HISTORY

War

Largest Air to Air Battles by Number of Aircraft

This list features the largest air to air battles in history by the number of aircraft involved.

RANK	BATTLE	WARPLANES	PARTIES INVOLVED	DATE	LOCATION
1	Battle of Kursk	5500	Soviet Union vs Nazi Germany	July 4 - August 23, 1943	Russia
2	Battle of Britain	3299	Britain vs Nazi Germany	July 10 - October 31, 1940	Britain
3	Battle of the Philippine Sea	2274	Japan vs USA	June 19-20, 1942	Philippine Sea
4	St. Mihiel Air Battle	1481	Germany vs USA & France	September 12-16, 1944	St Mihiel, France
5	The Dieppe Raid	1220	Germany vs Canada, France, UK & USA	August 19, 1942	Dieppe, France
6	Black Thursday	291	USA vs U.S.S.R & North Korea	April 12, 1951	Mig Alley, North Korea
7	Air Battle of El Mansoura	226	Israel vs Egypt	October 14, 1973	El Mansoura, Egypt
8	Operation Mole Cricket 19	190	Israel vs Syria	June 9, 1982	Beta Valley, Lebanon
9	Black Friday	68	Germany vs UK, New Zealand, Canada & Australia	February 9, 1945	Sonnfjord, Norway
10	Air Battle over Niš	29++	USA vs U.S.S.R	November 7, 1944	Nis, Serbia

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References

Norwich University Online. (n.d.). 10 largest air-to-air battles in military history. Available at: https://online.norwich.edu/online/about/resource-library/10-largest-air-air-battles-military-history [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Military History Fandom. (n.d.). Black Friday (1945). Available at: https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Friday_(1945) [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Black Friday (1945). Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(1945) [Accessed 1 December 2025]. The National WWII Museum. (n.d.). Black Thursday: October 14, 1943 - The Second Schweinfurt Bombing Raid. Available at: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/black-thursday-october-14-1943-second-schweinfurt-bombing-raid [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Government of Canada. (2019). In the skies above Dieppe: August 19, 1942. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/rcaf/2019/08/in-the-skies-above-dieppe-august-19-1942.html [Accessed 1 December 2025]. TopTenz. (n.d.). History’s Greatest Air Battles. Available at: https://www.toptenz.net/historys-greatest-air-battles.php[Accessed 1 December 2025]. Britannica. (n.d.). Battle of the Philippine Sea. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Philippine-Sea [Accessed 1 December 2025]. National Museum of the United States Air Force. (n.d.). St. Mihiel Offensive. Available at: https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/197440/st-mihiel-offensive/#:~:text=Gen.,squadrons%20available%20for%20additional%20assistance [Accessed 1 December 2025]. RAF. (n.d.). Battle of Britain. Available at: https://www.raf.mod.uk/what-we-do/our-history/anniversaries/battle-of-britain/#:~:text=At%20the%20height%20of%20the,available%2C%20against%202%2C550%20Luftwaffe%20aircraft[Accessed 1 December 2025]. History Hit. (n.d.). The Battle of Kursk in Numbers. Available at: https://www.historyhit.com/the-battle-of-kursk-in-numbers/ [Accessed 1 December 2025].

HISTORY

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Largest Air to Air Battles by Number of Aircraft

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