The Aerodrome
Aces and Aircraft of the First World War
Honoring the aces of World War I — the medals and decorations they received and the aircraft they flew. A reference archive of the airmen and machines of 1914–1918: over two thousand ace biographies, a day-by-day record of victories and losses, squadrons and a community forum, built and maintained since 1997.
Or go to the aces, on this day, or the forum.
Explore the archive
- Aces Biographies of the fighter aces of every combatant nation, with victories, awards and documents. 2,263 airmen
- Aircraft The aeroplanes of the war by name, nation and year, with serial-number records. Types, serials & statistics
- Medals Orders and decorations awarded for gallantry in the air, arranged by nation. 14 nations
- Services The flying services and their squadrons — the RFC, RNAS, RAF, the Jastas and more. ~199 squadrons
- Today On this day in the air war: births, deaths, victories, losses and events. 17,398 dated records
- Forum Twenty-five years of discussion, research and photographs from fellow enthusiasts. Join the conversation
On this day — 8 August See all →
- 1894 Birth John Firth England
- 1895 Birth Jean Navarre France
- 1915 Event General Birdwood's advance at Anzac
- 1916 Victory Raoul Lufbery United States #4
- 1916 Victory Kurt Student Germany #3
- 1916 Victory Henry Cope Evans England #4
- 1916 Victory Johann Frint Austria-Hungary #6
- 1916 Victory Charles Henry Chapman Woollven England #1
- 1916 Victory Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp Germany #3
- 1917 Victory Grigory Suk Russia #3
Top aces Full ranking →
- Manfred von Richthofen Germany 80
- René Fonck France 75
- Billy Bishop Canada 72
- Ernst Udet Germany 62
- Edward Mannock Britain 61
- Raymond Collishaw Canada 60
- James McCudden Britain 57
- Erich Löwenhardt Germany 54
- Donald MacLaren Canada 54
- Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor S. Africa 54
- 2,263ace biographies
- 17,398dated events
- ~199squadrons
- 14nations of medals
“They are the knighthood of this war, without fear and without reproach; and they recall the legendary days of chivalry, not merely by the daring of their exploits, but by the nobility of their spirit — the cavalry of the clouds.”
