Round Trip?? was this ever the name of an Aircraft in WWII?

[gpjd]

Jarink1

Ahhh... and i just watched your very cool video on YouTube. Sorry for the misunderstanding. You didnt loose your Grandfather... it was quite the opposite. He was shot down, taken as a POW, then liberated and able to go home... looks like a great story. Thanks for sharing and putting together that great page.

Gil

[Django]

Gil, you can upload them to http://www.photobucket.com and then post them here. Looking forward to seeing them!

[roundtripjack]

42-5897 Roundtrip Jack 550th BS 385thBG



42-30414 or 42-30422 Roundtrip Ticket II 549th BS, 385th BG


42-30827 Roundtrip Ticket III 549th BS, 385th BG


gpjd, when did he serve with the group? My grandfather was also a bombardier in the 385th (550th BS) with the Fryer crew from the states until he was shot down on the Oct 20th, 1943 mission to Duren. I have lots more information and a few more photos on my Google Page!

My father flew 5 missions on Roundtrip Jack in 1944 as its bombardier and then later on Rum Dum. Whose the gentleman in the photo with Roundtrip Jack?

[roundtripjack]

42-5897 Roundtrip Jack 550th BS 385thBG



42-30414 or 42-30422 Roundtrip Ticket II 549th BS, 385th BG


42-30827 Roundtrip Ticket III 549th BS, 385th BG


gpjd, when did he serve with the group? My grandfather was also a bombardier in the 385th (550th BS) with the Fryer crew from the states until he was shot down on the Oct 20th, 1943 mission to Duren. I have lots more information and a few more photos on my Google Page!

My father flew 5 missions on Roundtrip Jack in 1944 as its bombardier and then later on Rum Dum. Whose the gentleman in the photo with Roundtrip Jack?

Do you know the name of the guy in the picture with Roundtrip Jack?

[Jarink1]

I'm afraid I don't know the gentleman's name.
I got the picture through Bill Varnedoe (385th BG historian) a few years ago, but I'm not sure of it's exact origin.

[roundtripjack]

I'm afraid I don't know the gentleman's name.
I got the picture through Bill Varnedoe (385th BG historian) a few years ago, but I'm not sure of it's exact origin.

Blew me away when I first saw it; thanks!

[Fred Green]

Greetings All,

This is my first post to the Warbird Information Exchange and I believe I can add a little to this thread.

My father was the engine mechanic on engine #3. I have a picture of him and the entire ship ground crew setting on his engine. All of the names of the mechanics are on the back with the number of kills and missions.

Fred Green

[Chris Brame]

Thank you for the info, Fred, and welcome to WIX! We'd love to see your photo.

[SouthBaySteelers]

There is a B-17 with the nose "Round Trip" featured toward the end of the 1946 film, "Best Years of Our Lives". The film won many Academy Awards and should be easy to find. Turner Classic Movie Channel in the US sometimes plays this movie around Memorial Day (last Monday in May). In 1979 I was in Southern California and saw what amounted to a graveyard of American WWII bombers and fighters mostly intact. I don't know what became of them and don't remember exactly where except it was some smaller airport in the Los Angeles area. If they are still there I would not know.

[billtate]

I found another picture of a B-17F "Round Trip Ticket III" in the MIT Museum Collection: Harold E. Edgerton's negatives, 1944. Note the increase in the number of swastikas on the nose.




http://webmuseum.mit.edu/detail.php?t=o ... p&record=0

[daveclark]

I recently received all of my father's certificates and medals from his service in WWII and now I recall him telling me that the B-17 Round Trip in BYOOL was his plane when we watched the movie one time. I'd love to find out more about his plane, unfortunately I haven't found any photos of it yet. I do have a photo of a two B-17s in flight but it appears the tail numbers and nose art are obscured. I was a late arrival, he was 50 when I was born , so I never really got to talk to him about his years in the service and he passed away in 1986.

Here is the Lucky Bastards Club certificate he received on June 16, 1944 that states he was on the Flying Fortress Round trip. Sorry my scanner isn't cooperating so it's an iPhone photo.

[chickgregg]

My grandfather was a B-17 Bombardier with the 385th in both "Round Trip Ticket II" and "Round Trip Ticket III", as well some some random flights in other planes. Spent some time with Ruby's Raiders as well. He flew a total of two full tours for 50 Missions, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross as well. He is still alive and well at 92 years old. I have some pictures, but i have no idea how to add them here.

Gil

My father was pilot on Round Trip Ticket I, II & III. He passed away a little over 3 years ago, but even with late term Alzheimer's, remembered his crew.
CG

[Fred Green]

Greetings All,

Back after 3 years!!! I will hopefully post the picture that I have of my fathers's plane later today! He was the mechanic of the third engine on the "Round Trip Ticket III" The photo shows him and all of the mechanics on "His" engine with a nice shot of the nose art. This is the same nose art that was posted from the MIT collection in an earlier post.

I am glad that I found the site again and hopefully will be here a little more often.

Fred Green

[ddickenson]

For what its worth "Round Trip Ticket" was also the name of a B-29 in the CBI theater (Serial 42-65262)

This would be the 20th Air Force, 444th Bomb Group, 678th Squadron

Here's a site that shows the crew. http://www.444thbg.org/678thsquadron.htm

The tall gent in the middle of the back row is my grandfather HG Dickenson. He was the flight engineer and he's currently 91 years old and living in Texas.




They loaned the plane to another crew who went down in the plane over Japan. They were given a new plane to finish out their missions and it was named Avenger. It must have been only 3-4 years ago that he found out the fate of his original airplane. It was written about in a Japanese air force book and the excerpt can be found here.

http://books.google.com/books?id=t0rqP3 ... 29&f=false

[Higman]

I am proud to say that my fathers plane was called Round Trip Ticket. It was a TBM Avenger that was flown off the Big T, Ticconderoga . The story, penned by Higman himself, can be found on my Facebook Page. No prop damage, he took an AA shell right through the cockpit himself and brought all the crew back safely. We always are grateful on Veterans Day simply because it was on November 11, 1944, Dad was given the the ultimate Round Trip Ticket. To which none of his offspring today would be alive today had he not been the pilot! https://www.facebook.com/thehigman/medi ... 206&type=3