P-47D-11-RE, Lt. Col. Francis ‘Gabby’ Gabreski, 56th Fighter Group, USAAF, late December 1943.
Francis ‘Gabby’ Gabreski was stationed in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941 and was one of the handful of American pilots to get airborne during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Gabreski shot down his 28th German plane on July 5th, 1944, becoming America’s leading ace in the European theater. On his final mission before he was to return to the United States for a war bond tour, he crashed near Koblenz, Germany where he was captured by the Nazis. A Nazi interrogator handed Gabreski a copy of a military newspaper that documented the pilot’s historic 28th kill and told him “We’ve been expecting you for a long time”.
Gabreski went on to fight in the Korean Conflict, achieving another 6.5 aerial victories, bringing his total to 34.5 confirmed kills.
Profile notes: While it is not 100% certain, the available photos appear to show that the depot-applied U.S. insignia under the port wing is the 60″ version (it could be 55″). Also, this aircraft had a British Mk.II gunsight installed. Note that the individual code letter ‘A’ is slightly rotated off center from the ‘HV’ code.
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Recommended Books
(as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):
Zemke’s Wolfpack: A Photographic Odyssey of the 56th Fighter Group During the Second World War
Beware the Thunderbolt!: The 56th Fighter Group in World War II