Mike Gladych 18 Victory WWII Fighter Ace 56 FG P-47. Prior to being an in the USAF he served in the Polish army, then escaped to Romania, and then France, then to England.  He served with the RAF 303 squadron (a Polish unit). He ended up in the hospital for several months.  The eventual lack of action led him to get loaned to the 56FG to serve with Gabreski.. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Cross of Valour with three bars by the Polish Air Force, the DFC by the RAF, and the Silver Star and two clusters, the Air Medal and three clusters by the USAAF. He also claimed to have been awarded the Croix de Guerre for the sortie on 8 March 1944 when he strafed an airfield after shooting down an Fw 190.

Col. Gabby Gabreski 34.5 victory WWII & Korean Fighter Ace. Zemke's Wolfpack 56 FG.  A career pilot in the USAF who retired as a colonel after 26 years of military service. He ranked all-time top U.S. Army Air Force living ace.  He was one of only seven USAF pilots who was an ace in both WWII and the Korean War. Beginning his career flying sorties against the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, the Polish-speaking pilot started to fly Spitfires in January 1943 with the 315 (Polish) Squadron of the RAF.  After a few weeks, Gabreski was assigned to Zemke's 56th Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolts without seeing any action until August 24, 1943, when he scored his first victory.  From then on, Gabreski downed 28 enemy aircraft, leading all pilots in the European theatre.  After 193 missions, the Air Force was ready to send him home but, shortly before boarding the plane, he discovered that a mission was set for that morning.  On July 20, 1944, Gabreski crash-landed during a strafing sortie and hid out for five days.  Although he persuaded a Polish-speaking forced laborer to bring food and water, Gabreski was captured and imprisoned in Stalag Luff 1, a German POW camp for the remaining eight months of the war.  He returned to military service in the Korean War and shot down six MIG15s.  Gabreski was the recipient of the distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star, the Air Medal and awards from the French and Polish governments. 

Tadeusz Sawicz was a Polish World War II fighter pilot. He served in the Polish Air Force, and after the fall of Poland, he served in the Polish and allied units in France and United Kingdom. He  was the commander of several air units, including the No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron, 1st Polish Fighter Wing, 3rd Polish Fighter Wing, 131st (Polish) Fighter Wing and 133rd Fighter Wing. He  was credited with shooting down the first victory at the Battle of Britain for the Polish Squadron.  In 1944 he was attached to the headquarters of the 9th Air Force of the USAAF as liaison officer.  He was then assigned to the 56 FG under polish-American fighter ace Gabby Gabreski where he wormed a Polish section.  During the war he claimed 3 confirmed victories. He and was ranked as the 82nd highest scoring Polish fighter pilot of the war. In 2006 Sawicz was appointed honorary Brigadier-general in the Polish Air Force.  

In addition to receiving Poland's highest military decoration, the Virtuti Militari, he was awarded a British Distinguished Flying Cross, an American Distinguished Flying Cross and the Dutch equivalent, the Airman's Cross or Vliegerkruis. In 2006 Sawicz was appointed honorary brigadier-general in the Polish Air Force.