PAUL B. GAMBONINI, Second Lieutenant, 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional), Air Corps, United States Army. For extraordinary heroism in action over Den Pasar airport, Bali, Netherlands East Indies, on February 7, 1942. When information of the approach of hostile airplanes was received soon after this flight had landed and while the planes were being serviced, the flight leader ordered those planes which had been refilled with gasoline to patrol over the airfield. When the seven planes in the air were attacked by more than three times their number of enemy fighters, Lieutenant Gambonini immediately took off and joined his comrades, although his plane had been only partly refilled. Seeing a fellow pilot in difficulty, he went to his assistance, driving off the attacking enemy plane. He continued the fight until his gasoline supply was exhausted, after which he landed his plane safely.

Col. Gambonini resides in Northern California.