1320 hours, April 8, 1944. Near Celle, Germany. 4th Fighter Group P-51 Mustang pilot Capt. Don S. Gentile flames an Fw 190 above sun-drenched clouds in his 'kite,' nicknamed “Shangri-La." Gentile scored three aerial victories that day in a huge dogfight for the Debden-based 4th Fighter Group with an estimated 75-100 Fw 190s that ranged over a 30-mile area from 23,000 feet down to the deck. The 4th downed 33 of the enemy with the loss of 4 Mustangs (2 KIA, 2 POW).
LONDON, April 8, 1944 (AP) - Great fleets of American bombers and fighters thundered back into Germany today, blasting aircraft industries in Brunswick ... and provoking the German Air Force into the first major air battle this month ... Berlin broadcasts described great air battles extending from the German borders on into the Reich ...
15 April 1944 - Under the provisions of Army Regulations 600-45, and Circular #32 Hq ETO USA, 20 March 1944, the DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS is awarded to the following named officer:
DON S. GENTILE, 0-885109, Captain, Army Air Forces, United States Army. For extraordinary heroism in action, 8 April 1944, while leading a squadron of P-51 fighters supporting bombers near Ruhrburg, Germany. Captain Gentile saw 50 to 60 German aircraft attacking in mass a box of Liberator bombers. Displaying great courage, Captain Gentile led his squadron to the attack, dispersing the enemy that outnumbered him by more than three to one. In the ensuing melee he became separated from his squadron and was attacked by three enemy aircraft. By skillful and violent evasive technique, Captain Gentile maneuvered free of his attackers and positioned himself on the stern of an Fw 190, which he pursued in a furious battle from 22,000 feet to 8,000 feet, where he destroyed it. Climbing for altitude, he encountered another enemy aircraft which he destroyed in vigorous combat. Again, before rejoining his squadron, he saw a third enemy aircraft, and although his expenditure of gasoline and ammunition had been excessive and his supply of both was critical, he disregarded the apparent perils and hazards and engaged the enemy in a battle lasting for fully ten minutes, finally destroying him at zero altitude. The skill, aggressiveness, persistence, and extraordinary heroism of Captain Gentile in the face of a numerically superior enemy reflect great credit on himself and the Armed Forces of the United States. Entered military service from Ohio.
LONDON, April 8, 1944 (AP) - Great fleets of American bombers and fighters thundered back into Germany today, blasting aircraft industries in Brunswick ... and provoking the German Air Force into the first major air battle this month ... Berlin broadcasts described great air battles extending from the German borders on into the Reich ...
15 April 1944 - Under the provisions of Army Regulations 600-45, and Circular #32 Hq ETO USA, 20 March 1944, the DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS is awarded to the following named officer:
DON S. GENTILE, 0-885109, Captain, Army Air Forces, United States Army. For extraordinary heroism in action, 8 April 1944, while leading a squadron of P-51 fighters supporting bombers near Ruhrburg, Germany. Captain Gentile saw 50 to 60 German aircraft attacking in mass a box of Liberator bombers. Displaying great courage, Captain Gentile led his squadron to the attack, dispersing the enemy that outnumbered him by more than three to one. In the ensuing melee he became separated from his squadron and was attacked by three enemy aircraft. By skillful and violent evasive technique, Captain Gentile maneuvered free of his attackers and positioned himself on the stern of an Fw 190, which he pursued in a furious battle from 22,000 feet to 8,000 feet, where he destroyed it. Climbing for altitude, he encountered another enemy aircraft which he destroyed in vigorous combat. Again, before rejoining his squadron, he saw a third enemy aircraft, and although his expenditure of gasoline and ammunition had been excessive and his supply of both was critical, he disregarded the apparent perils and hazards and engaged the enemy in a battle lasting for fully ten minutes, finally destroying him at zero altitude. The skill, aggressiveness, persistence, and extraordinary heroism of Captain Gentile in the face of a numerically superior enemy reflect great credit on himself and the Armed Forces of the United States. Entered military service from Ohio.
By command of Lieutenant General SPAATZ.