Charles Ross GREENING, Colonel United States Airforce, received a BA degree from Washington State College of Fine Arts in 1936, entered the military on June 23, 1936 at Fort Lewis, Washington and graduated from advanced flying school at Kelly Field, Texas June 9, 1937.
Ross wound up in 17th Bomb Gp. at Pendleton, Oregon flying B25B missions on submarine patrol. Volunteers from this Group were selected to train with Lt.Col James DOOLITTLE for a secret mission. That mission turned out to be the Tokyo Raid that gave the U.S.A. a boost in morale when most needed.(early 1942)
Ross was pilot of the 11th of 16 B-25 bombers(tail# 40-2249) to take off from Captain Marc MITCHER`s HORNET(CV8) deck and he headed for Yokohama.
Captain Greening being the armament officer for the Group had been tasked with helping reduce the B-25B bombers weight. He stripped most of the heavy machine guns and ammo; removed the balky ventral gun turret--replacing with a large belly fuel tank and removed the expensive ($10k) Norden secret bombsight. He devised a 20 cent aluminum angle piece that worked much better at low altitude. Ross named the device the "Mark Twain Bombsight". To replace the machine guns he substituted broom sticks painted black.
After the raid, Ross survived a bailout over China and eventually made it back to US held territory.
For this heroic effort Ross received the Distinguished Flying Cross from General Hap ARNOLD in a Washington D.C. ceremony.
Ross was granted a leave to go home in June of 1942 and when he stepped off the Union Pacific Streamliner in Tocoma, Washington he received a HERO`s welcome, he walked into the outstreached arms of his mother Jewell and his wife Dorothy.
After his leave he reported to McCord Field where Ross volunteered to go with Brig General DOOLITTLE to North Africa for Operation Torch and fly Martin Maurader B-26 Bombers. As a Group Commander, Greening flew 27 missions before he was shot down over Mt. Vesuvius, Italy. He was captured by the Germans. Ross escaped and was recaptured. Ross spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany.
AWARDS:
* DFC (above)
*SILVER STAR
*AIR MEDAL w/4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
*PURPLE HEART
*CHINESE ORDER of YUNG HUI
Ross GREENING`s parents:
Charles W. GREENING b. 1883
Jewell ROSS b. 1888
married 22Nov1911
Ross wound up in 17th Bomb Gp. at Pendleton, Oregon flying B25B missions on submarine patrol. Volunteers from this Group were selected to train with Lt.Col James DOOLITTLE for a secret mission. That mission turned out to be the Tokyo Raid that gave the U.S.A. a boost in morale when most needed.(early 1942)
Ross was pilot of the 11th of 16 B-25 bombers(tail# 40-2249) to take off from Captain Marc MITCHER`s HORNET(CV8) deck and he headed for Yokohama.
Captain Greening being the armament officer for the Group had been tasked with helping reduce the B-25B bombers weight. He stripped most of the heavy machine guns and ammo; removed the balky ventral gun turret--replacing with a large belly fuel tank and removed the expensive ($10k) Norden secret bombsight. He devised a 20 cent aluminum angle piece that worked much better at low altitude. Ross named the device the "Mark Twain Bombsight". To replace the machine guns he substituted broom sticks painted black.
After the raid, Ross survived a bailout over China and eventually made it back to US held territory.
For this heroic effort Ross received the Distinguished Flying Cross from General Hap ARNOLD in a Washington D.C. ceremony.
Ross was granted a leave to go home in June of 1942 and when he stepped off the Union Pacific Streamliner in Tocoma, Washington he received a HERO`s welcome, he walked into the outstreached arms of his mother Jewell and his wife Dorothy.
After his leave he reported to McCord Field where Ross volunteered to go with Brig General DOOLITTLE to North Africa for Operation Torch and fly Martin Maurader B-26 Bombers. As a Group Commander, Greening flew 27 missions before he was shot down over Mt. Vesuvius, Italy. He was captured by the Germans. Ross escaped and was recaptured. Ross spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany.
AWARDS:
* DFC (above)
*SILVER STAR
*AIR MEDAL w/4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
*PURPLE HEART
*CHINESE ORDER of YUNG HUI
Ross GREENING`s parents:
Charles W. GREENING b. 1883
Jewell ROSS b. 1888
married 22Nov1911
Charles Ross GREENING, Colonel United States Airforce, received a BA degree from Washington State College of Fine Arts in 1936, entered the military on June 23, 1936 at Fort Lewis, Washington and graduated from advanced flying school at Kelly Field, Texas June 9, 1937.
Ross wound up in 17th Bomb Gp. at Pendleton, Oregon flying B25B missions on submarine patrol. Volunteers from this Group were selected to train with Lt.Col James DOOLITTLE for a secret mission. That mission turned out to be the Tokyo Raid that gave the U.S.A. a boost in morale when most needed.(early 1942)
Ross was pilot of the 11th of 16 B-25 bombers(tail# 40-2249) to take off from Captain Marc MITCHER`s HORNET(CV8) deck and he headed for Yokohama.
Captain Greening being the armament officer for the Group had been tasked with helping reduce the B-25B bombers weight. He stripped most of the heavy machine guns and ammo; removed the balky ventral gun turret--replacing with a large belly fuel tank and removed the expensive ($10k) Norden secret bombsight. He devised a 20 cent aluminum angle piece that worked much better at low altitude. Ross named the device the "Mark Twain Bombsight". To replace the machine guns he substituted broom sticks painted black.
After the raid, Ross survived a bailout over China and eventually made it back to US held territory.
For this heroic effort Ross received the Distinguished Flying Cross from General Hap ARNOLD in a Washington D.C. ceremony.
Ross was granted a leave to go home in June of 1942 and when he stepped off the Union Pacific Streamliner in Tocoma, Washington he received a HERO`s welcome, he walked into the outstreached arms of his mother Jewell and his wife Dorothy.
After his leave he reported to McCord Field where Ross volunteered to go with Brig General DOOLITTLE to North Africa for Operation Torch and fly Martin Maurader B-26 Bombers. As a Group Commander, Greening flew 27 missions before he was shot down over Mt. Vesuvius, Italy. He was captured by the Germans. Ross escaped and was recaptured. Ross spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany.
AWARDS:
* DFC (above)
*SILVER STAR
*AIR MEDAL w/4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
*PURPLE HEART
*CHINESE ORDER of YUNG HUI
Ross GREENING`s parents:
Charles W. GREENING b. 1883
Jewell ROSS b. 1888
married 22Nov1911
Ross wound up in 17th Bomb Gp. at Pendleton, Oregon flying B25B missions on submarine patrol. Volunteers from this Group were selected to train with Lt.Col James DOOLITTLE for a secret mission. That mission turned out to be the Tokyo Raid that gave the U.S.A. a boost in morale when most needed.(early 1942)
Ross was pilot of the 11th of 16 B-25 bombers(tail# 40-2249) to take off from Captain Marc MITCHER`s HORNET(CV8) deck and he headed for Yokohama.
Captain Greening being the armament officer for the Group had been tasked with helping reduce the B-25B bombers weight. He stripped most of the heavy machine guns and ammo; removed the balky ventral gun turret--replacing with a large belly fuel tank and removed the expensive ($10k) Norden secret bombsight. He devised a 20 cent aluminum angle piece that worked much better at low altitude. Ross named the device the "Mark Twain Bombsight". To replace the machine guns he substituted broom sticks painted black.
After the raid, Ross survived a bailout over China and eventually made it back to US held territory.
For this heroic effort Ross received the Distinguished Flying Cross from General Hap ARNOLD in a Washington D.C. ceremony.
Ross was granted a leave to go home in June of 1942 and when he stepped off the Union Pacific Streamliner in Tocoma, Washington he received a HERO`s welcome, he walked into the outstreached arms of his mother Jewell and his wife Dorothy.
After his leave he reported to McCord Field where Ross volunteered to go with Brig General DOOLITTLE to North Africa for Operation Torch and fly Martin Maurader B-26 Bombers. As a Group Commander, Greening flew 27 missions before he was shot down over Mt. Vesuvius, Italy. He was captured by the Germans. Ross escaped and was recaptured. Ross spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany.
AWARDS:
* DFC (above)
*SILVER STAR
*AIR MEDAL w/4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
*PURPLE HEART
*CHINESE ORDER of YUNG HUI
Ross GREENING`s parents:
Charles W. GREENING b. 1883
Jewell ROSS b. 1888
married 22Nov1911
