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Aces of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Dictionaries define the word 'ace' as a combat pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aeroplanes. The French, who originated this expression during World War I when "dog-fighting" was on a man-to-man basis, reached back into the days of chivalry when two knights on horseback, armed with lances, jousted. The concept of aerial combat differed in World War II. There were very few 'loners' as fighting in the air became very scientific with the introduction of radio and radar. It was very seldom that anyone was sent out on a lone-patrol.
The Services did not want to glorify one particular branch of aeronautics, aviation or aerostations at the expense of another. However, people persisted in using the title, and the British and Commonwealth air forces never prohibited, or even discouraged the informal and unofficial use of the title within their own organization.
For the purpose of this page, credit is given only to manned-aircraft shot down in aerial combat. In the case of night fighters, the pilot only will be considered as the ace, but wherever possible mention will be made of his navigator/radar operator without whose assistance he could not have made contact with the enemy.
In 1944 a new and deadly weapon appeared in the skies, the V-1, more commonly known as the 'Buzz bomb' or 'Doodlebug'. This could only be caught by the fastest fighter aircraft. It was a highly dangerous operation for if the pilot got too close, the chances were that he would be blown-up or his aircraft damaged by debris from the V-1. In some instances, pilots diverted the direction of the flying-bombs by gently ducking the wing of their aircraft under the short, stubby one of the 'doodlebug' and flicking it over. However, the author has not considered the shooting down of a V-1 to any pilot's score. The significance of this action is realized but does not come under the original terms of reference – a fighter pilot who destroys in aerial combat five or more manned enemy aircraft.
The accompanying list was made with the best information available from semi-official files and documents.