Simviation Forums

I've been curious about this--Who made the most victories in one mission during WWII?  I read about one US Navy Pilot who only met the enemy once in combat but managed to shoot down five planes in that mission.  Can't remember his name at the moment.

Jim

Hans-Joachim Marseille over Africa. Six Kittyhawks in one sortie.
Highest day-count: Eighteen.

I don't know for certain but assume it was a Luftwaffe pilot - possibly this man.
http://home.monet.no/~oddbass/marseille.html

Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille, called the "Star of Africa" shot down seven Curtiss Kittyhawk fighters within eleven minutes in an incredible aerial fight over the northern Sahara desert.

On June 15 he shot down 4 aircraft in three minutes. Two days later he score 6 in only ten minutes.

I seem to remember he once shot down my hero Squadron Leader Neville Duke, highest scoring RAF fighter pilot in North Africa & later to become chief test pilot for Hawker Aviation.

Lt(jg) Alex Vraciu (USN) scored six victories in eight minutes flying an F6F-3 Hellcat from the USS Lexington in 1944.

 Capt. William Shomo of the Fifth Air Force (USA) downed seven aircraft (1 G4M 'Betty' and 6 Ki-61 'Tony's) in one sortie over the island of Luzon on January 11th, 1945 while flying a F-6D (photo-recon version of the P-51D).

Were those F-6s armed?  ???

[quote]Were those F-6s armed?

 Many years ago I read that when Capt. Shomo returned to his airfield he bagan a series of "victory" rolls.  His fellow pilots on the ground were glad to see that Capt. Shomo had scored.  He had been in the theater since November 1943, flying the P-39Q, then the P-40N, and had just downed his first Japanese aircraft the previous day (Janurary 10,1945).  But as his rolls continued on to four through seven the pilots on the ground became angry with Shomo.  For these fighter pilots the "victory" roll was a reverent gesture and not to be taken in jest.  Shomo had the proof for his actions though.  Not only did he have his gun camera film, but he also took photos of the downed Japanese aircraft burning in the jungle with the recon camera of the F-6 he was flying!

Almost the same with Marseille,but the ground crew was very happy instead. His proof was his wingman who circled over the place of action when Marseille shot those Kittyhawks down.

http://www.sci.fi/~fta/finace92.htm

Finnish lt. Jorma Sarvanto scored six bombers in four minutes . IIRC, this was his fifteen minutes of famedom- he didn't do that well anymore in 1941-44 war.

I have no info yet, but surely there must have been some high numbers from the " Great Mariannas Turkey Shoot " ?

http://www.sci.fi/~fta/finace92.htm

Finnish lt. Jorma Sarvanto scored six bombers in four minutes . IIRC, this was his fifteen minutes of famedom- he didn't do that well anymore in 1941-44 war.

And that with a Fokker D.XXI !! My respect goes to him!  :o

I have no info yet, but surely there must have been some high numbers from the " Great Mariannas Turkey Shoot " ?

While there were high one-day scores, the sheer number of aircraft in the air on both sides at the same time could prevent any one (or more) pilot from scoring multiple kills on a single sortie.  Once you get into that melee, you spent a lot of time just watching your tail, etc.

I've read thru this thread (3 months after the fact), but I think this bloke has taken the cake! (I don't think I missed anything better than this )

David McCampbell shot down nine japanese planes during the marianas turkey shoot.

As for the one day record, that is held by Emil Lang, shooting down 17 or 18 in one day.