Don Gentile
| Dominic Salvatore Gentile | |
|---|---|
'Don' Gentile on the wing of his P-51B, 'Shangri-La'
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Don" |
| Born |
December 6, 1920 Piqua, Ohio |
| Died | January 28, 1951 (aged 30) Forestville, Maryland |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 133 Squadron RAF, 4th Fighter Group USAAF (336th Fighter Squadron) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Cross (U.K.) Air Medal |
Major Dominic Salvatore "Don" Gentile (December 6, 1920 – January 28, 1951) was a World War II USAAF pilot who surpassed Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I record of 26 downed aircraft. He later served in the post-war U.S. Air Force.
Gentile was born in Piqua, Ohio, the son of Italian immigrants Patsy and Josephina Gentile, who immigrated in 1907. 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 Army Air Forces.
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 1941. Gentile flew the Supermarine Spitfire Mark V with No. 133 Squadron, one of the famed "Eagle Squadron" during 1942. His first kills (a Ju 88 and Fw 190) were on August 19, 1942, during Operation Jubilee.
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Wikipedia