Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

Good morning,

a fighter's fighter: the Curtiss P-40 was successful in nearly every WW2 operational theatre except Western Europe. However, quite few aces attained high scores in it. The following are the ten most successful P-40 aces that I know, ranked by their P-40 scores (totals in brackets):

1. Caldwell: 20,5(28,5)
2. Novichkov: 19(29)
3. Drake: at least 16(21)
4. Pokryshev: at least 15,1(38+8sh?)
5. Hill: 13,25(13,25)
6. Hampshire: 13(13)
7. Holloway: 13(13)
8. Neale: 13(13)
9. Edwards: 12,83(16,08)
10. Waddy: 12,5(15,5)

Compiling them I came across a guy named Robert Lee Scott whose score is unclear to me. Does he deserve a rank in this list ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

The author of God is My Copilot...famous book,read it in the 60s. According to Olynyk, 10 victories flying P-40Es as the commander of the 23rd FG in CBI (China-Burma-India)

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

You're right, I found him in the OSPREY volume by Molesworth.

I also forgot Hill's P51-kills in my P-40 top ten list.
Corrected it reads like this:

Caldwell: 20,5(28,5)
Novichkov: 19(29)
Drake: at least 16(21)
Pokryshev: at least 15,1(38+8sh?)
Hill: 13,25(15,25)
Hampshire: 13(13)
Holloway: 13(13)
Neale: 13(13)
Edwards: 12,83(16,08)
Waddy: 12,5(15,5)

Does any of you guys have a complete Pokryshev kill list ?

Michael

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

Michael,

What project are you working on?

Stephen

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

Good morning Stephen,

I'm a passionate collector of top-aces-by-plane, i.e. P40-Caldwell, Bf110-Schnaufer, SPAD7-Guynemer and so on.
In the meantime, I also compile top ten ace rankings of some intresting planes, e.g.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=43338
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=43121

What is your favourite topic ?

Michael

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

Good morning,

George Mellinger in "Sovie Lend-Lease Fighter Aces of World War 2" assigns a P-40 score of 19 and a total of 29 to Stepan Novichkov.
However, this website
http://soviet-aces-1936-53.ru/abc/n/novichkv_s.htm
gives him a P-40 score of 6,33 and a total of 33,33.
Which is more valid ?

Michael

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

Michael,

I know it has been pointed out to you before, but you really do need to obtain the Mikhail Bykov book, Все асы Сталина 1936–1953 (All Stalin's Aces). I obtained a copy cheaply and quickly from a bookseller in Moscow, Viktor Kulikov: viktor_kulikov@mail.ru.

Although entirely in Russian, it is easy enough to follow, and Google Translate is very handy.

This will answer all of your questions on Soviet aces. Books like those by Mellinger are superseded entirely by the work of Bykov.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

I've just acquired Tomas Polak's Stalin's Falcons. Is that a reliable and comprehensive source (compared to the ones you've quoted) ?

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

I would doubt that as it is full of mistakes :-(
It reminds me of the WW1 titles of Grub Street.
Is Hans Seidl's "Stalin's Eagles" better ?

Michael

Re: Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list
 

IMHO Bykov is the man, he has went through the archives, the western writers had only used secondary Soviet era sources and are unreliable. I have Polak's book and it was disappointment. I doubt that Seidl's book is any better.