53 Facts About Gabby Gabreski

Gabby Gabreski was the top American and United States Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe during World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War.

Gabby Gabreski's parents had emigrated from Frampol, Poland to Oil City, Pennsylvania, in the early 1900s.

Gabby Gabreski's father owned and operated a market, putting in 12-hour days.

Gabby Gabreski did so in 1938, but, unprepared for real academic work, almost failed during his freshman year.

Gabby Gabreski took lessons in a Taylor Cub and accumulated six hours of flight time.

At the start of his second year at Notre Dame, Gabby Gabreski enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, volunteering as an aviation cadet.

Gabby Gabreski was a mediocre trainee and was forced to pass an elimination check ride during primary to continue training.

Gabby Gabreski trained on both the Curtiss P-36 Hawk and the newer Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.

Gabby Gabreski met his future wife, Catherine "Kay" Cochran, in Hawaii and became engaged shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Gabby Gabreski closely followed reports on the Battle of Britain and the role played in it by Polish RAF squadrons, especially by the legendary No 303 Polish Fighter Squadron.

Gabby Gabreski became concerned that the US did not have many experienced fighter pilots.

Gabby Gabreski flew the new Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX, flying patrol sweeps over the Channel.

Too excited to make a "kill", Gabby Gabreski learned that he had to keep calm during a mission, a lesson that served him well later in the war.

Gabby Gabreski later spoke with great esteem about the Polish pilots and the lessons they taught him.

On February 27,1943, Gabby Gabreski became part of the 56th Fighter Group, flying the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron, and quickly became a flight leader.

Gabby Gabreski was immediately resented by many of his fellow pilots, and the fact that he was opinionated and outspoken did little to ease the situation.

Low on fuel and ammunition, Gabby Gabreski outmaneuvered a Bf 109 until it succeeded in placing a burst of fire into his P-47, disabling the engine.

Gabby Gabreski stayed in the airplane until it restarted at a lower altitude, where the turbocharger was not needed.

When Zemke resumed command on January 19,1944, Gabby Gabreski relinquished command of the 61st FS.

In February 1944, Gabby Gabreski brought two Polish pilots into the 56th, who had flown with him in 1943 while serving with the RAF, including future USAAF ace Squadron Leader Boleslaw "Mike" Gladych.

Gabby Gabreski downed only one more aircraft in the next two months, during which time the two pilots ahead of him were sent home.

Gabby Gabreski resumed command of the 61st FS when its commander was transferred to VIII FC headquarters.

Gabby Gabreski tied Johnson as the leading ace in the European Theater of Operations on June 27, and on July 5,1944, became America's leading ace in the ETO, with his score of 28 destroyed matching the total at the time of confirmed victories of the Pacific Theatre's top American ace, Richard Bong.

On July 20,1944, Gabby Gabreski had reached the 300-hour combat time limit for Eighth Air Force fighter pilots and was awaiting an aircraft to return him to the United States on leave and reassignment.

Gabby Gabreski had already advised Kay Cochran to proceed with wedding plans, and his hometown of Oil City, Pennsylvania, had raised $2,000 for a wedding present in anticipation of his return.

Gabby Gabreski was dissatisfied with his first strafing run on an Gabby Gabreski 111, and he reversed for a second pass.

Gabby Gabreski then ran into the nearby woods and eluded capture for five days.

Gabby Gabreski flew 166 combat sorties and was officially credited by the USAAF with 28 aircraft destroyed in air combat and 3 on the ground.

Gabby Gabreski returned immediately to flying, becoming commander of his former unit, the 56th Fighter Group, now flying F-80 Shooting Stars at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan.

Gabby Gabreski participated in aerial combat again during the Korean War.

On July 8,1951, flying his fifth mission in an F-86, Gabby Gabreski shot down a MiG-15, followed by MiG kills on September 2 and October 2.

Gabby Gabreski was transferred to K-13 Air Base, accompanied by most of the former 56th FIW pilots who had come with him to Korea, and took command November 6,1951.

Gabby Gabreski was criticized for having a poor attitude towards wingmen.

One historian, citing five interviews with pilots and an unpublished manuscript by a sixth, observed that Gabby Gabreski flew the fastest aircraft available and failed to notice when his slower wingmen could not keep up.

Gabby Gabreski was criticized for a lack of discipline among his off-duty pilots and for allegedly encouraging exaggerated kill claims.

Gabby Gabreski was a tiger and went on to become an ace again.

Shortly after my arrival, Gabby Gabreski flew the first F-86E to arrive on base in simulated combat over the field against an F-86A and whipped the other guy badly, with every Sabre jock on the base as witness.

Gabby Gabreski replied "Wingmen are to absorb firepower" and I never knew him well enough to judge whether he had a dry sense of humor, but he made the right choice.

Major William T Whisner had been a P-51 double-ace with the 352nd FG in World War II and was one of the pilots Gabreski brought with him from the 56th FIW in June 1951.

Gabby Gabreski broke off the engagement and returned to base after his own airplane was damaged, where he claimed the MiG as a "probable kill".

Whisner trailed the MiG deep into Manchuria trying to confirm Gabby Gabreski's kill, but his Sabre ran low on fuel.

Gabby Gabreski completed the shootdown and returned to K-14 where he confirmed the kill for Gabreski but did not claim it himself.

Gabby Gabreski confronted him and angrily ordered him to change his mission report, confirming Whisner's own role in the kill.

Gabby Gabreski was officially credited with 123 combat missions in Korea, totaling 289 for his career.

On this date, Colonel Gabby Gabreski led a flight of P-47 fighters on a bomber escort mission to targets near Oldenburg, Germany.

Gabby Gabreski personally attacked and destroyed the leading enemy aircraft and, despite damage sustained by his airplane from contact with falling pieces of the disintegrating enemy plane, sought out and destroyed another enemy fighter before returning to join his flight for further escort of the bombers.

Gabby Gabreski was asked by New York Governor Hugh Carey to serve as president of the financially stressed and state-owned Long Island Rail Road in an attempt to improve the commuter line.

Carey was opposed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary election by his own lieutenant governor, Maryanne Krupsak, and in part appointed Gabby Gabreski to enhance his election campaign based on Gabby Gabreski's Polish extraction and Long Island affiliations.

Gabby Gabreski charged that the creation of an executive director's position, and its appointee, obstructed his efforts to improve service, replace equipment, and change its executive staff.

Francis and Kay Gabby Gabreski had nine children in 48 years of marriage.

Gabby Gabreski's wife died as the result of an automobile accident as they both were returning from the Oshkosh Air Show on August 6,1993.

Gabby Gabreski was interred in Calverton National Cemetery, 25 miles from their home in Dix Hills.

Gabby Gabreski died of an apparent heart attack in Huntington Hospital, Long Island, New York on January 31,2002, and is buried in Calverton National Cemetery.