Most of the ace pilots of World War II were from the German Army, including Hartmann, who shot down 352 planes, and Rudel, who destroyed 519 tanks.
However, in the U.S. military, there was such a naval pilot, his name was Dick Best, who single-handedly sank two Japanese Navy aircraft carriers in the Battle of Midway, reversing the course of the Pacific War.
Dick Best was a senior student at the U.S. Naval Academy, and after the outbreak of the Pacific War, he served as the squadron leader of the Sixth Bomber Squadron on the USS Enterprise, and he was also the team's bomb throwing champion.
On the morning of June 4, 1942, the Japanese fleet of four aircraft carriers bombed Midway, the US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the location of the Japanese fleet, the Enterprise immediately dispatched carrier-based aircraft, the first round of bombers taken off from Midway and the second round of US aircraft carriers torpedo fighters attacked the Japanese aircraft carriers all failed, the dive bombers taken off from the US aircraft carrier began the third round of attack. After McClashsky tracked the Japanese destroyer "Arashi" to find the Japanese fleet, dozens of bombers bombed the Japanese fleet aircraft carrier indiscriminately, but due to communication errors, almost all the bombers concentrated on attacking the "Kaga" aircraft carrier, and ignored the distant "Akagi" aircraft carrier, just at this time, Best and two wingmanships withdrew to attack the "Akagi", two wingmans missed, one blew up the rudder of the "Akagi", Best threw a fatal bullet, directly hit the splint, The bomb penetrated into the hangar and caused a series of explosions, and the Akagi was immediately plunged into a sea of fire.
In the morning war, the US military sank 3 of the 4 aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy, and the only remaining aircraft carrier, the "Flying Dragon", counterattacked, and sent aircraft to sink the US "Yorktown" aircraft carrier, and the US commander Spruance immediately ordered the last 30 bombers to take off to pursue the "Wyvern". The Wyvern received four bombs, and the deadliest blow still came from Best. The Wyvern had no hope of salvation and was eventually sunk by her own destroyer.
After the war, Best became the first person in history to sink two aircraft carriers, and he was awarded the U.S. Navy's highest honor, the Naval Cross, but the Battle of Midway was also Best's last battle. After inhaling a lot of smoke in an oxygen ventilator, he began to cough up blood after the war, and later developed tuberculosis, had to retire early, and could no longer fly into the blue sky.
Best died in 2001, and he lived until I was 91 years old and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.