One Man Air Force

One Man Air Force is the autobiography of World War II fighter-pilot ace Dominic Salvatore "Don" Gentile. The book outlines the celebrated flyer's early experiences with flight through to his entry in the Second World War and continues through the course of 350 combat hours in 182 sorties. Gentile's vivid descriptions of aerial combat place the reader in the hurly-burly of battle, recreating the feeling of engaging an enemy in a dogfight, of having a Messerschmidt close on your tail, and of soaring into the air in Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs. The admiration that Gentile commanded was demonstrated when General Dwight D. Eisenhower presented the pilot with the Distinguished Flying Cross and stated, "You are a One-Man Air Force."