This is a list of fighter aces in the First World War from South Africa. Pilots were considered to be "aces" after they had shot down five or more enemy aircraft; 45 South Africans are believed to have achieved this feat, with the highest scorer being Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor, who is credited with 54 air victories.
During the war South African pilots served with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), the South African Aviation Corps (SAAC) where they were engaged in German South West Africa and 26 Sqdn RFC in East Africa.
Hans-Joachim Buddecke was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with thirteen victories. He was the third ace, after Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, to earn the Blue Max. He saw combat in three theaters during the First World War: Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Western Front. His exploits at Gallipoli arena won him the nickname El-Schahin, "hunter falcon".
Max Ritter von Müller (1 January 1887 – 9 January 1918) PlM, IC, MOMJ was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war.
Leutnant Hermann Becker, was a World War I German flying ace credited with 23 victories.
Captain Ernest Charles Hoy DFC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 13 victories. He later pioneered airmail flight over the Canadian Rockies.
Leutnant Hans Rosencrantz was a German World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories, shared with his pilot Wilhelm Fahlbusch.
OffizierstellvertreterWilhelm Hippert IC was a World War I flying ace credited with eight confirmed aerial victories.
Leutnant Ludwig Hanstein HOH, Bavaria's MMO was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.
LeutnantAlbert Dossenbach was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.
Leutnant Otto Creutzmann was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.
Kurt Gruber was an Austro-Hungarian flying ace during the First World War who held the rank of Offiziersstellvertreter. He was credited with eleven aerial victories, 5 shared with other pilots.
Leutnant Wilhelm Frickart was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories. He is the only known German observer to become an ace balloon buster. After pilot training, he scored five additional victories, to become an ace a second time.
Leutnant Hans von Keudell was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.
OffizierstellvertreterFritz Gustav August Kosmahl HOH, IC was one of the first flying aces of Germany's Luftstreitkräfte during World War I. He was one of the few German two-seater aces of the war, being officially credited with nine aerial victories. He was also one of the first ten German aviators to earn the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
Lieutenant Valentine St. Barbe Collins was a World War I British flying ace credited with ten aerial victories who served with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force.
Second Lieutenant Thomas Elliott was a First World War British flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories, all while flying as an observer in the Bristol F.2 Fighter. The observer ace of Royal Air Force No. 62 Squadron scored the majority of his victories with George Everard Gibbons as pilot. Elliott later served as an instructor at an air gunnery school.