Top 11 Biggest Air Battles in War History

Many think of war as either one-on-one combat or trench battle; tending to forget that there were also battles going on above the soldiers’ heads.  Many mid-air skirmishes took place over the years of war.  Here are some of the top air battles in history.

Mihiel Air Battle – World War I, 1918

 

Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot, 1982

IAF F-15 at Tel Nof Airbase, marked for shooting down two Syrian aircraft

 

Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, World War II, 1944

Fighter aircraft contrails mark the sky over Task Force 58, June 19, 1944

 

Air Battle over NIS, World War II, 1944

 

MIG-29 Vs. Two F-15s, Gulf War, 1991

 

Black Thursday, MIG Alley, Korean War, 1951

 

Second Raid on Schweinfurt, World War II, 1943

Boeing B-17F formation over Schweinfurt, Germany, on Aug. 17, 1943. (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

Battle of El Mansoura, Yom Kippur War, 1973

 

Adlertag, World War II, 1940

 

Ofira Air Battle, Yom Kippur War, 1973

A MiG-17 shot down at Ofira Air Base, Yom Kippur War.

 

ME-262 Vs. Allied Bombers, World War II, 1945

ME 262-A

 

“F-15A-658-IAF” by User:Ynhockey – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.