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The Flying Tiger aces

Here are the nineteen pilots credited with five or more air-to-air victories during their year with the American Volunteer Group, based on my research and that of Frank Olynyck. (Click here for victories attributed to AVG pilots in the air and on the ground.) Where scores are tied, I list the names alphabetically. If you have additional information about any of these men, please send email. Meanwhile, thanks to Skip Guidry, Tom Pearson, and Rick Siciliano for helping update this file.

Red Tails is a 2012 American war film directed by Anthony Hemingway in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. The film is about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) servicemen during World War II. Dec 14, 2016 Guadalcanal Hero, C.O. VMF-212, Medal of Honor Recipient. By Stephen Sherman, July, 1999. Updated December 14, 2016. H arold 'Indian Joe' Bauer, CO of VMF-212 was possibly the finest fighter pilot in the Marine Corps. An Annapolis graduate and a football player, he had spent seven years in Marine aviation before 1942.

1 - Robert Neale

A Seattle resident, Bob Neale was a dive-bomber pilot on Saratoga when he joined the AVG. He took over the 1st Squadron Adam & Eves after Sandy Sandell was killed, and was decorated by the British government (Distinguished Service Order) for his exploits in Burma. Awarded the Ten Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. Neale was one of the pilots who volunteered two weeks' additional service in China after the group was disbanded; during that interim, he commanded the U.S. Army's 23rd Fighter Group--as a civilian!--pending the arrival of the designated commander, Colonel Robert Scott. After returning to the States, he served as a civilian transport or ferry pilot for Pan American World Airways. Postwar, he returned to Seattle and ran a fishing resort until his death in 1994. The AVG records credit him with 13 air-to-air victories:
  • 23 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 24 Jan 1942: 2 Ki-21 Sally bombers
  • 26 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 6 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 25 Feb 1942: 4 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 26 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 3 May 1942: 1 Ki-15? observation plane

2 - David Lee (Tex) Hill

Born in Korea to a missionary father who later became chaplain to the Texas Rangers, Tex Hill was also a Navy dive-bomber pilot when recruited for the AVG, serving on Ranger on the east coast. He replaced Jack Newkirk as commander of the 2nd Squadron Panda Bears in March 1942. He was decorated with the British Distiguished Flying Cross and the Chinese Nine Star Wing Medal. Devoted to Chennault, he was one of only five Flying Tigers who accepted induction into the U.S. Army in July 1942. He was given the rank of major and the command of the 75th Fighter Squadron. On his second combat tour in China, he served as commander of the 23rd Fighter Group, scoring six more air-to-air victories to become a triple ace. Postwar, he served in the Texas Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a brigadier general. He died in 2007. The AVG record credits him with 10.25 air-to-air victories:
  • 3 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 23 Jan 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 24 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-21 Sally bomber + 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 29 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 24 Apr 1942: shared 1 Ki-15 Sonia observation plane
  • 28 Apr 1942: 2 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighters
  • 5 May 1942: 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter
  • 6 July 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter

3a - George Burgard

A native of Pennsylvania, George Burgard was born August 12, 1915. He attended Bucknell and spent six years as a newspaperman before joining the Army. Trained in B-17s, he was serving as a Ferry Command pilot when he joined the AVG. He was awarded a Ten-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. Following his AVG service, he flew for American Export Lines. Postwar, he ran a machine shop in Pennsylvania, dying in 1978. The record shows him in a three-way tie as a double ace:
  • 21 Feb 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 25 Feb 1942: 1 bomber + 2 fighters
  • 26 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 12 Jun 1942: 1 Ki-45 Toryu fighter + 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter (the Toryu was piloted by Sgt. Jiro Ieiri, commander of 'Nagano Force' of five or more Ki-45s based at Canton; Ieiri was killed in the crash, but the radioman-gunner survived to have his picture taken with Burgard and other Flying Tigers)

3b - Robert Little

Bob Little is shown as a native of Spokane. Likewise recruited from the Army Air Corps (probably from the 8th Pursuit Group at Mitchel Field), and likewise a double ace, he was killed in action while bombing Japanese positions on the Salween River, 22 May 1942. He was hit by anti-aircraft fire, which may have exploded a bomb on his P-40E Kittyhawk.
  • 29 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 6 Feb 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 25 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 26 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 8 Apr 1942: 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter

3c - Charles Older

An honors graduate of UCLA, Chuck Older joined the marines as a breather before law school. He was awarded a Nine-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. Following the AVG, he joined the Army and returned to China with the 23rd Fighter Group, credited with six more victories and ending the war as a lieutenant colonel. He earned his law degree from the University of Southern California. He was recalled to active duty in 1950 and flew a Douglas B-26 Invader during the Korean War--probably the only Flying Tiger to fly as a U.S. Air Force pilot in another conflict. Appointed to Los Angeles Superior Court in 1967, he presided most famously over the bizzare, ten-month murder trial of Charles Manson. He died in 2006.
  • 23 Dec 1941: 2 Ki-21 Sally bombers
  • 25 Dec 1941: 2 Ki-21 Sally bombers + 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter
  • 17 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-21 Sally bomber + 1 shared
  • 29 Mar 1942: 1 Ki-46 Dinah observation plane
  • 10 Apr 1942: shared 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter (flown by Sgt. Yoshito Yasuda of the 64th Sentai, who not only managed to fly back to Chiang Mai but survived the war, later writing about this combat in terms that make it impossible that he was not the pilot claimed by Older and Hedman)
  • 28 Apr 1942: 2 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighters

6 - Robert T. Smith

A native of Red Cloud, Nebraska, R. T. Smith was serving as an Army flight instructor at Randolph Field when he joined the AVG. He was awarded a Nine-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He rejoined the U.S. Army when his tour was finished, serving with the 1st Air Commando in India and Burma and ending the war as a colonel. His facsimile diary, Tale of a Tiger, is one of the best of the AVG memoirs. Postwar, he flew for Trans Word Airlines, wrote radio scripts and screenplays, co-owned a toy company, worked for Lockheed Aircraft and Flying Tiger Line, and served with the Air Force Reserve. He died in 1995. The record shows him with 8.90 air-to-air victories:
  • 23 Dec 1941: 1 Ki-21 Sally bomber + 1 shared
  • 25 Dec 1941: 2 Ki-21 Sally bombers + 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter
  • 8 Apr 1942: 2 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighters (the first was flown by Lt. Yohei Hinoki of the 64th Sentai, who was badly shot up but managed to fly home to Chiang Mai; the second belonged to Sgt. Chikara Goto, credited with two victories at Singapore, who crashed 30 or 40 miles south of Loiwing)
  • 10 Apr 1942: 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter
  • 25 Apr 1942: shared 2 Ki-15 Sonia observation planes (the loss of these planes is confirmed in Japanese records)
  • 28 Apr 1942: 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter

7 - William (Mac) McGarry

One of the few AVG recruits who'd actually flown fighter planes--Curtiss P-40s for the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field--Mac McGarry was shot down over Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 24 March 1942. (Portions of his Tomahawk are now on display at the Chiang Mai airport. It was the discovery of those relicts that prompted me to write my Flying Tigers novel Remains.) After a rough interrogation by the Japanese, he was handed over to the local authorities and the comparative comfort of a Thai jail. Postwar he lived in California. He died I think in the 1990s. The record shows him with 8 air-to-air victories:
  • 26 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 6 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 25 Feb 1942: 4 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 26 Feb 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters

8a - Charles Bond

Charlie Bond was born in Dallas on April 22, 1915. As a high-school student, he joined the ROTC and eventually the Texas National Guard. In 1935 he joined the Army in hopes of attending the West Point Preparatory School at Camp Bullis, Texas--a route for enlisted men to attend the Military Academy. Failing to win an appointment, he tried again as a flying cadet. He succeeded in becoming an officer, but was disappointed to be assigned to the 2nd Bomb Group at Langley Field, Virgina, instead of flying 'pursuit' as every young pilot dreamed of doing. He was ferrying Hudsons to the RAF when an AVG recruiter caught up with him. The British awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross for his services in Burma, and the Chinese a Seven-Star Wing Medal. After his AVG tour--which included two weeks' extra service during the transition to the 23rd Fighter Group--he became a career officer, retiring from the Air Force with the rank of major general. In 1984, he published his memoirs as A Flying Tiger's Diary. He died in 2009. He was credited with 7 air-to-air victories with the AVG:
  • 29 Jan 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 25 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 26 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 4 May 1942: 1 Ki-21 Sally bomber (the Sally belonged to the 98th Sentai based at Rangoon; it crashed inside China, and several other bombers also sustained damage from Bond's attacks)

8b - Frank Lawlor

Born in North Carolina in 1914, 'Whitey' Lawlor graduated from the state university and joined the Navy in 1938. He was a fighter pilot on Saratoga when he joined the AVG. He was awarded a Seven-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He returned to the Navy after his AVG tour, ending the war as a lieutenant commander. He died in 1973 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He tied Bond and Jack Newkirk with 7 air-to-air victories:
  • 23 Jan 1942: 4 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 29 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 5 May 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters

8c - John Newkirk

His family called him 'Scarsdale Jack,' to distinguish him from a cousin with the same name. Born in 1913, he received his Eagle Scout badge from no less a hero than the Antarctica explorer Richard Byrd. He learned to fly as a student at Rennselaer Polytechnic, where he eventually accumulated the two years' study that would qualify him to become a cadet aviator in the US Navy. He was a fighter pilot aboard Yorktown, flying the F4F Wildcat, when he volunteered for the AVG. At the age of 27, with his leadership training, he was already a dominant figure in the group by the time he arrived in Burma. By the time he was killed on the Chiang Mai raid, he too had been credited with 7 air-to-air victories, though some AVG veterans hinted broadly that were skeptical of his claims. (It is certainly true that the squadron leaders, who had the primary responsibility for signing off on victories, generally built up their scores more quickly than the other pilots.) For more about the crash, see here.
  • 3 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-44 Shoki? fighter, 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 20 Jan 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 23 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-21 Sally? bomber, 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters

11a - Robert Hedman

Duke Hedman was the only AVG pilot--and one of very few Americans--to make ace in a single day. (The record was confused when one of his victories was shifted to an earlier day, and again when his flight agreed to share all bonus credits equally.) He attended the University of North Dakota and was serving with the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field when he joined the AVG. He was awarded a Six-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He stayed on in China as a civilian transport pilot for the national airline, CNAC. Postwar, he was a pilot for Flying Tiger Line until he retired in 1971. Though his CAMCO bonus account stands at only 4.83, he was actually credited with 6 victories, putting him in a three-way tie as tenth-ranking AVG ace, and one of very few Americans who achieved acedom in a single day. Death date uncertain.
  • 25 Dec 1941: 4 Ki-21 Sally bombers + 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter
  • 10 Apr 1942: shared 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter (Sgt. Yasuda's plane; see Older's listing for more about this combat)
  • 20 Apr 1942: shared 1 Ki-15? Babs observation plane

11b - C. Joseph Rosbert

Joe Rosbert (his first initial stands for Camille) graduated from Villanova as a chemical engineer before joining the Navy in 1938. He was piloting a stately PBY Catalina for VP-44 in San Diego when the AVG signed him up. He was awarded a Six-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He served two extra weeks during the transition to the 23rd Fighter Group, then joined CNAC as a transport pilot flying cargo over the 'Hump' of the Himalayas. Postwar, he was one of the original founder-pilots of Flying Tiger Line before moving over to Chennault's Civil Air Transport, the predecessor of Air America). Later he ran several 'Flying Tiger Joe' restaurants and published Flying Tiger Joe's Adventure Story Cookbook. He died in 2009. He too had six victories in the record:
  • 25 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 26 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 12 June 1942: 2 Ki-45 Toryu fighters

11c - J. Richard Rossi

Dick Rossi was born April 19, 1915. He attended the University of California and served a hitch in the Merchant Marine before joining the Navy. He was a flight instructor at Pensacola when he joined the AVG. He was awarded a Six-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. Like the other six-victory aces, he declined to rejoin his country's armed services after the AVG disbanded, staying on in China as a CNAC pilot. He flew for Flying Tiger Line until his retirement in 1971, and was the president of the Flying Tiger Association for over 50 years. He died in 2008.
  • 28 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 25 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 26 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 12 Jun 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter

14 - Robert Prescott

Born May 5, 1913, and therefore the oldest of the AVG aces, Bob Prescott grew up in Texas but moved to California in 1934, where he attended junior college and enrolled in Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. He dropped out to join the Navy, serving as a flight instructor before he was recruited by the AVG. He was awarded a Five-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese, Returning to the U.S. when his tour with the AVG ended, he flew briefly for Trans World Airlines before heading back to China to fly for CNAC. Postwar, he founded the Flying Tiger Line, the only 'non-sked' established by World War II veterans that survived and prospered, at least until it was absorbed by FedEx. (Until the FAA put a stop to it, he used to fly AVG veterans to their annual reunions.) He died in 1978. The record shows him with 5.5 air-to-air victories:
  • 29 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 6 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 25 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 18 Apr 1942: shared 1 Ki-46? Dinah observation plane

15a - Percy Bartelt

An engineering graduate of the University of Iowa, Bartelt had served four years in the Navy when he joined the AVG. He quit the AVG in March 1942 and thus received a 'dishonorable discharge' from Chennault, depriving him of the veterans' benefits and Silver Star that were later awarded to those who stayed with the group to the end. He was the only ace to be so treated, and probably for that reason I could find no photograph of him in the AVG records. (The mug shot above is cropped from a photo of him as a US Navy pilot, sent to me by his son Rick.) He returned to the Navy as a lieutenant and served as a flight instructor until being hospitalized with a lung infection. He received a disability retirement in 1951 and worked for the state of Minnesota until retirement in 1974. He died in Fargo, ND on March 29, 1986. The record shows him in a five-way tie as the AVG's fifteenth-ranking ace:
  • 23 Jan 1942: 3 Ki-30 Ann light bombers
  • 24 Jan 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters

15b - William Bartling

A 1938 graduate of Purdue in chemical engineering, Bartling joined the navy and flew a dive bomber off the USS Wasp. He was awarded a Five-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He was one of the AVG pilots who volunteered two extra weeks' service in China to ease the transition to the 23rd Fighter group, and he afterward flew for CNAC. Postwar, he was an executive at National Skyway Freight Corporation, which morphed into the Flying Tiger Line, the most successful of the 'non-scheds' established by veterans flying war-surplus aircraft (in this case, Douglas C-47s with a rather bemused shark-mouth painted on). He died November 1979.
  • 23 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 28 Jan 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 9 May 1942: 1 Ki-46 Dinah observation plane (this was the first plane ever lost by the 18th Independent Chutai, which had been flying reconnissance missions over China for four years; it was piloted by Capt. Hideharu Takeuchi)
  • 12 June 1942: 1 Ki-45 Toryu fighter + 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
Fighter

15c - Edmund Overend

Born May 31, 1914, Eddie Overend was an honors graduate of San Diego State in 1939. A Marine pilot when recruited for the AVG, he had earlier served two years in a machine-gun company--presumably also in the Marines. He became a Flying Tiger ace shortly before his 28th birthday, a fairly advanced age for a fighter pilot in the 1940s, and was awarded a Five-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He rejoined the Corps after his AVG tour ended, flying Corsairs with VMF-321 in the Pacific. He tallied 3.5 more combat victories and finished the war with the rank of major. For a time he was head of the UNESCO mission on Taiwan. He died in 1971 and was buried at sea.
  • 23 Dec 1941: 1 Ki-21 Sally bomber
  • 25 Dec 1941: 2 Ki-21 Sally bombers
  • 8 Apr 1942: 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter
  • 28 April 1942: 1 Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter

15d - Robert Sandell

A former Army flight instructor at Maxwell Field, Sandy Sandell somehow ended up as squadron leader of the AVG 1st Squadron, called the Adam & Eves. He was not particularly liked, but in his short combat career at Rangoon he became one of the first of the AVG aces. He was killed on 7 Feb 1942 when his recently-repaired Tomahawk shed its tail on a test flight over Mingaladon airport.
  • 28 Jan 1942: 2 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 29 Jan 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters

15e - Robert H. Smith

Sometimes called Snuffy, sometimes Smitty, this Bob Smith attended Kansas State College and served in its ROTC detachment; he had 18 months in the Army Air Corps when he was recruited for the AVG. He was awarded a Five-Star Wing Medal by the Chinese. He rejoined the Army after his tour as a Flying Tiger, commanding the 18th Fighter Group in the Pacific, flying 83 missions, and ending the war as a major. Postwar, he operated a resort in Wisconsin before retiring to Florida, where he died in 1998.
  • 21 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-27 Nate fighter
  • 25 Feb 1942: 3 Ki-27 Nate fighters
  • 26 Feb 1942: 1 Ki-48 Lily bomber
Click here for victories attributed to AVG pilots

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This is a list of aviators by nickname.

A[edit]

  • 'Aggy' – Noel Agazarian, British, Battle of Britain ace
  • 'Assi' – Hans Hahn, German fighter pilot during World War II

B[edit]

  • 'Bake' – V. H. Baker, British pilot and aircraft designer[1]
  • 'The Balloon Buster' – Frank Luke, American World War I fighter ace
  • 'Bam' – C. S. Bamberger, British RAF World War II pilot
  • 'Barron' – John Worrall, British World War II RAF pilot
  • 'Beazle' – Hugh John Beazley, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Bee' – Roland Beamont, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Ben' – George Bennions, Battle of Britain ace
  • 'Big Joe' – Joe McCarthy, RAF Bomber Command pilot (617 Squadron) in the Second World War
  • 'Bing' – K. B. B. Cross, British World War II RAF pilot
  • 'Bird' – Herbert Carmichael Irwin, Irish commander of British airships including R101[2]
  • 'Black Swallow of Death' – Eugene Bullard, African-American World War I fighter pilot
  • 'The Black Devil' – Erich Hartmann, German fighter ace[3]
  • 'The Black Eagle' – Adithya Uravakonda, Indian 5 Star General, awarded 15 medals for bravery.
  • 'Blondie' – Arnold Walker, British World War II RAF pilot
  • 'Bo' – Elwyn King, Australian World War I fighter ace
  • 'Bob' – Robert A. Hoover, former airshow pilot, USAF test pilot and fighter pilot
  • 'Bobbi' – Evelyn Trout, American aviator
  • 'Bomber' – Arthur T. Harris, British commander of RAF Bomber Command during World War II[4]
  • 'Bomber George' – Harold L. George, USAAC precision bombing specialist (to distinguish him from 'Fighter' George)
  • 'Boom' – Hugh Trenchard, British World War I Royal Flying Corps general and founder of the Royal Air Force (for his loud voice)[5]
  • 'Boy'
    • Peter Mould, British Second World War fighter ace
    • Geoffrey Wellum, British Second World War fighter pilot[6]
  • 'Bubi' (German, 'young boy', 'kid')
    • Erich Hartmann, German fighter ace[3]
    • Alfred Schreiber, German jet ace
  • 'Buck' – Robert McNair, Canadian fighter ace
  • 'Bud' – George E. Day, American POW
  • 'Bully' – Emil Lang, World War 2 Luftwaffe fighter ace
  • 'Bunny' – Christopher Currant, British RAF fighter ace in World War Two
  • 'Butch'
    • Arthur T. Harris, British commander of RAF Bomber Command during World War II (from 'butcher'; affectionately given by his men)
    • Edward O'Hare, American World War II fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient
  • 'Butcher' – Arthur T. Harris, British commander of RAF Bomber Command (Air Chief Marshal) during World War II (affectionately given by his men)[7]
  • 'Buzz'
    • Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., American aviator and astronaut
    • George Beurling, Canadian RAF fighter ace (a nickname he never acknowledged)

C[edit]

  • 'Cats Eyes' – John Cunningham, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Chappie' – Daniel James, Jr., American Air Force general[8]
  • 'Chuck' – Charles E. Yeager, World War II USAAF fighter ace and first pilot to break the sound barrier in level flight
  • 'Cobber' – Edgar J. Kain, Second World War RAFfighter ace
  • 'Cobra' – Ronald Stein, USAFfighter ace
  • 'Cocky' – Hugh Dundas, British Second World War RAFfighter ace[9]
  • 'Cowboy' – Howard Peter Blatchford, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Crow' – Denis Crowley-Milling, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Cloudy' – Werner Christie, Norwegian fighter ace

D[edit]

  • 'Demon of Rabaul' – Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service fighter ace
  • 'Dizzy' – H. R. Allen, RAF fighter ace and author[10]
  • 'Dogs' – John Dundas, RAF Battle of Britain fighter ace[11]
  • 'Dogsbody' – Douglas Bader, RAF fighter ace (radio callsign while Wing Commander of Tangmere)
  • 'Dolfo' – Adolf Galland, German fighter ace
  • 'Dookie' – Jenna Dolan, first woman to fly the AV-8B Harrier II in combat[12]
  • 'Dutch' – Petrus Hugo, South African WW2 pilot

E[edit]

  • 'The Eagle of Crimea' – Pavel V. Argeyev, Russian World War Oneflying ace

F[edit]

  • 'Fighter George' – Harold George, USAAC fighter ace (to distinguish him from 'Bomber' George)
  • 'Fighter of Libau' – Erich Rudorffer, World War II German ace
  • 'Fish' – Herman Salmon, Americantest pilot[13]
  • 'Flotte Lotte' – Charlotte Möhring, German female pilot[14]
  • 'Flying Knight of the Northland' – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot

G[edit]

  • 'Gabby' – Francis Gabreski, American Army Air Force fighter ace
  • 'Ginger' – James Lacey, British fighter ace

H[edit]

  • 'Hamish' – T. G. Mahaddie, Bomber Command pilot, Pathfinder Force
  • 'Hap' – Henry H. Arnold, American Army Air Forces commanding general
  • 'Hasse' – Hans Wind, Finnish fighter ace
  • 'Hilly' – Mark Henry Brown, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Hipshot' – Danny Hamilton, US Air Force Reserve
  • 'Hogey' – Peter Carmichael, British fighter pilot
  • 'Hooter' – Steve Rainey, American test pilot[15]
  • 'Hoppy' – Colin Hodgkinson, British fighter pilot
  • 'Huss' – F. Hussain, IMA, Col, US Air Force Reserve

I[edit]

  • 'Igo' – Ignaz Etrich, Austrian aviator and aircraft builder
  • 'Illu' – Ilmari Juutilainen, top Finnish World War II fighter ace

J[edit]

  • 'Jack' – John Frost, South African Air Force pilot
  • 'Jackie' – Jacqueline Cochran American female aviation pioneer and record-setting race pilot.
  • 'Jake' – Leon Swirbul, co-founder of Grumman Aircraft
  • 'JB' – James Brown, American test pilot[16]
  • 'Jimmy' – John S. Thach, American Navy fighter ace[17]
  • 'Johnnie' – James E. Johnson, British RAF fighter ace[5]
  • 'Johnny' – George L. Johnson, British WW2 RAF bomber navigator

K[edit]

  • 'Kaos' – Art Nalls, American test pilot and air show pilot[18]
  • 'Killer' – Clive Caldwell, Australian RAAF flying ace
  • 'Kinch' – Iven Kincheloe, Americantest pilot

L[edit]

  • 'Little Dragon' – Muhammad Mahmood Alam, Pakistani fighter ace
  • 'Lock' – Ormer Locklear, Americanstunt pilot
  • 'Lightning' – Joe Little, African American WW2 pilot (member of the Tuskegee Airmen)
  • 'Lucky Breeze' – George Scott, BritishRoyal Naval Air Service pilot and airship pilot

M[edit]

  • 'The Mad Major' – Christopher Draper, British World War I fighter ace
  • 'Mick' – Edward Mannock, British World War I fighter ace
  • 'Mouse' – Gordon Cleaver, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Mutt' – Joseph Summers, British test pilot

N[edit]

O[edit]

  • 'One Armed Mac' – James MacLachlan, a British World War 2 ace who flew with a prosthetic arm

P[edit]

  • 'Paddy'
    • Hubert Adair, Battle of Britain pilot
    • Brendan Finucane, Irish World War II RAF fighter ace
    • W. H. Harbison, British RAF officer
  • 'Pancho' – Florence L. Lowe, American pioneer aviator
  • 'Pappy'
    • Greg Boyington, American World War II U.S. Marine Corps fighter ace[19]
    • Paul Gunn, American World War II Army Air Force bomber pilot
  • 'Pete'
    • Frank K. Everest, Jr., American test pilot
    • Marc Mitscher, American World War IIcarrier admiral
    • Elwood R. Queseda, American fighter ace
  • 'Petit Rouge' (French: Little Red) – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
  • 'Pick' - Percy Charles Pickard, well known in England during the Second World War, KIA during the Amiens prison raid
  • 'Pritzl' – Heinz Bär, German fighter ace, because of his affection for Pritzl candy bars.
  • 'Punch' – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
  • 'Paambu' - snake,famous indian nick name for fast walkers

Q[edit]

R[edit]

  • 'Ratsy' – George Preddy, P-51 Mustang ace
  • 'Red' – Eugene Tobin, American who flew with the RAF during the Battle of Britain
  • 'The Red Baron' (German, der Rote Baron) – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
  • 'The Red Battle-flyer' (German: der rote Kampfflieger) – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
  • 'The Red Knight' – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
  • 'Reeste' – Heinz Bär, German fighter ace

S[edit]

  • 'Sailor' – Adolph Malan, South African RAF fighter ace[20]
  • 'Sandy' – Brian Lane, RAF Battle of Britain pilot, Squadron Leader and fighter ace
  • 'Sexy Rexy' – Ola Mildred Rexroat, Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) aviator[21]
  • 'Shorty' – Vernon Keogh, American who flew with the RAF during the Battle of Britain (named for diminutive height)[22]
  • 'The Silver Fox' – Robert L. Stephens, record-setting American test pilot[23]
  • 'Skip' – Jean Ziegler, American test pilot on Bell X-1 program
  • 'Slew' – John S. McCain, Sr., American naval aviator and chief of Bureau of Aeronautics
  • 'Snow Eagle' – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
  • 'Spig' – Frank W. Wead, U.S. Navy aviator and screenwriter
  • 'Spuds' – Theodore Ellyson, pioneer U.S. Navy aviator
  • 'Stan' – Roderic Dallas, top Australian fighter ace of World War I
  • 'Stapme' – Gerald Stapleton, British Battle of Britain fighter ace
  • 'Strafer' – Geoffrey Warnes, No. 263 Squadron RAF
  • 'Stuffy' – Hugh Dowding, British commander of RAF Fighter Command from before the war into the Battle of Britain[20]
  • 'Sawn Off Locky' – Eric Lock, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Spoojr' - Mark Everett Bair, Pioneer, US Navy Aviator

T[edit]

Little Fighter Song

  • 'Taffy' – Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Fighter Command Group commander during the Battle of Britain
  • 'Tex' – David L. Hill, American fighter pilot
  • 'Tim' – John Elkington, Battle of Britain pilot
  • 'Timbertoes' – Sydney Carlin, Battle of Britain gunner who lost a leg in World War I
  • 'Titch' – George Palliser, Battle of Britain pilot

U[edit]

  • 'Uncle Wiggly Wings' – Gail S. Halvorsen, American Air Force officer[24]

V[edit]

W[edit]

  • 'Wop' – Wilfrid R. May, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
  • 'Whitey' – Edward L. Feightner, American fighter ace and Blue Angels solo[25]
  • 'White Eagle' – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
  • 'Willie' – Hugh Wilson, RAF aviator
  • 'Winkle' – Eric Brown, British naval aviator and test pilot
  • 'Wolverine' – Stephen Woolverton, World renowned American aviator
  • 'Wrong Way' – Douglas Corrigan, American aviator (from having to lie to Civil Aeronautics Board to fly the Atlantic)

X[edit]

Y[edit]

Pilot

Z[edit]

  • 'Zulu'
    • Albert Lewis, Battle of Britain pilot
    • George Lloyd World War I pilot

See also[edit]

  • Lists of nicknames – nickname list articles on Wikipedia

Joe Little Fighter Pilot Movie

References[edit]

  1. ^Valentine Henry Baker funeral brochure. Martin-Baker Co. 1942.
  2. ^Long, Patrick (2009), 'Irwin, Herbert Carmichael', in McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.), Dictionary of Irish Biography, 4, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 921–922
  3. ^ abErich Hartmann
  4. ^Saward, Dudley (1984). 'Bomber' Harris : the story of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arthur Harris, Bt, GCB, OBE, AFC, LLD, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Bomber Command, 1942-1945. London: Buchan & Enright. OCLC11082290.
  5. ^ abJohnson, Johnny E. (1964). Full Circle: The Story of Air Fighting. London: Chatto and Windus. OCLC2486377.
  6. ^Wellum, Geoffrey (2002). First Light. New York: Viking Books. ISBN0-670-91248-4.
  7. ^Hastings, Max (1979). Bomber Command. New York: Dial Press/James Wade. OCLC5170758.
  8. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2010-09-05. Retrieved 2008-01-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^The Most Dangerous Enemy, p.362.
  10. ^Allen, Hubert Raymond 'Dizzy' (1974). Who Won the Battle of Britain?. London: Barker. ISBN978-0-213-16489-8. OCLC1092232.
  11. ^Kershaw, Alex (2008). The Few: July-October 1940. Penguin. p. 151. ISBN0-14-101850-X.
  12. ^Kellner, Tomas (November 13, 2012). 'What We Need To Win: GE Hires 1,000 Vets In 2012, Hits Its Goal'. GE Reports. Fairfield, Connecticut: General Electric. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  13. ^Caidin, Martin. Thunderbirds.[page needed]; [http://www.wisconsinaviationhalloffame.org/inductees/salmon.htm Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (retrieved 29 January 2019)
  14. ^Gernoth, Jo (15 October 2015). 'Die flotte Lotte'. derwesten.de (in German). Funke Mediengruppe. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  15. ^Reynolds, Linda KC (February 6, 2015). 'Lockheed Martin pilot hits 1,000 hours in Raptor'. Aerotech News and Review. Lancaster, California: Aerotech News and Review, Inc. 28 (44): 1. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  16. ^*Reynolds, Linda KC (April 13, 2012). 'Lockheed chief test pilot hits 1,000 hours in Raptor'(PDF). Aerotech News and Review. Lancaster, California: Aerotech News and Review, Inc. 28 (11): 1. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  17. ^Wikipedia, John Thach
  18. ^Johnson, Jenna (January 2, 2008). 'Flying Back in Time, In His Own Warplane'. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  19. ^Boyington, Gregory (1958). Baa baa, black sheep. New York: Putnam. OCLC2124961.
  20. ^ abDeighton, Len (1977). Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain. London: Cape. ISBN978-0-224-01422-9. OCLC3388095.
  21. ^staff, Nick Penzenstadler Journal. 'Last surviving South Dakota WASP, 'Sexy Rexy,' recalls World War II service'. rapidcityjournal.com.
  22. ^'Battle of Britain London Monument – P/O V C KEOUGH'. Bbm.org.uk. 1941-02-15. Archived from the original on 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  23. ^Williams, Phillip (August 21, 1999). 'Airport renamed for 'Fox' Stephens'. The Gilmer Mirror. 122 (67). Gilmer, Texas. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  24. ^[1]
  25. ^Veronico, Nicholas A. (2005). The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History: Sixty Years of Aerial Excellence (Illustrated ed.). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint. p. 46. ISBN0-7603-2216-3.
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