Rancho Mirage resident Chris Christakes, 86, holds a photo of himself (far left) with fellow soldiers. Christakes is a World War II veteran who served in the Army Air Corps. / Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun
About this series
Staff writer Denise Goolsby will profile desert veterans from World War II daily through Nov. 22 and on a regular basis through the end of 2010 — the 65th anniversary of the end of the war. Contact her at (760) 778-4587 or via e-mail at denise.goolsby@ thedesertsun.com
CHRIS CHRISTAKES
Age: 86
Residence: Rancho Mirage
Military branch: U.S. Army Air Forces, 402nd U.S. Air Corps Command, 1942-46
Rank: Staff sergeant
Family: Wife Madeline, eight children, 16 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren
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Chris Christakes designed bomb bay gas tanks for B-25 bombers at McClellan Field in Sacramento for the Army Air Forces during World War II.
“We designed the gas tanks used by (Lt. Col. James ‘Jimmy') Doolittle when he bombed Japan,” the 86-year-old Rancho Mirage resident said.
The Doolittle Raid, on April 18, 1942, was the United States' first air raid to strike a Japanese home island (Honshu) during World War II.
Christakes was transferred to Alberta, Canada, where he served in the 402nd U.S. Air Corps Command Division.
“I was an aeronautical draftsman, designing aircraft parts and designing air bases,” Christakes said.
“We were ferrying planes from Great Falls (Mont.) — pilots were bringing them into Edmonton — from Edmonton to Nome (Alaska), and the Russian pilots would pick them up and fly them to their territory. Over 5,000 planes (were) delivered” that way.
They ferried B-25 bombers and P-39 fighter planes, which saw a lot of action in the Russian theater of war.
“I used to fly the circuit back and forth from Edmonton to Fairbanks, Alaska, about once a month — more than 3,000 miles — building up drafting departments up and down the division,” he said.
As part of his duties traveling between Canada and Alaska — where the temperatures could drop to 20 degrees below freezing or lower — he cold-weather-tested aircraft, including P-39s.
“We had to keep heaters on the chassis to keep the oil from freezing,” he said.
Staying warm was a challenge, he said, especially working on the solid tundra in snow country.
“I had eight pairs of shoes, but the only shoes that were warm were the felt-lined shoes,” he said.
It wasn't all work all the time, however.
“We did a lot of skiing up in Alaska,” he said.
After the war, Christakes returned to his native San Francisco to run the family business, St. Francis Candy Shop and Fountain, founded in 1918.
