Gabby Gabreski Francis Stanley " Gabby " Gabreski ( born Franciszek Gabryszewski ; January 28 , 1919 – January 31 , 2002 ) was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II , a jet fighter ace in Korea , and a career officer in the United States Air Force with more than 26 years service , retiring with the rank of colonel . Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U . S . combat pilots to become an ace in two wars , Gabreski was also one of the Air Force ' s most accomplished leaders . In addition to commanding two fighter squadrons , Gabreski had six command tours at group or wing level , including one in combat in Korea , totalling over 11 years of command and 15 overall in operational fighter assignments . After his Air Force career , Gabreski headed the Long Island Rail Road , a commuter railroad owned by the State of New York , and struggled in his attempts to improve its service and financial condition . After two and a half years , he resigned under pressure and went into full retirement . Early years . Gabreski ' s official Air Force biography states : Gabreski ' s parents had emigrated from Poland to Oil City , Pennsylvania , in the early 1900s . His father ( Stanley Gabryszewski ) owned and operated a market , putting in 12 - hour days . Like many immigrant - owned businesses in those days , the whole family worked at the market . But Gabreski ' s parents had dreams for him , including attending Notre Dame University . He did so in 1938 , but , unprepared for real academic work , almost failed during his freshman year . During his second year at Notre Dame , Army Air Corps recruiters visited the campus . Gabreski went to hear them , primarily because his friends were going . The Army ' s enticing offer impressed him and he enrolled , reporting in July 1940 . In 1938 , during his first year at Notre Dame , Gabreski developed an interest in flying . He took lessons in a Taylor Cub and accumulated six hours of flight time . However , his autobiography indicates , he struggled to fly smoothly and did not solo , having been advised by his instructor Homer Stockert that he did not " have the touch to be a pilot " . At the start of his second year at Notre Dame , Nazi Germany invaded Poland , angering him and re - kindling his interest in flying . Gabreski enlisted in the U . S . Army Air Corps , volunteering as an aviation cadet . After his induction into the U . S . Army at Pittsburgh , Gabreski undertook primary flight training at Parks Air College , near East St . Louis , Illinois , flying the Stearman PT - 17 . Gabreski was a mediocre trainee , and was forced to pass an elimination check ride during primary to continue training . He advanced to basic flight training at Gunter Army Air Base , Alabama , in the Vultee BT - 13 , and completed advanced training at Maxwell Field , Alabama , in the North American AT - 6 Texan . Gabreski earned his wings and his commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Corps in March 1941 , then sailed for Hawaii aboard the to his first assignment . World War II . Assigned as a fighter pilot with the 45th Pursuit Squadron of the 15th Pursuit Group at Wheeler Field , Hawaii , 2nd Lt . Gabreski trained on both the Curtiss P - 36 Hawk and the newer Curtiss P - 40 Warhawk . He met his future wife , Catherine " Kay " Cochran , in Hawaii and became engaged shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . During that action , Gabreski joined several members of his squadron in flying P - 36 fighters in an attempt to intercept the attackers , but the Japanese had withdrawn before their reaction . During the spring and summer of 1942 , Gabreski remained with the 45th FS , training in newer model P - 40s and in Bell P - 39 Airacobra s that the unit began to receive . Gabreski followed closely 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 . He became concerned that the US did not have many experienced fighter pilots . This gave Gabreski an idea : since Polish squadrons had proved to be capable within the RAF and since he himself was of Polish origin and spoke Polish , he offered to serve as a liaison officer to the Polish squadrons to learn from their experience . The idea was approved and he left Hawaii for Washington , D . C . in September 1942 , where he received a promotion to captain . RAF duty . In October , Gabreski reported to the Eighth Air Force ' s VIII Fighter Command in England , at that time a rudimentary new headquarters . After a lengthy period of inactivity , he tried to arrange duty with 303 Squadron , but that unit had been taken out of action for a period of rest . Instead he was posted to No . 315 ( Deblin ) Squadron at RAF Northolt in January 1943 . Gabreski flew the new Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX . He and his fellow pilots flew patrol sweeps over the Channel . He first encountered " Luftwaffe " opposition on February 3 , when a group of Focke - Wulf Fw 190 s jumped his squadron . Too excited to make a " kill " , Gabreski learned that he had to keep calm during a mission , a lesson that served him well later in the war . He later spoke with great esteem about the Polish pilots and lessons he learned from them . In all , Gabreski flew 20 missions with the Poles , engaging in combat once . 56th Fighter Group . On February 27 , 1943 , 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 . He was immediately resented by many of his fellow pilots , and the fact that he was opinionated and verbose did little to ease the situation . In May , shortly after the group moved to RAF Halesworth and entered combat , Gabreski was promoted to major . On June 9 , he took command of the 61st Fighter Squadron when its CO was moved up to group deputy commander . This also stirred ill feelings toward him since he had jumped over two more senior pilots . This ill will was soon exacerbated when both of his rival flight leaders were lost in combat on June 26 , and did not subside until he recorded his first credited kill , of an Fw 190 near Dreux , France , on August 24 , 1943 . His first kill presaged criticism that followed him throughout his combat career , when his wingmen complained that his attack had been too hastily conducted to allow them to also engage . On November 26 , 1943 , the 56th FG was assigned to cover the withdrawal of Boeing B - 17 Flying Fortress bombers that had bombed Bremen , Germany . The P - 47s arrived to find the bombers under heavy attack near Oldenburg and dove into the fray . Gabreski recorded his fourth and fifth kills to become an ace , but had a close brush with death on December 11 , when a 20 mm ( . 79 in ) cannon shell lodged in his engine without exploding , destroying its turbocharger . Low on fuel and ammunition , Gabreski outmaneuvered a Bf 109 until it succeeded in placing a burst of fire into the P - 47 , disabling its engine . Gabreski stayed in the airplane , however , until it restarted at a lower altitude where the turbocharger was not needed . In November 1943 , the group commander of the 56th , Colonel Hubert Zemke , was replaced in command for two months by Colonel Robert Landry , a staff officer at VIII FC . Because of Landry ' s inexperience , combat missions of the 56th were alternately led by deputy commander Lieutenant Colonel David C . Schilling and Gabreski , who acted as deputy group operations officer . When Zemke resumed command on January 19 , 1944 , Gabreski relinquished command of the 61st FS . In February , Gabreski brought into the 56th two Polish pilots with whom he had flown in 1943 while serving with the RAF , including future USAAF ace Squadron Leader Boleslaw " Mike " Gladych . With Gabreski ' s support and to ease a shortage of experienced pilots caused by many veterans reaching the completion of their tours , the 61st FS in April accepted five other Polish Air Force pilots into the squadron as the " " Polish Flight " " . Gabreski ' s victory total steadily climbed through the winter of 1943 - 44 . By March 27 , he had earned 18 victory credits and had six multiple - kill missions to rank third in the " ace race " that had developed within VIII Fighter Command . He shot down only one more aircraft in the next two months , during which time the two pilots ahead of him ( Majors Robert S . Johnson and Walker M . Mahurin , also of the 56th FG ) were sent home . In April , the 56th FG moved to RAF Boxted and Gabreski was promoted to lieutenant colonel . He resumed command of the 61st FS when its commander was transferred to VIII FC headquarters . On May 22 , Gabreski shot down three Fw 190s over a Luftwaffe airfield in northwest Germany . He tied Johnson as the leading ace in the European Theater of Operations on June 27 ( passing Eddie Rickenbacker ' s record from World War I in the process ) , and on July 5 , 1944 , became America ' s leading ace in the ETO , with Gabby ' s score of 28 destroyed matching the total at the time of confirmed victories of the Pacific Theatre ' s top American ace , Richard Bong . This total was never surpassed by any U . S . pilot fighting the " Luftwaffe " . Prisoner of war . On July 20 , 1944 , Gabreski had reached the 300 - hour combat time limit for Eighth Air Force fighter pilots and was awaiting an aircraft to fly him back to the United States on leave and reassignment . He had already advised Kay Cochran to proceed with wedding plans , and his home town of Oil City , Pennsylvania , had raised $ 2 , 000 for a wedding present in anticipation of his return . However , Gabreski found that a bomber escort mission to Russelheim , Germany , was scheduled for that morning , and instead of boarding the transport , he requested to " fly just one more . " Returning from the mission , Gabreski observed Heinkel He 111 s parked on the airfield at Bassenheim , Germany , and took his flight down to attack . Gabreski ' s first strafing run on an He 111 was unsuccessful , and he reversed for a second pass . When his tracers went over the parked bomber he dropped the nose of his Thunderbolt to adjust , and its propeller clipped the runway , bending the tips . The damage caused his engine to vibrate violently and he was forced to crash land . Gabreski ran into nearby woods and eluded capture for five days , but was eventually captured . After being interrogated by Hanns Scharff , Gabreski was sent to Stalag Luft I . He was liberated when Soviet forces seized the camp in April 1945 . Gabreski flew 166 combat sorties , and was officially credited by the USAAF with 28 aircraft destroyed in air combat and 3 on the ground . He was assigned five P - 47s during his time with the 56th FG , none of which was ever named , but all of which bore the fuselage identification codes HV : A . U . S . Air Force career . Following his repatriation , Gabreski returned to the United States and married Kay Cochran on June 11 , 1945 . After a 90 - day recuperative leave , Gabreski became Chief of Fighter Test Section at Wright Field , Ohio , and at the same time completed test pilot training at its Engineering Flight Test School . In April 1946 , he left the service , worked for Douglas Aircraft for a year , then was recalled to active duty in April 1947 to command the 55th Fighter Squadron , 20th Fighter Group , at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina . His command of the 55th FS was brief . The Air Force sent him to Columbia University in September 1947 to complete his degree and study Russian . In June 1949 , he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science . He returned immediately to flying , becoming commander of his former unit , the 56th Fighter Group , now flying F - 80 Shooting Star s at Selfridge Air Force Base , Michigan . While in command of the 56th , Gabreski oversaw conversion of the unit to North American F - 86 Sabre s and was promoted to colonel on March 11 , 1950 . Gabreski flew in combat again during the Korean War . In June 1951 , Gabreski and a group of selected pilots of the 56th FIW accompanied the delivery of F - 86Es of the 62d FIS to Korea aboard the escort carrier . The planes and pilots joined the 4th Fighter - Interceptor Group at K - 14 ( Kimpo ) Air Base , where most engaged in combat . On July 8 , 1951 , flying his fifth mission in an F - 86 , Gabreski shot down a MiG 15 , followed by MiG kills on September 2 and October 2 . 51st FIW . The growing MiG threat against Boeing B - 29 Superfortress bomber attacks along the Yalu River caused the Fifth Air Force to create a second Sabre wing by converting the 51st Fighter - Interceptor Wing from F - 80s to F - 86s in a 10 - day period . Gabreski was transferred to K - 13 ( Suwon ) Air Base , accompanied by most of the former 56th FIW pilots who had come with him to Korea , and took command November 6 , 1951 . During its first seven months as an F - 86 wing , the 51st , with only two operational squadrons , scored 96 MiG kills , comparing favorably to the 125 of the veteran 4th Fighter - Interceptor Wing , which operated three . Gabreski himself scored 3½ more kills to become a jet ace . Gabreski was an aggressive commander and fostered a fierce rivalry between the two F - 86 wings , fueled in part by the fact that the 4th had also been the keenest rival of the 56th FG during World War II . While this aggressiveness paid off in the destruction of MiGs and air superiority over all of Korea , it also led Gabreski to make the first intentional violation of rules of engagement that prohibited combat with MiGs over China . ( The MiG force was based in this ostensible sanctuary during the entire war . ) Gabreski and a fellow former 56th pilot , Colonel Walker M . Mahurin , planned and executed a mission in early 1952 in which the F - 86s turned off their IFF equipment and overflew two Chinese bases . Gabreski was also criticized for having a poor attitude towards wingmen . One historian , citing five interviews with pilots and an unpublished manuscript by a sixth , observed that Gabreski flew the fastest aircraft available and failed to notice when his slower wingmen could not keep up . These pilots , reportedly afraid to fly with him , commented that he was more interested in personal achievement than in his wingmen . He was also criticized for a lack of discipline among his off - duty pilots and for allegedly encouraging exaggerated kill claims . However , at least three wingmen had different views . 1st Lieutenant Joe L . Cannon of the 51st FIW flew over 40 missions with him and described Gabreski as a mentor and " my kind of fighter pilot " . 1st Lt . Harry Shumate , another 51st FIW pilot , stated that while flying wingman in Gabreski ' s flight , Shumate was the first to spot a MiG - 15 heading for its base and Gabreski told him to " go get him " while the leader covered . A 4th FIW pilot , 1st Lt . Anthony Kulengosky , observed : I moved up in the world of wingmen by flying Col . Francis Gabreski ' s wing on a mission . I was absolutely thrilled to fly on this legend ' s wing . . . He was a tiger and went on to become an ace again . When asked who I looked up to the most as a pilot and a gentleman in all my flying , I still have to say it was " Gabby " Gabreski . When he took over the 51st Wing , he asked me to move over as a flight leader in his outfit . Capt . Robert W . " Smitty " Smith , a 4th FIW pilot in Korea , recalled : Shortly after my arrival , Gabby 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 . After he landed he briefed all pilots and announced that the limited number of E ’ s would be reserved for flight leaders . I never forgot his response , when someone asked about the problem of wingmen staying with leaders . He 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 . One thing I know for sure , Gabby proved himself the greatest at our skills and talents , when he added 6 ½ MIG kills to his 28 victories in WW II and become the all - time American Fighter Ace , and I MIGht add , he did it in the P - 47 , not the better air - to - air P - 51 . And he didn ’ t have a chance to fly the much more powerful F - 86F , which arrived after us . A noted pilot also rebuts some of the criticism . Major William T . Whisner had been a P - 51 double - ace in World War II and was one of the pilots Gabreski brought with him from the 56th FIW in June 1951 . Before the mission of February 20 , 1952 , Gabreski and Whisner each had four MiGs credited as destroyed . During the mission , Gabreski attacked and severely damaged a MiG 15 that fled across the Yalu River into China . He 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 Gabreski ' s kill , but his Sabre ran low on fuel . He completed the shootdown and returned to K - 14 where he confirmed the kill for Gabreski but did not claim it himself . Gabreski confronted him and angrily ordered him to change his mission report , confirming Whisner ' s own role in the kill . Whisner refused . Soon after , Gabreski recanted his anger and the two shared the claim , as a consequence of which three days later Whisner and not Gabreski became the first pilot of the 51st FW to reach jet ace status . Gabreski ' s Korean tour was due to end in June . As he approached his mission limit in early April , Gabreski quit logging sorties to avoid being transferred from his command . However , he was grounded by Fifth Air Force from further combat in mid - May when his deputy commander , Colonel Mahurin , was shot down . Gabreski was subsequently replaced by Colonel John W . Mitchell , who had led the mission to shoot down Admiral Yamamoto in World War II . On his return to the United States , Gabreski received the key to the city from San Francisco Mayor Elmer E . Robinson and was given a ticker - tape parade up Market Street on June 17 . Gabreski ' s 6½ MiG - 15 kill credits make him one of seven U . S . pilots to become an ace in more than one war ( the others being Whisner , Colonel Harrison Thyng , Colonel James P . Hagerstrom , Colonel Vermont Garrison , Major George A . Davis , Jr . , and U . S . Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel John F . Bolt ) . Gabreski was officially credited with 123 combat missions in Korea , totaling 289 for his career . While he flew many F - 86s in combat , his assigned aircraft was F - 86E - 10 - NA 51 - 2740 , nicknamed " Gabby " . Post - Korea career . Gabreski ' s Air Force career continued for another 15 years , during which time he held three wing commands totaling nearly nine years of duty . His assignments were : Gabreski retired on November 1 , 1967 . Per his USAF official biography , he retired with more than 5 , 000 flying hours , 4 , 000 of them in jets . Suffolk County Air Force Base in Westhampton Beach , New York , which became Suffolk County Airport in 1969 , was renamed Francis S . Gabreski Airport in 1991 . The collocated New York Air National Guard installation at the airport was also renamed Francis S . Gabreski Air National Guard Base . In 1978 , he was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame . Awards and decorations . Command pilot Prisoner of War Medal ( retroactive award ) American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal National Defense Service Medal ( with bronze star ) Korean War Service Medal ( with four battle stars ) United Nations Service Medal Distinguished Flying Cross ( United Kingdom ) " Légion d ' honneur " ( France ) " Croix de Guerre " with Palm ( France ) " Croix de Guerre " , with Palm ( Belgium ) " Krzyż Walecznych " ( Cross of Valor - Poland ) Sources : Distinguished Service Cross citation . Citation : The President of the United States of America , under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9 , 1918 , takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Francis S . Gabreski ( 0 - 406131 ) , Major ( Air Corps ) , U . S . Army Air Forces , for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as pilot of a P - 47 fighter airplane in the 61st Fighter Squadron , 56th Fighter Group , Eighth Air Force , in aerial combat against enemy forces on November 26 , 1943 , in the European Theater of Operations . On this date Major Gabreski shot down two enemy aircraft , bringing his total to this point in the war to more than 30 victories . Major Gabreski ' s unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself , the Eighth Air Force , and the United States Army Air Forces . Long Island Rail Road . Following his retirement from the Air Force , Gabreski worked for Grumman Aerospace until August 1978 . He 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 Gabreski to enhance his election campaign based on Gabreski ' s Polish extraction and Long Island affiliations . After what he described as an 18 - month struggle with the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , Gabreski resigned on February 26 , 1981 . 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 . However , a severe heat wave in the summer of 1980 that overwhelmed the commuter line ' s air conditioning systems was apparently the final straw that forced Gabreski ' s resignation . Personal . Francis and Kay Gabreski had nine children in 48 years of marriage . Two of Gabreski ' s three sons graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and became career Air Force pilots . His daughter - in - law Terry L . Gabreski was promoted to lieutenant general in August 2005 , the highest - ranking woman in the USAF until her retirement in 2010 . Kay died as the result of an automobile accident as she and her husband were returning from the Oshkosh Air Show on August 6 , 1993 . She was interred in Calverton National Cemetery , 25 miles from their home in Dix Hills . Death . 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 . Gabreski ' s funeral on February 6 was with full military honors and included a missing man formation flyover by F - 15E Strike Eagle s from the 4th Fighter Wing , Seymour Johnson Air Force Base , North Carolina .