Editing Flying ace (section)

==Non-pilot aces==
[[File:Capt C DeBellevue.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles B. DeBellevue]], the first USAF [[weapon systems officer]] to become a flying ace]]

While aces are generally thought of exclusively as fighter pilots, some have accorded this status to gunners on bombers or [[reconnaissance aircraft]], [[Air observer|observers]] in two-seater fighters such as the early [[Bristol F.2 Fighter|Bristol F.2b]], and [[Weapon systems officer|navigators/weapons officers]] in jet aircraft such as the [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II]]. Because pilots often teamed with different air crew members, an observer or gunner might be an ace while his pilot is not, or vice versa. Observer aces constitute a sizable minority in many lists. 

In World War&nbsp;I, the observer [[Gottfried Ehmann]] of the German ''[[Luftstreitkräfte]]'' was credited with 12 kills,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Imrie|first=Alex |title=Pictorial history of the German Army Air Service 1914-1918|date=1971|publisher=Allan|isbn=0-7110-0200-2|location=London|oclc=213232}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Treadwell|first=Terry C. |title=German fighter aces of World War One|date=2003|publisher=Tempus|author2=Alan C. Wood|isbn=0-7524-2808-X|location=Stroud|oclc=52531842}}</ref> for which he was awarded the Golden [[Military Merit Cross (Prussia)|Military Merit Cross]]. In the Royal Flying Corps the observer [[Charles George Gass]] tallied 39 victories, of which 5 were actually confirmed.<ref>Franks et al. 1997, p. 18.</ref> The spread was caused by the lavish British system of aerial victory confirmation.<ref name=":2" />

In World War&nbsp;II, [[United States Army Air Forces]] S/Sgt. Michael Arooth, a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] tail gunner serving in the [[379th Air Expeditionary Wing|379th Bombardment Group]], was credited with 19 kills<ref>[http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=22831 "Hall of Valor: Michael Arooth."] ''Military Times''. Retrieved: October 10, 2014.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The history of enlisted aerial gunnery, 1917-1991 : the men behind the guns|date=1994|publisher=Turner |author=Albert E. Conder |isbn=1-56311-167-5|edition=Limited |location=Paducah, KY|oclc=55871021}}</ref> and the [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] gunner Arthur J. Benko ([[374th Strategic Missile Squadron|374th Bombardment Squadron]]) with 16 kills. The Royal Air Force's leading bomber gunner, [[Wallace McIntosh]], was credited with eight kills while serving as a rear turret gunner on [[Avro Lancaster]]s, including three on one mission. [[Flight Sergeant]] F. J. Barker contributed to 12 victories while flying as a gunner in a [[Boulton Paul Defiant]] turret-equipped fighter piloted by Flight Sergeant [[Ted Thorn (RAF officer)|E. R. Thorne]].<ref>[http://www.bbm.org.uk/BarkerFJ.htm "The Airmen's Stories: Sgt. F J Barker."] {{web archive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419012913/http://www.bbm.org.uk/BarkerFJ.htm |date=2014-04-19}} ''[[Battle of Britain Monument, London|Battle of Britain London Monument]]''. Retrieved: April 17, 2014.</ref><ref>Thomas 2012, p. 55.</ref> On the German side, Erwin Hentschel, the [[Junkers Ju 87]] rear gunner of Luftwaffe pilot and anti-tank ace [[Hans-Ulrich Rudel]], had 7 confirmed kills. The crew of the bomber pilot Otto Köhnke from [[Kampfgeschwader 3|''Kampfgeschwader'' 3]] is credited with the destruction of 11 enemy fighters (6 French, 1 British, 4 Soviet).

With the advent of more advanced technology, a third category of ace appeared. [[Charles B. DeBellevue]] became not only the first U.S. Air Force [[weapon systems officer]] (WSO) to become an ace but also the top American ace of the [[Vietnam War]], with six victories.<ref>[http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006474 "Col. Charles DeBellevue."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912041103/http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006474 |date=2009-09-12}} ''U.S. Air Force official web site''. Retrieved: May 22, 2010.</ref> Close behind with five were fellow WSO [[Jeffrey Feinstein]]<ref>[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=18114 "USAF Southeast Asia War Aces."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220153730/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=18114 |date=2013-12-20}} ''[[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]'', March 30, 2011. Retrieved: June 29, 2012.</ref> and [[Naval Flight Officer|Radar Intercept Officer]] [[William P. Driscoll]].<ref>[http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=69 "USS Constellation (CV 64)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926195327/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=69 |date=2012-09-26}} ''[[United States Navy]]''. Retrieved: June 29, 2012.</ref>