301st BG, 419th BS
Il 14 febbraio 1944 era il comandante del B-17F #42-5944; questa era la sua 17a missione. In ritardo sull’obiettivo (Brescia), rispetto al leader del gruppo di bombardieri, sulla via del ritorno alla base, assieme ad altri cinque equipaggi, sganciò le bombe su un obiettivo di opportunità: l’aeroporto di Pontedera (Pisa).
Dal diario del tenente Coppedge:
February 13, 1944 – Sunday
Was briefed for a raid on Verona but the weather never cleared up enough here to take off, we stood by in the plane till noon and came back. Took a bath and am going to write some letters.
February 14, 1944 – Monday
Was to hit Verona but it was closed. Hit Pontedera airport instead done a good job on it. Hit fighters and they knocked down one ship. Some flak but not damage. An dam tired and am going to bed early.
Originario di Plains, Montana, Jess Coppedge crebbe nella parte orientale di Washington. Si arruolò nell’Army Air Corps a Seattle, Washington, il 4 agosto 1941 come soldato semplice, divenne un cadetto pilota ed in seguito ottenne il brevetto da pilota ed il grado di secondo tenente. Come parte della sua formazione da pilota frequentò la base di addestramento di volo avanzato presso la Blackland Army Flying School (Classe 43-D) vicino a Waco, in Texas, dove si formò sui velivoli bimotore AT-9 e AT-10; in seguito seguì la formazione per pilotare il bombardiere B-17G. Il 5 aprile 1944 l’aereo su cui volava (B-17G #42-31182) fu abbattuto in Romania durante un raid sulle raffinerie di Ploesti. Lui e il suo equipaggio furono fatti prigionieri, tenuti in Romania fino al settembre 1944 ed in seguito liberati.
Il tenente Coppedge morì il 22 dicembre 1964, fu sepolto nel Washington Memorial Park, SeaTac, King County, Washington.
On February 14, 1944, he was commander of B-17F #42-5944; it was his 17th mission [1]. Lagging behind the target (Brescia), compared to the leader of the bomber group, on the way back to base, together with four other crews, he dropped the bombs on a target of opportunity: the Pontedera airport (Pisa).
From Lieutenant Coppedge’s diary:
February 14, 1944 – Monday
Was to hit Verona but it was closed. Hit Pontedera airport instead done a good job on it. Hit fighters and they knocked down one ship. Some flak but not damage. An dam tired and am going to bed early.
Originally from Plains, Montana, Jess Coppedge grew up in eastern Washington. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at Seattle, Washington on August 4, 1941 as a private, became a cadet pilot, and later earned his pilot’s license and the rank of second lieutenant. As part of his pilot training he attended Basic Advanced Flying Training at the Blackland Army Flying School (Class 43-D) near Waco, Texas, where he trained in the AT-9 and AT-10 twin-engine aircraft; he later underwent training to fly the B-17G bomber. On April 5, 1944, the aircraft he was flying in (B-17G # 42-31182) was shot down over Romania during a raid on the Ploesti refineries. He and his crew were taken prisoner, held in Romania until September 1944 and later released.
Lt. Coppedge died December 22, 1964, was buried in Washington Memorial Park, SeaTac, King County, Washington.
EQUIPAGGIO
MACR
- MACR 3882 A/C #42-31182, 5 aprile 1944.
POW
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COLLEGAMENTI
- https://www.301bg.com/Coppedge_Jess_C7447_301BG.cfm
- https://ltjesswcoppedgeb17pilot.wordpress.com
- https://jesswcoppedge.com
- https://it.findagrave.com/memorial/19462653/jess_william-coppedge