John Peter Chopelas
MilitaryAssigned to 728BS, 452BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x combat missions. Ended Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, AM (2OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME (3 battle stars).
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 728th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 31038286 / O-?
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Forbidden Fruit II
- Unit: 729th Bomb Squadron 728th Bomb Squadron 452nd Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Forbidden Fruit
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 728th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Ramblin Wreck
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 728th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Rattlesnake Bomber Base
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Dallas, TX, USA | 10 October 1923 | Son of Pete and Olga [Vastures] Chopelas. |
Enlisted |
Lubbock, TX, USA | 1 January 1942 | |
Other Combat Mission/Battle Damage/Crash Landing |
Deopham Green, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18, UK | 8 May 1944 | On May 8th we had flown as a spare on the Berlin mission, but at the English coast we turned back because no other aircraft dropped out. I was looking forward to a day of leisure, but as soon as we landed we were alerted for a rare afternoon mission. AT briefing we were told it should be a "milk run." It was a short flight to northern France to bomb a "crossbow" target at La Glacerie. All was going along fine until we got near the target at which time the tail gunner called on the intercom and said "flak at 6 o'clock level." A few seconds later he reported "flak at 6 o'clock level and tracking." Those were the last words he spoke. There was a sudden explosion in the tail section. I bent down to look aft and all I saw was smoke and debris. I barely had time to think about this when the Fort shuddered again; this time from a flak burst in the bomb bay behind me. We started losing oxygen so the pilot dove to a lower altitude. After we leveled out, we assessed the damage and learned that the tail gunner had been killed and the co-pilot and I had been wounded. Structural damage consisted of severed rudder controls and loss of hydraulic fluid. Skurka (the pilot) passed the work that any of us could bail out that wanted but he was going to try to make it back to base. We all chose to stick with him. We made it back to base late that evening. Skurka was able to line up the B-17 with the runway , but as soon as we landed, with no brakes or rudder control, we began skidding and then collided with a crash truck, killing the driver. The so called "milk run" turned out to be a rather traumatic mission.. The B-17 was salvaged, parts of it being used to patch up other damaged aircraft. - John Chopelas |
Other Discharged USAAF |
San Antonio, TX 78234, USA | 30 September 1945 | Honourably discharged 30-Sep-45,Fort Sam Houston, TX. |
Died |
Dallas, Texas | 14 February 2019 | |
Buried |
Immanuel Lutheran Church CemeteryKilleen, Bell County, TX | 17 February 2019 | Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery Killeen, Bell County, Texas |
Born |
Hockley County, TX, USA | ||
Born |
Killeen, TX, USA | ||
Other Training |
1810 J Ave, Sheppard AFB, TX 76311, USA | Basic training - Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, TX. | |
Other Training |
763 Seibert Rd, Scott AFB, IL 62225, USA | Radio-operator school - Scott Field, IL. 6 month duration. | |
Other Pilot training |
Kelly St, Montgomery, AL 36112, USA | Pre-flight Pilot Cadet training - Maxwell Field, AL. | |
Other Pilot training |
Union City, TN 38261, USA | Primary Flight training at Union City, TN. - Soloed in PT-17 prior to 'washing out'. | |
Other Gunnery training |
Las Vegas, NV, USA | Gunnery school in Las Vegas, NV. | |
Other Joined crew |
Salt Lake City, UT, USA | Crewed up - Salt Lake City, UT. | |
Other Combat training |
Pyote AFB, TX, USA | Combat phase training - Rattlesnake Field, Pyote, TX. | |
Other Returned ZI |
New Jersey, USA | Returned to USA Sep-44, aboard the Queen Mary. | |
Based |
Deopham Green | Assigned to 728BS, 452BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
www.dignitymemorials.com
Search John Chopelas
John was my uncle. He held the middle name Peter. It was tradition for all Greek siblings to take their father's first name as their middle name.
Please change his middle name to Peter in this archive.
https://www.fold3.com/page/84789435-john-p-chopelas/facts
The Lucky Ones: Airmen of the Mighty Eighth By Erik Dyreborg
http://uca.edu/archives/m00-10-john-p-chopelas-world-war-ii-collection/
http://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_d0cb1e1c-ed29-11e3-8b9c-001a4bcf687…
https://www.fold3.com/page/84789435-john-p-chopelas/facts
The Lucky Ones: Airmen of the Mighty Eighth By Erik Dyreborg
http://uca.edu/archives/m00-10-john-p-chopelas-world-war-ii-collection/
http://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_d0cb1e1c-ed29-11e3-8b9c-001a4bcf687…
https://www.fold3.com/page/84789435-john-p-chopelas/facts
The Lucky Ones: Airmen of the Mighty Eighth By Erik Dyreborg
http://uca.edu/archives/m00-10-john-p-chopelas-world-war-ii-collection/
http://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_d0cb1e1c-ed29-11e3-8b9c-001a4bcf687…
1999 Unit Roster / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia