Deadly American famous for his busting of German observation balloons in WWI. Led the RAF rooftop bomber raid on Amiens Prison In WWII, freeing many underground members, some of whom were facing death, and who were promptly spirited away by French partisans. In 1944, set an all-time record with nine victories on a single mission. He was shot down by ground fire in the last year of the war. Highest British scorer of WWI with 73 victories, he detested Germans, and rejoiced with every kill. Tough and aggressive in spite of his fear of fire, he won not only the Victoria Cross, but five other high awards for gallantry. He was an accomplished commander, finished a long career as a colonel. An ace in WWII with 28 kills and later in Korea, with another six. He had 44 victories in WWI when he was killed at the age of 20, well known to his German foes, who much admired him. Note that the air forces of Europe and the United States did not always have today's names, used here for simplicity's sake: Albert Ball, RAF, son of the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, winner of the Victoria Cross. These aviators were chosen not only because of their "scores" and their great courage, but also for other qualities which set them apart, like the WWII Royal Air Force Wing Commander who shot down more than 20 Germans while flying with two artificial legs.
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Other nations had their aces, but this book concentrates on American and Commonwealth pilots. In thirty-five chapters, The Greatest Air Aces Stories Ever Told covers many of the leading American and British Commonwealth fighter aces of WW I and II, together with a few bomber crews whose gallantry made a substantial contribution to the end of WW II.