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p51 Pilots Biographies, Last Name Starting With "C"
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Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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Joel Catron
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I checked out in Aloe's only P-47B - was
impressed by the quietness and solid feeling
of this big machine. I was attacked by P-40's
at 10,000 feet. The P-47 was no match in
slow speed turns. The P-40's ate me up- I
rolled over in a high speed dive and left my
P-40 adversaries far behind. I then climbed
and dove on the P-40's at high speed and
found their turning ability didn't mean much
as I flashed by.
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James R. Chapman
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Chapman was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group, 508th Bomb Squadron where he flew 10 missions
over Germany and was escorted several times
by P47's which held the ME262's at bay.
Chapman's B-17 was struck by enemy anti-
aircraft several times and on one occasion
had to drop out of formation and return
alone, but all crew members finished their
missions without injury.
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Leonard Andrew Charpentier, MD
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He flew P-40's and P-51's as an
instructor until June, 1944 when he was
ordered to the Mediterranean Theatre with
the 85th, then the 86th, Fighter Squadrons
of the 79th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force.
Here he began his love affair with the JUG.
Charpentier flew 29 missions, over northern Italy,and southern France, against bridges, railroads, artillery, supply routes and
enemy armour as well as escort missions with
B-25's and B-26's. On August 29. 1944.
while strafing an armoured column near
Valence. France. Charpentier was shot down
by ground fire.
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Henry Chick
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The 39th was assigned P-51D's in April,
1945 and Chick's last mission in a P-47 was
April 2nd, covering a B-25 strike on Takao,
Formosa, from Mangalden, Luzon. The move
to P-51 's was not without mixed feelings. The
time spent in the Jug resulted in a great
confidence in the airplane, and a loyalty not
easy to transfer to the "tin-whistle."
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Richard Harlan Chilcott
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Take home pay as an apprentice
carpenter didn't cover other airplane
expenses, so tried crop-dusting in 1947 to fly
and eat. Better than nothing, but took off
quick for active duty during Korean war in
1951. Caught in the aircraft controller trap
for 18 months and then back to crop-dusting.
As of this writing, still churning up the air in
the San Joaquin Valley.
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James C. Coe Jr
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was sent to site A-16 at
Saint Marie du Mont, France shortly after
the Allied invasion at Normandy. Missions
flown were in ground support of the spearheading Army units. Key targets were:
Tanks, rail facilities, flak units, air fields, in
short, "anything that moved." "Vitamin's"
aircraft sustained flak damage on eleven of
the various missions he flew over Europe. On
one occasion he took a hit from the Panzer
Lear Division east of the Remagen Bridge-head which caused him to have to belly land,after managing to maneuver his Jug to the
west side of the Rhine, in a small field used by
spotter aircraft.
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Robert E. Cope
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Completed
52 combat missions in P-47's and P-51's.
Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross and the
Air Medal with. 5 clusters.
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William John Cullerton
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WWII FIGHTER ACE!
Joined Army Reserves in 1943, became a rated pilot and Second Lieutenant at Foster Field, Texas in January, 1944. Assigned to the 357SF/355th FG in August, 1944 Cullerton quickly started scoring with his first pair of 109’s near Hildesheimon August 14, scored 7 on the ground on September 12, 1944 then two more air and six on the ground on November 2, 1944 - receiving the DSC and a SS in the period. Cullerton was the first 8th AF pilot to destroy 7 and 8 in one day.
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