publishing. 1998. ISBN 1-85532-696-5. .
"Luftwaffe Fighter Aces". Ivy Books. 1996. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2. .

External links[]

Night Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe

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The original article can be found at List of German World War II night fighter aces and the edit history here.

[1] Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.

[2] Obermaier 1989, p. 241.

[3] Obermaier 1989, p. 14.

[Scutts_p88-4] 4.00 ^4.01 ^4.02 ^4.03 ^4.04 ^4.05 ^4.06 ^4.07 ^4.08 ^4.09 ^4.10 ^4.11 ^4.12 ^4.13 ^4.14 ^4.15 ^4.16 ^4.17 ^4.18 ^4.19 ^4.20 ^4.21 ^4.22 ^4.23 Scutts 1998, p. 88.

[Obermaier_p127-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 127.

[Obermaier_p56-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 56.

[7] Obermaier 1989, p. 82.

[Obermaier_p77-8] 8.0 ^8.1 Obermaier 1989, p. 77.

[9] Obermaier 1989, p. 103.

[10] Obermaier 1989, p. 68.

[11] Obermaier 1989, p. 155.

[12] Obermaier 1989, p. 55.

[13] Obermaier 1989, p. 92.

[14] Obermaier 1989, p. 133.

[15] Obermaier 1989, p. 138.

[16] Obermaier 1989, p. 126.

[17] Obermaier 1989, p. 213.

[18] Obermaier 1989, p. 121.

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