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| Major Phillip Chapman was the commander of the 74th Fighter Squadron. |
Phillip was born January 15, 1919 in Houston, Texas. His father Homer was born in Texas and worked in the oil industry, his mother Helen was born in Oklahoma. Phillip did not have any brothers or sisters. His father passed away in 1931 and his mother remarried some time before 1940. Phillip attended the Virginia Military Institute from 1936 to 1940. At the time of the 1940 census, he was living with his mother and step-father in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Phillip enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in August 1941 and underwent flight training. He married the former Dorothy Blair of Fort Smith, Arkansas in November 1941. After completion of flight training, he was assigned to the 74th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, of the 14th Air Force.
The 23rd FG inherited the mission of the American Volunteer Group (aka Flying Tigers) in China when the AVG was disbanded after the US entry into WWII. The 23rd FG flew P-40 Warhawk and P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft, over an area of operation that extended beyond China into Burma, French Indochina (Vietnam), and Formosa. The mission taskings of the 23rd FG included counter air campaigns, strafing and bombing Japanese forces and installations, escorting bombers, flying reconnaissance missions, and intercepting Japanese bombers. Over the course of the war, the 23rd FG was credited with destroying 621 enemy planes in air combat and 320 more on the ground, and with sinking more than 131,000 tons of enemy shipping and damaging another 250,000 tons.
Major Chapman served as commander of the 74th FS, flying out of Luliang Airfield, China. He was credited with destroying 7 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, qualifying him as an ace, along with 21 aircraft on the ground and 3 enemy vessels. He was killed March 28, 1945 when his P-51 Mustang crashed after being damaged by enemy ground fire during a raid on Hong Kong.
Phillip Godfrey Chapman is buried in Waxahachie City Cemetery, in Waxahatchie, Texas. His wife remarried in 1948 and passed away in 2011.
Thank you Major Chapman for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Phillip.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Doolittle Raider pilot Donald Smith. You can read about Donald here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
Major Chapman served as commander of the 74th FS, flying out of Luliang Airfield, China. He was credited with destroying 7 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, qualifying him as an ace, along with 21 aircraft on the ground and 3 enemy vessels. He was killed March 28, 1945 when his P-51 Mustang crashed after being damaged by enemy ground fire during a raid on Hong Kong.
Phillip Godfrey Chapman is buried in Waxahachie City Cemetery, in Waxahatchie, Texas. His wife remarried in 1948 and passed away in 2011.
Thank you Major Chapman for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Phillip.
_____
This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Doolittle Raider pilot Donald Smith. You can read about Donald here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”
Major Chapman, Thank you for your sacrifice when your Country needed you. One of the many from the greatest generation! You gave all you had to give. Had you lived you would have come home and helped make the USA into the greatest country in the World! Coming up during the depression, you knew what sacrifice was. God Bless You!
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