Just found you

[greenie]

I was browsing through my dads pilot flight record log book from WWll(B-25 pilot, 345th BG-500th SQ, 52 missions in the South Pacific) and became sentimental looking through it. He passed away recently and every chance I get, I look at B-25 pictures and videos. Thanks to Google, I found this site. Thanks for being here.

 

[syscom3]

Greetings! Welcome here.

There's lots of people here interested in the B25 and its role in the SW Pacific.

I have a huge book about the 345th BG. If you PM me his name, I will look him up and see if the author included him in the book. The books name is "Warpath Across the Pacific".

Perhaps you can share some pics and stories about your dad?

 

[greenie]

Thanks syscom3! A guy named Hickey wrote that book but I dont believe that my dad is mentioned in it. He was Richard M. Greenstein. Browsing through his pilot log, I found some interesting entries, such as "hit tree, turned back"! and "landed with bomb hanging up in bomb bay". This one I knew about. He ordered his crew to bail out before he landed but they all refused to leave! The entry for Feb. 12, 1945 says "courier for Maj. Doolittle"!! This flight was to Luzon and lasted 6 hours and 20 minutes. He "earned" 72 points. Points?? I wonder what he got for his points at the end of the war? A waffle iron maybe? LOL

 

[Wayne Little]

G'day Greenie welcome mate!

 

[mudpuppy]

Welcome greenie; I'm pretty new here myself! I wonder if the points your dad wrote about were part of the system they used to determine when you could go home. I'm not an expert on it, but they did use a point system to rotate troops out of the combat theaters.

 

[greenie]

Hey pup, sure makes sense now that I think about it! After his last mission, he wrote FINIS in big letters so I know he was anxious to get back to the states.

 

[Airframes]

Hi Greenie, and welcome from England. Almost sure to be the points system for rotation. Not sure about the Pacific, but in the E.T.O., 'they' increased the number of points needed, I think late '43 or early '44, which really p****d off some aircrew!

 

[rochie]

hello greenie and welcome from a different bit of england than airframes lives in

 

[Gnomey]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[Wurger]

Welcome to the site Greenie.Greetings from Poland.

 

[seesul]

Welcome to the forum!
Greeting from Czech Republic8)

 

[greenie]

I am overwhelmed by the greetings. We truly are a band of brothers!

 

[RabidAlien]

Welcome from Texas! My grandfather was ground-crew for a B-24 Squadron over in Italy. Couple of nice planes, those -24's and -25's!

From what I understand, the point system was used to determine who went on leave back to a rest-area in Australia or NZ, who got to go back behind the lines and "ferry" a new plane forward (usually loaded to the gills with booze), and after the war ended, a similar point system was used (based on time-in-theater, medals, etc) to determine who rotated back Stateside first. For the pilots, points were earned based on missions flown, difficulty of mission, etc....so those golden "ferry" missions were really looked forward to!

 

[Airframes]

Some good info there, RA!

 

[Njaco]

Welcome Greenie from the other side of the Delaware! Go Iggles!

 

[evangilder]

Welcome. I have always been a big fan of the B-25 and had a chance to fly in one last August.

 

[greenie]

Thanks Njaco. Go Iggles? I prefer Jersey!!!!!!!LOL

 

[greenie]

I hope that you had ear protection!! Those engines are sweet at a distance but up close? Wow!

 

[Freebird]

I found this site. Thanks for being here.

Welcome!

 

[Thorlifter]

Welcome