Virgil K. Meroney
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Virgil Kersh Meroney II was a United States Air Force colonel. During World War II, he became a flying ace credited with nine aerial victories while flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, making him the only P-
Meroney in 1970
Meroney onboard his P-47 during WWII
Meroney with his son Virgil III at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base during the Vietnam War. Virgil III was killed in action during the war in March 1969.
Flying ace
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A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to
The first ace in history and "first French ace", Frenchman Adolphe Pégoud being awarded the Croix de guerre. He would die in dogfight in 1915.
German Captain Manfred von Richthofen, known as the "Red Baron", scored the most officially accepted kills (80) in World War I and is arguably the most famous flying ace of all time.
French Colonel René Fonck, to this day the highest-scoring Allied flying ace with 75 victories
Erich Hartmann, with 352 official kills, by far the highest scoring fighter pilot of all time