The best fighter pilot of WWI...

with no hesitation was Werner Voss fighting seven
S.E.5a-s for ten minutes and holing each one of them. Jasta 10

Let's not start this again.

[Billy_Bishop]

Voss? No way. He lost.

Barker, while he lost his last fight, he took a few down with him, and more importantly, he survived!!

While normally, my vote would be for Bishop, Bishop thought Barker was the deadliest fighter pilot he ever knew, so Barker gets my vote as well.

VBR,

Al Lowe

p.s.

Why not start this again? You got something better to talk about???

The problem with newbies is that they come here & post the same dang threads we've discussed since the beginning of time!

Keith,

my vote goes for Barker,or Brumowski!

There is nothing wrong with this thread as long as you put in a good case for who you think is the best and skip the browbeating of other fliers.

If the one against many fight is the criteria, I would have to go with Barker for his epic dogfight with half of the D7s in the GAS.

For overall performance for the duration of the war it would be Richthofen.

Regards,

MDD

Don't you just love the "Holier Than Thou" attitude of some people who frequent this forum? God forbid, someone new should transgress the unwritten law and have the gall to post a thread that has previously been discussed. Maybe Keith should have all new folks fill out a questionnaire, so they don't rehash taboo topics.

Semper Fi,
Nick Vitale
SSgt Of Infantry
USMC

P.S. I almost forgot. René Fonck would get my vote. Anyone who loves to conserve ammo, is arrogant, cocky, sycophantic, narcissic, and an outcast, will always get my vote. (As far as the ammo thing is concerned, I rate Fonck up there with Hans Joachim Marseille.)

Another vote for Barker.

If he wasn't stationed for most of the war in Italy, he would have scored way more victories.

Bishop did say the there was no one better on either side of the front, than Barker

Hey Nick be nice with Keith - he's only 12 (or perhaps just turned 13) We all put up with the 47 posts a day period and the kid is bright, articulate, spells - well we won't get into that one - and is one heck of an asset to the forum ! And wonderfully opinionated without overdoing it (too often). The country needs a whole heck of a lot more kids like him !

I agree with you though on the question - hands down it's Fonck. An ego-maniac - sure - but who cares. Credited with 75 - probably shot down more. In reading the Storks book just out it is amazing how stringent the French were - at times - with the crediting of victories. Many credits were not issued even though a pilot and two witnesses swore to a victory ! So Fonck may very well have downed over 100. He was an AMAZING shot, never got a scratch and lived through the war. Most epic fight - not Fonck, best leader - not Fonck, best fighter pilot of the war - hands down, no doubt FONCK !

John G.
Cranky Moralist -
Sam Adams Fan -
LOL -
INS -
FLIK 41J

has everyone forgotten about the man who's air fighting tactics are still taught today in top-gun schools? the father of air-to-air combat. beyond any shadow of a doubt, boelcke was the greatest fighter pilot.

leon

How about the duo Ernst Udet and Hans Klein. Those two were closer than any other pilots in WWI. Maybe I am a bit biased since Hans Klein was my Grandfather.