Robert Neale (May 3, 1914, Vancouver, Canada – 1994) was the top flying ace with the American Volunteer Group (AVG), amassing 13 victories in 1941 prior to the United States entering World War II. He left his studies at the University of Washington to enlist in the United States Navy in 1938. He became an aviator, receiving his wings in 1939, and was a dive-bomber pilot on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3), flying the Curtiss SBC Helldiver and Douglas SBD Dauntless. Ensign Neale resigned his commission to join the AVG of the Chinese Air Force in June 1941.