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Toronto Officer Says U.S. Ace 'Doesn't Know How He Does
It’
A United States Fighter Base, England, April 10, 1944
(AP) — Capt. Don S. Gentile, the leading United States Air Force
ace in the European war theatre, makes the job of mowing down Nazi planes
sound as easy as picking birds off a fence.
Asserting in an interview that he believed the Germans — apparently
short of experienced fighter pilots — are sending up novices with
one veteran to lead them through combat, the 23-year-old airman added:
"The Germans always seem to fly in twos or fours, strung out in a
line, and they keep right behind the leader no matter what happens —
as if they are afraid to branch off."
Gentile, who has destroyed 20 planes in the air, with claims of three
more pending, in addition to seven destroyed on the ground, willingly
acknowledges his debt to his wing man, Lt. Johnny Godfrey,
21, who has 16 kills himself.
Godfrey flies behind him, either to the right or left. Gentile keeps tabs
on him by asking every few seconds over the radio phone: "Are you
still with me, Johnny? Are you still with me, Johnny?" Any German
flier who understands English can hear them calmly plotting his doom.
"You break to the starboard," Gentile will call out, "and
1'll hesitate and if he follows you around I'll follow him and we'll have
him right between us”
While Gentile was musing about his Technique, his squadron commander,
Major James Goodson of Sultan
St., Toronto, a fellow graduate of the R.A.F., said: "Don doesn't
know how he does it. He was just born with the knack — and he does
it."
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R.A.F. and U.S. Fliers Reach Upper Ace Class
London, April 13, 1944 (CP) — Wing Cmdr. J. R.
D. Braham joined the upper brackets of the
Empire's fighter aces today when he destroyed his 26th enemy plane, a
twin-engine German machine which he shot down during a Mosquito intruder
patrol over Denmark.
The 23-year-old R.A.F. ace, holder of the D.S.O. and Bar and the D.F.C.
and two Bars, now is the fourth highest scorer among Empire airmen still
on operations.
Flt. Lt. George (Buzz) Beurling
of Verdun, Que., heads the list with 31 victims, but the greatest living
R.A.F. ace is Group Capt. A. G. (Sailor) Malan,
with 32 German planes to his credit. He now is off operations.
Braham, known as "The Destroyer" to the R.A.F., is Britain's
deadliest night fighter. Nineteen of his kills were made in the dark.
Capt. Don S. Gentile, top United States fighter ace in
the European theatre, with 23 planes destroyed in the air and seven on
the ground, was badly shaken when forced to crash-land his fighter at
his home base after a recent mission, it was disclosed today.
Meanwhile, at Allied Headquarters in the Southwest Pacific, it was announced
that Capt. Richard I. Bong, Poplar, Wis., has shot
down 27 enemy planes in aerial combat to become the highest ranking United
States ace in this or the last war. Bong's 26th and 27th victories were
achieved in raids over the Japanese base at Hollandia, New Guinea.
Neither air commanders in the Southwest Pacific nor the R.A.F. credit
pilots with planes destroyed on the ground, and these fliers still have
a long way to go to reach the mark of 72 planes downed by the Canadian,
Air Marshal W. A. Bishop, V.C., from 1916 to 1918.
A special release announcing Bong's achievement said all of his 27 victories
were scored while flying fighter planes over enemy territory. He was ordered
to duty in the Southwest Pacific in September, 1942, later went on leave
to the United States and returned to active duty early this year.
Gentile's mount "Shangri-La" has seen better days
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JOHNSON GETS 33RD PLANE, SETS RECORD
London, June 30, 1944 (CP) — Canadian fighter pilots
accounted for 13 of 17 enemy planes destroyed in aerial battling over
Normandy today and among them was Wing Cmdr, J. E. (Johnny) Johnson,
English leader of a crack Canadian Spitfire wing operating from French
bases, who shot down his 33rd German plane to become the leading Allied
fighter ace in this theatre.
Johnson's 33rd Nazi cracked the long-standing record of 32 held by Group
Capt. A. G. (Sailor) Malan,
built up mainly when the South African ace was the R.A.F.'s outstanding
fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain. Malan is not now on active operations.
Today was the second day in the last three that Canadian airmen have led
all other Allied air units in knocking the Luftwaffe out of the: sky.
On June 28 they shot down 26 of 34 German planes destroyed over the Normandy
front.
Johnson bagged two in Wednesday's aerial battling and his record-breaking
today came with a three-second burst at 200 yards range. Johnson went
after him when No. 2 in his wing spotted the Nazi making for the safety
of clouds. He got him and followed the enemy plane down until it crashed
"I was leading a flight of six aircraft when control called us to
say that another of our flights was being rather heavily engaged 20 miles
within the enemy lines around Argentan," Johnson said after he brought
his flight back to base.
"We hurried as hard as we could and right away saw Spitfires, ME
109s and Focke-Wulf 190s having a great dogfight among the clouds. There
was only one flight of Spitfires against about 20 or 30 of the Luftwaffe.
We soon were among them, and the boys of my flight knocked down three."
Clouds made it "rather fun," said Johnson, adding: "If
you got into trouble and found some one getting on your tail you had clouds
to help you get rid of him. Then you could come out of the clouds again
to look for another to tackle."
Johnson took over command of the wing March 16, 1943. Although an Englishman,
he wears a "Canada" flash on his flying clothes as a mark of
fellowship with the Canadians he leads. Re recently returned to active
flying operations after a period of ground duty.
In cracking Malan's record, Johnson equaled the score set by Brendan (Paddy)
Finucane, who had 33 German
planes to his credit when he was lost in action last year.
Leading United States flier in this theatre was Capt. Don S. Gentile,
who downed 23 planes in combat and destroyed seven on the ground, and
who now is in the United States. Leading Canadian ace is F/L George Beurling
of Verdun, Que., who destroyed 31 enemy planes, most of them over Malta
when he flew with the R.A.F. He now is in Canada on flying-training duty.
Major Alexander Pokryshkin, a Siberian,
is Russia's leading ace. He is credited with shooting down 53 German planes.
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--- American Aces ---
--- Canadian Aces ---
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