Strana 31
P-51B-7-NA, s/n 43-6913, Capt. Dominic S. Gentile, 336
th
FS, 4
th
FG, 8
th
AF, Debden,
the United Kingdom, March-April 1944
While he finished the war with a total of 21.83
kills and six aircraft destroyed on the ground,
Major Dominic Salvatore Gentile, the son of
Italian immigrants, had already logged over
300 hours in his biplane before joining the
Army. Because he did not meet the U.S. Army
Air Force’s educational requirements, he joined
the ranks of the Canadian Air Force and in
December 1941 was posted to Great Britain
where he began to gain combat experience as
a Spitfire pilot with No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron.
He scored his first kills on August 19, 1942,
shooting down a Ju 88 and an Fw 190.
In September 1942, the Eagle Squadrons formed
the basis of the 4
th
Fighter Group armed with
Thunderbolts, which were replaced by Mustangs
in late February 1944. Gentile scored his first kill
flying this type on March 3 when he claimed one
Do 217. Along with his wingman John T. Godfrey,
they were referred to as the Two-man Air Force
or Captains Courageous. After three kills on
April 8, he became the 8
th
AF’s most successful
fighter. As such, he demonstrated flyovers to
a group of journalists at Debden and in the
process crashed his “Shangri-La”. He was
grounded and subsequently returned to the US
to help sell war bonds. After the war he stayed
in the Air Force as a test pilot on the Wright
Field and was killed in a crash with a T-33A on
January 28, 1951.
KITS 10/2026
P-51B-15-NA, 42-106872, Lt. John F. Thornell, 328
th
FS, 352
nd
FG, 8
th
AF,
Bodney, the United Kingdom, June 1944
John F. Thornell was assigned to the 328
th
FS / 352nd FG in April 1943. Flying with the unit,
which was equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt
aircraft, he scored his first of a total of five
aerial victories on January 30, 1944, flying
a P-47D. In April, the 352nd FG was re-equipped
with P-51B Mustangs, and Thornell named
his new aircraft PATTY ANN II. Between May 8
and June 21, he scored nine of his 17.25 aerial
victories in it. Thornell’s most successful day
was May 8, 1944, when he shot down three
Bf 109s during an escort mission to Braunschweig,
Germany. For this mission, he was awarded the
second-highest U.S. military decoration—the
Distinguished Service Cross. During an escort
flight over Berlin on July 11, 1944, he reached
the 300-hour mark of operational flight time;
he subsequently ended his combat service and
returned home to the United States. His final
wartime tally included 17.25 aerial victories and
two aircraft destroyed on the ground.
INFO Eduard
31
October 2026