This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
Tue Sep 02, 2025 6:18 am
Was anything ever saved from Don Gentile's P-51 after he crashed it at Debden? What was the origin of the nose art he had on his planes?
Tue Sep 02, 2025 7:11 am
Great article on the crash! Thank you for the link. Gentile seemed to be quite a character. He's lucky he wasn't killed in that stunt/crash. The paint scheme on his plane was always one of my favorites. I'm sure there are bits of this plane...forgotten is somebody's attic. Shame the nose art/cowling wasn't saved.
Good (long) article on Gentile:
https://acesofww2.com/USA/aces/gentile/
Wed Sep 03, 2025 12:10 am
Sadly (and perhaps not surprisingly), the crash isn't mentioned in Gentile's 1944 autobiography One-man Air Force co-written with NANA war correspondent Ira Wolfert.
The book attributes the title phrase to Eisenhower, though it sounds more like something dreamt up by a newspaper man or VIII FC public relations officer.
Churchill of course was more erudite, calling Gentile and his 4th FG wingman John Godfrey the " "20th Century Damon and Pythias".