Dominic Salvatore Gentile

Template:Short description Template:Infobox military person 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<ref name=":0" /> to surpassing Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I record of 26 downed aircraft.<ref name=Johnson>Template:Cite book</ref> He later served in the post-war U.S. Air Force.

Early life

Gentile was born in Piqua, Ohio,<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> the son of Italian immigrants<ref name=LaGumina545561>Salvatore John LaGumina, The Humble and the Heroic: Wartime Italian Americans (2006) p.182</ref> Patsy and Josephina Gentile, who immigrated in 1907.<ref name=Kaplan545560>Philip Kaplan, Two-Man Air Force: Don Gentile & John Godfrey World War Two Flying Aces (2006) p.7</ref> 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 and was posted to the UK in Dec 1941 as a Pilot Officer.<ref name=":0" /> Gentile flew the Supermarine Spitfire 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> at Dieppe during Operation Jubilee.<ref name=Beitman>Template:Citation (transcribed by Johnson, p. 4)</ref>

4th Fighter Group

In September 1942, the Eagle squadron pilots transferred to the USAAF, becoming the nucleus of the 4th Fighter Group.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> Gentile became a flight leader in September 1943, now flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. 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.<ref>Pilot's engagement report wwiiaircraftperformance.org</ref> Two Fw 190s were claimed on 14 January<ref>Pilot's engagement report wwiiaircraftperformance.org</ref> and a single 190 on 25 February.<ref>Pilot's combat report wwiiaircraftperformance.org</ref>

By late 1943, future Group Commander Col. Don Blakeslee pushed for re-equipment with the lighter, more maneuverable P-51 Mustang. 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.<ref name="ace">USAF Historical Study No. 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II, Air Force Historical Research Agency, p. 70.</ref>

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'.<ref name="WarbirdDigest">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower awards the Distinguished Service Cross to Gentile (left) and Colonel Donald Blakeslee on April 11, 1944.

After downing three more planes on April 8,<ref name="HoF">Template:Cite web</ref> he was the top scoring 8th Air Force pilot 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.<ref name=":0" /> Blakeslee immediately grounded Gentile as a result, and he went back to the US for a planned<ref name=":0" /> tour selling war bonds. 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)<ref name=":0" /> was later reduced to a final tally of 19.83 aerial victories<ref name="ace" /> and 3 damaged, with 6 ground kills, in 350 combat hours flown plus the two victories claimed while with the RAF Eagle Squadron.<ref name="ace" />

Post war

After the war, he stayed with the Air Force, as a test pilot at Wright Field, as a Training Officer in the Fighter Gunnery Program, and as a student officer at the Air Tactical School. He married his wife, Isabella, in November of 1944.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 1949, Gentile enrolled as an undergraduate studying military science at the University of Maryland.

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, 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:

USAF Senior pilot badge
RAF pilot brevet
Template:Ribbon devices	Distinguished Service Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster
Template:Ribbon devices	Distinguished Flying Cross with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
Template:Ribbon devices	Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Template:Ribbon devices	Air Force Presidential Unit Citation with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Template:Ribbon devices	American Campaign Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with bronze campaign star
Template:Ribbon devices	World War II Victory Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	National Defense Service Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	Air Force Longevity Service Award with bronze oak leaf cluster
Template:Ribbon devices	British Distinguished Flying Cross
Template:Ribbon devices	Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm
Template:Ribbon devices	Canadian Volunteer Service Medal

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 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.<ref name="valor.militarytimes.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="valor.militarytimes.com"/>

Legacy

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

On Independence Day Weekend (July 6) 1986, a statue of Don Gentile (pictured) was dedicated in his hometown Piqua Ohio.<ref name="MyMiamiCounty"> Template:Cite web </ref>

Statue of Dominic Salvatore Gentile, located in Piqua Ohio

Gentile Air Force Station in Kettering, Ohio 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, after the legendary characters from Greek mythology. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995.<ref name=HoF/>

References

• Template:Cite book 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)
• Template:Cite book

External links

• Don Gentile at acesofww2.com
• 4th Fighter Group WWII Official WWII Association Website