Originally Posted by
elmshoot
Ernie,
keep your britches on....
I humbly apologize for my lack of timeliness.
1. WW ll pilot, flew the Spitfire and several other allied airplanes.
2. Served in both theater of operations both Pacific and Europe but made his reputation in only one. Although he was in the lesser known theater during a very momentous event.
3. Fluent in several languages flew with a squadron that were made up of that countries pilots.
4. Ace in two wars
Sparky
Sparky; it sounds as though you're describing Gabby Gabreski, even though he didn't serve in the Pacific Theatre as such, in WWII. He did serve in Europe in WWII, and in the Pacific during the Korean Conflict, however. Close enough? Thanks; Ernie P.
Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (born
Franciszek Gabryszewski; January 28, 1919 – January 31, 2002) was a career officer and pilot in the
United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel with 26 years of military service. He was the top American and
U.S. Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe in
World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the
Korean War.
Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat pilots to become an ace in two wars, Gabreski was also one of the Air Force's most accomplished leaders. In addition to commanding two fighter squadrons, he had six command tours at group or wing level, including one in combat in Korea, totaling over 11 years of command and 15 overall in operational fighter assignments.
After his Air Force career, Gabreski headed the
Long Island Rail Road, a commuter railroad owned by the
State of New York, and struggled in his attempts to improve its service and financial condition. After two and a half years, he resigned under pressure and went into full retirement.
Service with Polish Squadron:
In October, Gabreski reported to the
Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command in
England, at that time a rudimentary new headquarters. After a lengthy period of inactivity, he tried to arrange duty with 303 Squadron, but that unit had been taken out of action for a period of rest. Instead, he was posted to
No. 315 (Deblin) Squadron at
RAF Northolt in January 1943.
Gabreski flew the new
Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX, flying patrol sweeps over the
Channel. He first encountered
Luftwaffe opposition on February 3, when a group of
Focke-Wulf Fw 190s jumped his squadron. Too excited to make a "kill", Gabreski learned that he had to keep calm during a mission, a lesson that served him well later in the war. He later spoke with great esteem about the Polish pilots and the lessons they taught him. In all, Gabreski flew 20 missions with the Poles, engaging in combat once.