List of World War I flying aces from the United States

The following is a list of flying aces from the United States of America who served in World War I.

Overview

Even before the United States entry into World War I in April 1917, many Americans volunteered to serve in the armed forces of Great Britain and France. Many eventually found their ways into the Royal Flying Corps and Aéronautique Militaire (French Air Service). The British integrated the Americans into their existing squadrons, while the French set up separate American squadrons such as the Lafayette Escadrille and then the Lafayette Flying Corps, as well as integrated the pilots into existing squadrons.

When American Air Service units began reaching England and France in the fall of 1917, many of the Americans serving in British and French squadrons transferred to the American units, but not all. This list is separated such that American pilots who served in the Royal Flying Corps (later Royal Air Force) squadrons and Aéronautique Militaire are listed as such, while those who served only in the Air Service, United States Army Aero Squadrons are listed separately. Known American air aces that chose to remain with their British or French squadrons are also listed.

The British and French documented aerial victories in different ways. The British decided early in the war that since the majority of air combat occurred behind enemy lines, confirmation of aerial victories would be made by witnesses mostly in the front line trenches. If an aircraft was seen going down "out of control", then the pilot would be given credit for a victory as it was presumed the plane crashed in enemy territory.

The French implemented a strict system of victories being confirmed by independent observers, and an enemy plane had to be seen to fall in flames and crash; or be destroyed in the air. Unconfirmed victories were also noted if the enemy plane was seen to spin out of control but the final end was not observed. These unconfirmed victories were noted, but not included in a pilots score.

The Americans generally used the French rules of scoring aerial victories with the exception of the 17th and 148th Aero Squadrons, which were under British control until October, 1918. The pilots flying in those squadrons were scored under British rules. "Shared" victories were noted when two or more pilots attacked an enemy plane, and it could not be determined precisely which pilot shot down the aircraft.

Air aces Pilots who scored five or more aerial victories were classified as "air aces". The lists below show the names; military rank; units in which they served, and miscellaneous notes along with the known decorations which they received.

Served with the Aéronautique Militaire Name Rank Units Notes William Terry Badham Lieutenant Escadrille AR.214Escadrille BR.40Escadrille BR.21091st Aero Squadron 5 victories (all shared) Flew as observer/gunnerTransferred to Air Service, United States Army, December, 1917Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Silver Star Citation (×2) Paul Frank Baer Lieutenant Escadrille N.124 (Lafayette Escadrille)Escadrille SPA.80103d Aero Squadron 9 victories (2 shared)Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, February, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2)   Légion d'honneur   Croix de guerre Frank Leaman Baylies Lieutenant Escadrille SPA.73Escadrille SPA.3 12 victories (3 shared)Killed in action: 17 June 1918Franks & Bailey (1992)Awarded:   Légion d'honneur   Médaille militaire   Croix de guerre (with seven palms) James Dudley Beane Lieutenant Escadrille SPA.6922d Aero Squadron 6 victories (4 shared)Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, August, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Croix de guerre Charles John Biddle Major Escadrille N.124 (Lafayette Escadrille)Escadrille SPA.7313th Aero Squadron103d Aero Squadron 7 victories (4 shared); 1 unconfirmed.Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, February, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Légion d'honneur   Croix de guerre   Order of Leopold II (Belgium) Thomas Gantz Cassady Captain Escadrille SPA.157Escadrille SPA.16328th Aero Squadron103d Aero Squadron 9 victories (5 shared); 3 unconfirmed.Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, July, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2)   Légion d'honneur   Croix de guerre James Alexander Connelly Jr. Adjutant Escadrille SPA.157Escadrille SPA.163 7 victories (5 shared); 2 unconfirmed.Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Médaille militaire   Croix de guerre (4 palms) Charles Gossage Grey Captain Escadrille SPA.93Lafayette Flying Corps213th Aero Squadron 5 victories (3 shared)Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, March, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) Lansing Colton Holden Jr. Lieutenant Escadrille N.46195th Aero Squadron 7 victories (1 shared)Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2) Gorman DeFreest Larner Captain Escadrille SPA.86 103d Aero Squadron 7 victories (4 shared)Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, June, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2)   Croix de guerre Gervais Raoul Lufbery Major Escadrille VB.106Escadrille N.124 (Lafayette Escadrille)94th Aero Squadron 16 victories (3 shared); 3 unconfirmed.Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, April, 1918; Killed in action: 17 June 1918Awarded:   Purple Heart (Retroactive, 2004)   Légion d'honneur   Médaille militaire   Croix de guerre Silver Medal for Bravery, Montenegro (Orden za hrabrost)   Military Medal (United Kingdom)) Edwin Charles Parsons Lieutenant Escadrille N.124 (Lafayette Escadrille)Escadrille SPA.3 8 victories (2 shared)Awarded:   Médaille militaire   Croix de guerre   Order of Leopold II (Belgium)   Croix de guerre (Belgium) David McKelvey Peterson Major Escadrille N.124 (Lafayette Escadrille)103d Aero Squadron94th Aero Squadron95th Aero Squadron 6 victories (1 shared) Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, February, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2)   Croix de guerre William Thomas Ponder Lieutenant Escadrille SPA.67Escadrille SPA.163103d Aero Squadron 6 victories (4 shared) Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, February, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Croix de guerre David Endicott Putnam Lieutenant Escadrille SPA.38Escadrille SPA.94Escadrille SPA.156139th Aero Squadron 13 victories (2 shared); 16 unconfirmed.Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, May, 1918; Killed in action: 12 September 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Légion d'honneur   Médaille militaire   Croix de guerre William Thaw II Lieutenant Colonel Escadrille D.6Escadrille C.42Escadrille N.65Escadrille N.124 (Lafayette Escadrille)103d Aero Squadron3d Pursuit Group (Commander) 5 victories (3 shared); 2 unconfirmed.Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, June, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2)   Légion d'honneur   Croix de guerre Remington D. B. Vernam Lieutenant Escadrille SPA.9617th Aero Squadron 6 victories (2 shared)Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)

Served with the Royal Flying Corps (later Royal Air Force)

Name Rank Units Notes Hilbert Leigh Bair Lieutenant No. 24 Squadron RAF25th Aero Squadron 6 victories (4 shared)Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, October, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) Louis Bennett Jr. Lieutenant No. 40 Squadron RAF 12 victories (1 shared)Killed in action: 24 August 1918 Charles Arthur Bissonette Lieutenant No. 24 Squadron RAFNo. 64 Squadron RAF 6 victories (1 shared) Harold Koch Boysen Lieutenant No. 66 Squadron RAF 5 victories (3 shared)Awarded:   Medal of Military Valor (Italy) Sydney MacGillvary Brown× Lieutenant No. 29 Squadron RAF 5 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Croix de guerre Archibald Buchanan Lieutenant No. 210 Squadron RAF 7 victoriesRoyal Naval Air Service (prior to 1 April 1918)Killed in action: 30 October 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Croix de guerre Henry Robinson Clay Lieutenant No. 43 Squadron RAF41st Aero Squadron148th Aero Squadron 8 victoriesTransferred to Air Service, United States Army, September, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Silver Star Citation (×2) Lawrence Kingsley Callahan Lieutenant No. 85 Squadron RAF148th Aero Squadron 5 victoriesTransferred to Air Service, United States Army, November, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Silver Star Citation (×3) Alvin Andrew Callender Captain No. 32 Squadron RAF 8 victoriesKilled in action: 30 October 1918 Charles Gray Catto Lieutenant No. 45 Squadron RAF 8 victories (2 shared) Eugene Seeley Coler Lieutenant No. 11 Squadron RAF 16 victories (all shared with observer/gunner)Awarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) Ernest Sidney Tooker, alias: Norman Cooper Lieutenant No. 73 Squadron RAF 6 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) Roy Edward Dodds Captain No. 103 Squadron RAFNo. 106 Squadron RAF 7 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) John Owen Donaldson Captain No. 32 Squadron RAF 7 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Croix de guerre (Belgium) Arthur Edmund Easterbrook Lieutenant No. 9 Squadron RAF1st Aero Squadron 5 victories (all shared), Flew as observer/gunnerTransferred to Air Service, United States Army, October, 1917Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2) Francis Warrington Gillet Captain No. 70 Squadron RAF 20 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Croix de guerre (Belgium) John McGavock Grider Lieutenant No. 85 Squadron RAF 4 victoriesSmithsonian Killed in action June 18th, 1918 John Sharpe Griffith Lieutenant No. 60 Squadron RAF 7 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Order of St. Vladimir (Russian Empire) Frank Lucien Hale Captain No. 32 Squadron RAFNo. 85 Squadron RAF 7 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) Lloyd Andrews Hamilton Lieutenant No. 3 Squadron RAF17th Aero Squadron 10 victories (6 shared)Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, June, 1918Killed in action: 24 August 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) Harold Evans Hartney Lieutenant Colonel No. 20 Squadron RAF27th Aero Squadron185th Aero Squadron1st Pursuit Group 7 victories (5 shared); 1 unconfirmed.Transferred to Air Service, United States Army, June, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Légion d'honneur   Croix de guerre   Medal of Military Valor (Italy)   Silver Star Citation Richard Alexander Hewat Lieutenant No. 19 Squadron RAFNo. 67 Squadron RAF 6 victoriesKilled in action: 14 August 1918 Malcolm Clifford Howell Lieutenant No. 208 Squadron RAF 5 victories (1 shared) Paul Thayer Iaccaci Captain No. 20 Squadron RAF 17 victories (all shared with observer/gunner)Awarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) David Sinton Ingalls Lieutenant No. 213 Squadron RAFNo. 217 Squadron RAF 6 victories (5 shared)Detached from: United States Navy, only US Navy air ace in World War IAwarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)   Légion d'honneur August Thayer Iaccaci Captain No. 20 Squadron RAFNo. 48 Squadron RAF 17 victoriesAwarded:   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) James Alfred Keating Lieutenant No. 49 Squadron RAF 5 victories (all shared with observer/gunner)Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA)   Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) Field Eugene Kindley Captain No. 65 Squadron RAF148th Aero Squadron 12 victories (2 shared), 1 unconfirmedTransferred to Air Service, United States Army, August, 1918Awarded:   Distinguished Service Cross (AS, USA) (×2)