Dominic Salvatore "Don" Gentile (December 6, 1920 – January 28, 1951), was a World War II RAF and USAAF pilot who achieved fame as he came close to surpassing

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

Early life

Gentile was born in

Piqua, Ohio Piqua ( ) is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States, along the Great Miami River. The population was 20,354 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, it is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metro ...

, the son of Italian immigrantsSalvatore John LaGumina, ''The Humble and the Heroic: Wartime Italian Americans'' (2006) p.182 Patsy and Josephina Gentile, who immigrated in 1907.Philip Kaplan, ''Two-Man Air Force: Don Gentile & John Godfrey World War Two Flying Aces'' (2006) p.7 After a fascination with flying as a child, his father provided him with his own plane, an Aerosport Biplane. He managed to log over 300 hours flying time by July 1941, when he attempted to join the US Army Air Corp.

Royal Canadian Air Force

The U.S. military required two years of college for its pilots, which Gentile did not have, so he enlisted in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

and was posted to the UK in Dec 1941 as a Pilot Officer. Gentile flew the

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

Mk V with No. 133 Squadron, one of the three famed RAF " Eagle Squadron"s beginning in June, 1942. His first kills (a Ju 88 and Fw 190) were on August 19, 1942, at Dieppe during Operation Jubilee. (transcribed by Johnson, p. 4)

4th Fighter Group

In September 1942, the Eagle squadron pilots transferred to the USAAF, becoming the nucleus of the 4th Fighter Group. Gentile became a flight leader in September 1943, now flying the

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

. Having flown Spitfires, Gentile and some of the other pilots of the 4th were displeased when they transitioned to the heavy P-47C in April 1943. On 16 December 1943, Gentile claimed one third-share of a destroyed Ju 88. On 5 January 1944, he claimed a Fw 190 west of

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

. Two Fw 190s were claimed on 14 January and a single 190 on 25 February.Pilot's combat report
wwiiaircraftperformance.org By late 1943, future Group Commander Col. Don Blakeslee pushed for re-equipment with the lighter, more maneuverable

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

. After conversion to the P-51B at the end of February 1944, Gentile built a tally of 15.5 additional aircraft destroyed between March 3 and April 8, 1944.''USAF Historical Study No. 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II'', Air Force Historical Research Agency, p. 70. His first victory flying the P-51 was on 3 March, when he claimed a Do 217 in the Wittenberg area. Together with his occasional wingman John T. Godfrey, they were known as 'Captains Courageous', 'The Two-Man Air Force', and 'Damon and Pythias'. On a March 8, 1944 mission near Berlin, Gentile and Godfrey teamed up to claim six Bf 109s between them. Gentile was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for that mission. Don Gentile and Don Blakeslee Distinguished Service Cross presentation

Don Gentile and Don Blakeslee Distinguished Service Cross presentation

After downing three more planes on April 8, he was the top scoring

8th Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

when he crashed his P-51, "Shangri-La", on April 13, 1944, while buzzing the 4th FG's Debden airfield for a group of assembled press reporters. Blakeslee immediately grounded Gentile as a result, and he went back to the US for a planned tour selling

war bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are Security (finance)#Debt, debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an un ...

s. In 1944, Gentile co-wrote with well-known war correspondent Ira Wolfert ''One Man Air Force'', an autobiography and account of his combat missions. Gentile's initial claim of 30 aircraft destroyed (including 7 on the ground) was later reduced to a final tally of 19.83 aerial victories and 3 damaged, with 6 ground kills, in 350 combat hours flown plus the two victories claimed while with the RAF Eagle Squadron.

Post war

After the war, he stayed with the Air Force, as a test pilot at

Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Loc ...

, as a Training Officer in the Fighter Gunnery Program, and as a student officer at the Air Tactical School. In June 1949, Gentile enrolled as an undergraduate studying military science at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

Death

On January 28, 1951, he was killed when he crashed in a T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star trainer, AF Ser. No. ''49-0905'', in Forestville,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, leaving behind his wife Isabella Masdea Gentile Beitman (deceased October 2008), and sons Don Jr., Joseph and Pasquale. Gentile was buried with full military honors in Saint Joseph Cemetery in Lockbourne, Ohio.

Awards and decorations

Gentile's awards and decorations include:

Distinguished Service Cross citation (1st Award)

:Gentile, Dominic S. :Captain (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces :336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force :Date of Action: March 08, 1944 :Citation: The

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) Dominic "Don" Salvatore Gentile, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 8 March 1944, in the European Theater of Operations. On this date Captain Gentile, while leading a section of Fighter Aircraft on a bomber escort mission to targets in the vicinity of Berlin, Germany, saw a flight of bombers being attacked by approximately fifty enemy fighters. With only his wing man as support and without regard to the overwhelming odds against him, Captain Gentile immediately attacked the enemy formation and by extremely courageous flying and skillful gunnery destroyed three enemy planes and broke up the threat against the bombers. Continuing with his wing man, they destroyed three more enemy fighters. By this time the wing man had expended his ammunition and Captain Gentile's supply was very low. Despite this fact, they picked up a straggling bomber and escorted it to friendly territory. Captain Gentile's outstanding courage and determination to destroy the enemy on this occasion set an example of heroism which will be an inspiration to the Armed Forces of the United States.

Distinguished Service Cross citation (2nd Award)

:Gentile, Dominic S. :Captain (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces :336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force :Date of Action: April 8, 1944 :Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) Dominic "Don" Salvatore Gentile, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on April 8, 1944. On this date Captain Gentile destroyed three enemy fighters and assisted in destruction of a fourth in a single engagement. Captain Gentile's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.

Legacy

A Civil Air Patrol squadron based in Sidney, Ohio was named in honor of Don Gentile. On

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

Weekend (July 6) 1986, a statue of Don Gentile ''(pictured)'' was dedicated in his hometown Piqua Ohio. Dominic Salvatore Gentile Piqua Ohio Statue

Gentile Air Force Station in

Kettering, Ohio Kettering is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The city had a population of 57,862 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous suburb in the Dayton metr ...

was named in his honor in 1962. The installation closed in 1996. Winston Churchill called Gentile and his wingman, Captain John T. Godfrey,

Damon and Pythias The story of Damon (; , gen. Δάμωνος) and Pythias (; or ; or Phintias, ) is a legend in Greek historic writings illustrating the Pythagorean ideal of friendship. Pythias is accused of and charged with plotting against the tyrannical Dion ...

, after the legendary characters from Greek mythology. He was inducted into the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with ...

in 1995.

References

* 4 volumes–I: Terror from the Sky (pages 1–168), II: Tragic Victories (pages 1–192), III: Outraged Skies (pages 1–136), IV: Wings of Fire (pages 1–218) *

External links

Don Gentile at acesofww2.com''4th Fighter Group WWII'' Official WWII Association Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentile, Dominic S. 1920 births 1951 deaths Accidental deaths in Maryland American people of Italian descent American World War II flying aces Aviators from Ohio Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees Military personnel from Dayton, Ohio People from Piqua, Ohio Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Air Medal United States Air Force officers United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1951 Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)