Lonnie Ortega Aviation Art

Col. Francis S. Gabreski

56th F.G./51st. F.I.W. (34.5)

 When Colonel Francis S. Gabreski retired from the USAF on October 31, 1967, he was the top living American fighter ace. He had 28 confirmed victories in WWII while flying with 56th Fighter Group. He added another 6.5 victories over Korea to wind up with a total of 34.5 victories. He left the campus of Notre Dame University to enter flight training. When Pearl Harbor came he was stationed in Hawaii, but had no chance to get airborne that fateful morning. When the 56th went to England in 1943, Gabreski put in a few missions with one of the Polish squadrons of the RAF but didn’t score. Initially his victories came slowly and it was November 26, 1943, when he became an ace. He had a big day on May 22, 1944, when he and his squadron sighted a number of German fighters over the airdrome at Hopenhofer. These craft battled the Americans for about five minutes and broke off. Gabreski then sighted another twenty FW190’s coming into land. The P-47’s went down for a bounce but were almost driven away by flak. Then one of the Fw190’s shot a green flare and the firing ceased. This is what the Americans wanted and they fell in on their prey. Gabreski got 3 and a probable that day. By the end of June 1944 he had 27 victories and was waiting for orders to go home. Number 28 fell before his guns on July 5th. Then on his 166th mission on the 20th of July he went down to do a bit of strafing on a German airdrome. He got too low, bounced his P-47 on a knoll and bent the prop. Gabreski had to crash land. After evading for five days he was caught and taken prisoner. Gabreski first flew with the 4th FIW in Korea and got his first two MiG 15’s with them. He was then given command of the 51st FIW where he became an ace in his second war.