Ross Travis Junior “T.J.”

Monuments

The Crash and Rescue of the B-24 42-100421 Crew Members

Romestaing American Airmen Plaque

Name:

Travis Junior “T.J.” Ross

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

18131995

Unit:

565th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomb Group

Date of Death:

2003-02-10

State:

Texas

Cemetery:

Llano Cemetery, Amarillo, Randall County, Texas

Plot:

Section FV

Row:

Lot 88

Grave:

Space 5

Decoration:

Comments:

Travis Junior “T.J.” Ross, of Chayenne, Oklahoma, was born on August 22, 1923. He was the husband of Lillian Rose Robertson Ross.

Travis served in the 565th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomb Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner on the B-24 #42-100421 'Aphrodite's Disciples' during World War II.

On March 5, 1944, the crew took off from Station 114 airfield in Hethel, England, on a mission to bomb the Bergerac, Cognac, and Mont de Marsan airfields in France. At around 11:30 AM, their plane was shot down by fighters setting the no. 1 engine and a wing on fire. The crew evacuated the airplane at 17,000 feet, and all members survived except for SSgt D'Amore, whose parachute did not open or was killed during an escape attempt. Through the help of the French network, SSgt Ross was able to evade German capture and return to England on May 26, 1944, via Pyrenees/Spain/Gibraltar.

Ross retired as a machinist. He died on February 10, 1923, at the age of 79, and is now buried in the Llano Cemetery, Amarillo, Randall County, Texas, USA.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net