by William Davis
(Richmond, Va)
S-SGT Weido Chipoletti WWII
S-SGT Weido Chipoletti 376th Heavy Bombardment Gp., 515th Squadron James P. Bishop Crew.
S-SGT Weido Chipoletti was the nose turret gunner with the James P. Bishop Crew stationed at San Pancrazio, Italy. He flew 36 missions from July 1944 thru March 1945 and kept a record of all 36 mission on the back of AMC ( Allied Military Currency ) Notes. Pictures of two of these notes are included in this submission. The two notes are his record of getting shot up in the nose turret on *Mission #25 10/13/1944 Banhida, Hungary Marshalling Yard (awarded The Purple Heart) and *Mission #27 where they were shot up over Vienna and had to ditch in the Adriatic Sea. Also his service photo and a photo of him 90 years old 4th of July 2013. He flew the tough Ploesti missions in the summer of 1944, Vienna, Toulon France Sub Pens, etc see *Mission History.
October 1944 was a Bad Month for S-SGT Chipoletti. Nose turret all shot up on Friday the 13th 10/13/44 Mission #25 and Shot Down on Mission #27 10/17/44. After getting shot up on mission #25 he could have gone home but stayed, What a Hero and Patriot. They are truly the greatest generation. After getting shot down on 10/17/44 their next Mission on November 5th 1944 was right back to Vienna.
Mr. Chipoletti is 91 years old and doing fine as of 7/22/2014.
This submission is with the approval of his sons Jay and Neal Chipoletti.
*Mission History:
A combination of Ed Clendenin's Book 376th Heavy Bomb Group Mission History - James P. Bishop crew and Mr. Chipoletti's notes verifying these missions.
1944-07-27 Mission 01 - Manfried Weiss Industrial Complex - Budapest, Hungary, Saw ME 109
1944-07-31 Mission 02 - Targoviste Oil Storage, Romania Heavy FLAK saw B-24 Go Down Yugo P-38 Escort. According to 376 Mission History the escort was the 332nd TA The Tuskegee Airmen
1944-08-06 Mission 03 - Toulon, France, Main German Naval & Sub Bases Mediterranean
Heavy FLAK, 10 Holes, saw B-24 Go Down, No escort. 8 hrs
1944-08-12 Mission 04 - Toulon France Gun Emplacement Light FLAK 3 Runs on Target P-51 Escort 8 1/2 Hrs
1944-08-14 Mission 05 - Genoa, Savana Italy, Gun Emplacements
WC Notes: Gun Emplacements, Light FLAK, No Escort 7 Hrs
1944-08-17 Mission 06 - Ploesti, Rumania, Oil Refinery, Heavy FLAK 15 Holes, Saw B-24 Go Down,
P-51 Escort, 7 Hrs.
1944-08-20 Mission 07 - Sloznak, Hungary Marshalling Yard, Light FLAK, No Escort, 6 1/2 Hrs.
1944-08-23 Mission 08 - Vienna Austria, Vosendorf Oil Refinery, Heavy FLAK, Saw Rockets, P-51 P-38 Escort 7 1/2 Hrs
1944-08-29 Mission 09 - Borovinco, Yugo Railroad Viaduct No FLAK 2 Runs on Target, No Escort, 6 1/2 Hrs,
1944-08-30 Mission 10 - Cuprija, Yugo Railroad Viaduct, No FLAK, P-38 Escort, 5 Hrs
1944-09-01 Mission 11 - Kraljeyo, Yugo Railroad Viaduct No FLAK 2 Runs on Target, P-51 Escort, 4 1/2 Hrs
1944-09-04 Mission 12 - Avisio Brenner Pass, Italy, Light FLAK, 1000LB Bombs, P-38 Escort 7 hrs
1944-09-05 Mission 13 - Ferrara, Italy Railroad Viaduct, 2000LB Bombs, P-38 & P-51 Escort, 6 1/2 Hrs,
1944-09-12 Mission 14 - Munich Germany Airplane Engine Factory, Heavy FLAK, 4 Holes, 1000LB Bombs, P-38 & P-51 Escort, Saw P-38 Go down 8 Hrs
1944-09-13 Mission 15 - Aviso, Italy Brenner Pass Bridge, Light FLAK, 1000LB Bombs, No Escort, 7 Hrs
1944-09-17 Mission 16 - Budapest, Hungary Marshaling Yard, Heavy FLAK, 1000LB Bombs, P-38 & P-51 Escort, 7 Hrs
1944-09-18 Mission 17 - Budapest, Hungary Railroad Bridge, Heavy FLAK, 2000LB Bombs, P-38 & P-51 Escort, 7 Hrs
1944-09-19 Mission 18 - Mitrovica, Yugo Railroad Bridge No FLAK, 2000LB Bombs, P-38 Escort 4 1/2 Hrs
1944-09-20 Mission 19 - Bratislava, Czechoslovakia Oil Refinery Heavy FLAK, 500LB Bombs, P-51 Escort, 7 1/2 Hrs
1944-09-22 Mission 20 - Larrisa, Greece Marshaling Yard, No FLAK, 500LB Bombs, 2 Runs on Target, No Escort, 5 Hrs
1944-09-24 Mission 21 - Athens, Greece Air Field, Light FLAK, 100LB Bombs, P-51 Escort, 6 1/2 Hrs
1944-10-04 Mission 22 - Bolzano, Italy Railroad Bridge, No FLAK, 2000LB Bombs, No Escort, 7 Hrs
1944-10-07 Mission 23 - Komara, Hungary Marshalling Yard, Light FLAK, 500LB Bombs, P-38 & P-51 Escort, 7 Hrs
1944-10-10 Mission 24 - Padua Italy Railroad Bridge, Light FLAK, No Bomb Run Weather, No Escort, 5 1/2 Hrs
*1944-10-13 Mission 25 - Banhida, Hungary Marshalling Yard, Heavy FLAK, Nose Turret Shot Up Received Purple Heart, Lead Squadron, P-38 Escort 7 Hrs
1944-10-16 Mission 26 - Styer, Austria Tank Works Szombathely Hungary, Heavy FLAK, Lead Squadron,
P-51 Escort, 8 hrs
*1944-10-17 Mission 27 - Vienna Austria Goods Depot, Heavy FLAK, P-38 & P-51 Escort 8 Hrs, Lost 3 Engines Ditched in Adriatic picked up by Italian fishing boat. Lead Ship also went Down.
1944-11-05 Mission 28 - Vienna Austria Goods Depot, Heavy FLAK, 500LB Bombs, P-51 Escort, 8 Hrs
1944-11-07 Mission 29 - Brenner Pass Italy Railroad Viaduct, Heavy FLAK, 1000LB Bombs,
Lead Squadron, P-51 Escort, 7 Hrs
1944-11-09 Mission 30 - Mitrovica, Yugoslavia Troop Concentration, No FLAK, Under cast,
Deputy Group Lead, 100LB Bombs, P-38 Escort, 5 Hrs
1944-11-12 Mission 31 - Brenner Pass Mezzocorona, Italy Railroad Bridge, Heavy FLAK, Hit Aerodrome Good Results, Lead Squadron, P-38 Escort, 8 Hrs
1944-12-06 Mission 32 - Szombathely Hungary Heavy FLAK, Lead Ship Shot Down &
Wing Ship went down, Fighters Shot 2 more of our planes down, P-51 & P-38 Escort, 8 Hrs
1944-12-17 Mission 33 - Saltzburg Austria Railroad Got FLAK, Wing Lead, P-38 Escort, 7 1/2 Hrs
1945-02-17 Mission 34 - Graz Hungary Marshalling Yard, Light Flak, P.F.F., Wing Lead, P-51 Escort, 8 Hrs
1945-03-13 Mission 35 - Regensburg Germany Marshalling Yard No FLAK, p-51 Escort, 8 1/4 Hrs
1945-03-21 Mission 36 - Nueburg Germany Jet Airfield No FLAK, Saw Enemy ME 262 Fighters Take Off, Fighters made pass at Group ahead of P-51 Escort 8 Hrs
Comments for S-SGT Weido Chipoletti 515th James P. Bishop Crew
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The website 376bg.org is NOT our site nor is it our endowment fund.
At the 2017 reunion, the board approved the donation of our archives to the Briscoe Center for American History, located on the University of Texas - Austin campus.
Also, the board approved a $5,000 donation to add to Ed Clendenin's $20,000 donation in the memory of his father. Together, these funds begin an endowment for the preservation of the 376 archives.
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