Who was the top Australian flying ace in WWI?

Robert Little was the top Australian flying ace in World War I, with an official tally of 47 victories. Born in Melbourne in 1895, he travelled to Britain and learned to fly at his own expense before joining the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), rather than the Australian Flying Corps.

Little became especially famous while flying Sopwith Triplanes and later Sopwith Camels on the Western Front. His aggressive skill in aerial combat earned him the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Service Cross, both with bars. He was mortally wounded in combat on 27 May 1918 and died shortly afterward.

A common mix-up involves Harry Cobby, who was the highest-scoring pilot of the Australian Flying Corps, with 29 aircraft and 13 balloons credited. Little served in British air services, so he is sometimes overlooked in Australian military summaries. Roderic “Stan” Dallas was another leading Australian ace, officially credited with 39 victories, but Little’s 47 remains the standard accepted total.

In World War I, a pilot generally became an “ace” after five credited aerial victories. Victory totals can vary slightly between historians because confirmation standards differed, but Little’s position as Australia’s highest-scoring World War I ace is the conventional answer.