P-47D Thunderbolt "Thunderbolt"
P-47D Thunderbolt "Thunderbolt" Art by Willie Jones. This image is copyrighted and is the property of Willie Jones Jr. and is available only to members of the Armed Forces and Military organizations. Col Gabreski was an outstanding leader and fighter ace. He destroyed 31 German aircraft (28 aerial and three ground victories) during World War II and shot down 6.5 MiG-15 kills during the Korean Conflict. He was one of a few American pilots to become an ace in two wars. Col Gabreski (then Lt Gabreski) was stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Wheeler was hit preventing any aircraft from getting airborne. After the airfield was cleared, he took off in search of the enemy in an obsolete P-36. His search was fruitless. He found no enemy aircraft to pursue. Col Gabreski would get his chance to pursue a different enemy, the Germans. He was reassigned to polish unit flying spitfires where he flew 20 combat missions but scored no victories. After a few weeks in the Polish squadron, Gabreski was transferred to the Army Air Force 56TH Fighter Group. It is with this group that Col Gabreski became famous. He scored 31 victories during his European tour of duty with this group. After finishing his tour of duty, Col Gabreski was scheduled to transfer back to the US. He got wind of a mission for the next day and convinced his commander to let him fly one more mission. Col Gabreski took off with his squadron to attack a German airfield. After reaching the target area, he aligned himself with aircraft parked in the open. He dived to get low and fast to avoid the anti-aircraft fire. As he zoomed past the airfield, his propeller struck a rise in the ground at the end of the runway that forced him down. He bellied in unharmed. Col Gabreski evaded for several days but was eventually capture and sent to Stalag Luft 1 where he spent eight months until the war end. Col Gabreski became the eighth jet ace of the Korean Conflict whi