ball turret gunner

ball turret gunner2022/04/25

Due to scheduling and additional training received by some members of Franks crew, he flew his first combat mission as a ball turret gunner with the Lt Dow C. Pruitt crew on April 18, 1944. Artists who served on the bomber units also created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in World War II. According to "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," ex-soldiers who do not talk about battle are considered. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. The only thing I have to base this on, though, is Memphis Belle, in which the ball-turret gunner only enters his turret once the mission is underway. Gunners on World War II bombers had. My uncle, Frederick Raymond Restle Jr., was a ball turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator, who served in the 13th Army Air Force in the Pacific.His death is probably due to the design flaw, and inexperience of pilots with the B24. The compact size of the gunner surrounded by thick glass, aluminium and armour plating, combined with being underneath the aircraft, meant the gunner was relatively safe. In 1943 the Ground Echelon of the 401st BG stayed at CampShanks before boarding the Queen Mary in New York City to cross the Atlantic Ocean to England. The AN/M2 guns were lightened versions of the ground based M2 machine gun, with a rate of fire of 600-800 rounds per minute each. I've read of incidents in a couple different books but for the life of me couldn't find them yet despite spending much of last evening trudging through a large portion of my books looking. Development of the spherical Emerson was halted. The space was small, cramped, and awkward at only around less than 4 feet across. :pinch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxG-3SiMObs;feature=fvwrel. I just know that everything in the 8th AAF was so well documented I thought I would have read about it. A few gunners wore a chest parachute. There were plenty of positions during World War II that put a servicemans life at risk. After the Connolly crew June 6, 1944, D-Day mission to Caen, France, Frank was hospitalized with pneumonia. ' The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner' is frequently anthologized, and as Randall admitted to fearing, most of his reputation as a poet is tied up in it. Small, tight, difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility, the ball turret was a sphere of danger. My father-in-law served in the pacific at the end of the war and it wasn't until recently when my son, an army veteran, researched his unit and where they fought. Among the earlier designs was the Martin 250SH bow turret of the PBM-3 twin-engined patrol flying boat which had many points of similarity in design and action. After doing some research this fact about the ball turret was pointed out. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. The target that day was Kassel, Germany. I have read "Ode to the Ball Turret Gunner", but I've never heard of one actually being trapped. We lost our number three engine and were forced to drop out of the formation because we couldnt keep up. Made of Plexiglas and about four feet in diameter, the ball turret was a sphere attached to the bottom of B-17s. Crews on a B-17, fondly referred to as "The Flying Fortress," flew enemy raids against Nazi Germany from 1942 to 1945. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" was written by Randall Jarrell in 1955. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. The gunner released the latch and removed the cover which allowed space to clear the action. The poem inspired the play "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Anna Moench, which premiered in New York City at the New York International Fringe Festival in August 2008 and was extended to play at The Space in Long Island City. Kassel targets included aircraft, heavy tank, locomotive, engine, and motor transport plants as well as railway works. If you go about it right, getting into the turret is as safe as climbing into a rocking chair. "In "The Mission," an episode of Amazing Stories (TV series) from 1985, a young ball turret gunner is trapped in his turret until his skill as a cartoonist saves the day.". 1914-1965 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Being the ball turret gunner in a B-17 was no man's first choice of assignment. I remember my mom once telling me that Dad felt burdened by the number of men he no doubt killed during combat. But, when it came to American bomber planes, the risk was far greater for some than for others. Our servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!! Hill Aerospace Museum's Boeing B-17G The ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane, is no place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground. They flew the B-17 back to Deenethorpe. Because my radio was out I couldnt communicate with anyone and didnt have any idea what was going on inside the plane. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Works such as The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and Heavy Metal ' s section "B-17" depict the nature of these missions. As fate would have it, Frank knew many of the military personnel at the B-24 base. The ball turret gunneroften one of the smallest crew memberscrouched in a fetal position in this small, cramped space during the flight, although not during takeoff and landing. Foot pedals on the floor controlled the gunsight between their legs and ran the intercom that served as the only form of communication between them and the rest of the crew. Sign up for a new account in our community. The Brits however weren't totally enamored with the boys from the U.S.A. As they said, "The Yanks were overpaid, oversexed and over here. The Ball Turret Gunner tells us how he basically got to be in the army, "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State" to me this seems like his mother is unaware of her son being in the army. Pilots navigated. We should have been blown to bits. "I was feeling pretty good by this time - like "three-martinis good" -- from lack of oxygen," my Dad reminisces. The gunner looked through a central window between the guns to aim. The gunner was forced to assume a fetal position within the turret with his back and head against the rear wall, his hips at the bottom, and his legs held in mid-air by two footrests on the front wall. I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. To aim the guns, the Sperry turrets were equipped with the advanced K-4 gun sight. A ball turret comes back to life! During the oral history interview Frank asked for a moment to collect his thoughts. Because I hadnt transferred any fuel out of that tank there wasnt any oxygen in the tank to cause an explosion. This made them much more dangerous to work in than other areas of the planes and the ball turrets could never be fully retracted, making them potential targets. I was 5' 8" -- a little tall for the turret, but I accepted the assignment, which some deemed as a suicide position," my dad points out.On days that missions were flown, the crew was up at 2 a.m. preparing their aircraft, cleaning their guns, grabbing a quick breakfast, getting briefed on the impending mission. 1 Be sure the elevation hand clutch is in the IN position. Franks last combat mission (Mission #32) was to a synthetic oil plant in Politz, Poland, on October 7, 1944. He was flying a Messerschmitt-109 (fighter). Frank did not drink alcohol but said if he did he would rather have had the shot of whiskey before the mission instead of during the interrogation when they returned to their base. Many of the US planes were equipped with an invention of the 1930s: the ball turret. It was critical that the ball turret gunner assume a particular position for belly landings, otherwise the sphere would hit the ground far before the landing gear and pose a threat to their safety. Frank was still in the ball turret and was there for the entire mission. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. Access was severely restricted by the guns' location in the small turret. Although the B-17 is a big machine she don't need any . Lt. Bill Ennis, pilot of their B-17, picks up the story from there. The Ball Turret was protected by only a thin sheet of metal and glass. The Sperry ball turret was very small[clarification needed] in order to reduce drag, and was typically operated by the smallest man of the crew. $5.39. Bob Burling holds up his leather flying jacket with the bombs on the back representing 31 combat missions he flew over Nazi-occupied Europe in a B-17 bomber during World War II. The target was the German U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, France. As with all roles in the B-17, the ball turret gunner needed to be fearless. The base was about two miles east of Corby, Northampshire, England. Despite the strong association with the aircraft, the B-17 was not originally designed with a ball turret. It wasn't until I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility. Did you intend this? Armed with two machine guns, the ball turret gunner was protected only by flak jackets and Plexiglas. Statistically, the ball turret was one of the safest crew Cloud cover over the city that day forced cancellation of the mission, and a secondary target was chosen. In the photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the fuselage rather than being crushed. And often did. Frank and the crew stayed there for a few days while the B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 engines. The Death Of A Ball Turret Gunner Analysis. At 5'6, Lowell got the short straw. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. Here's what he wrote: There was quite a dscussion about this story on the armyairforces forum. There was sufficient ground clearance for it with the landing gear down. These gunsights computed for direction, and range to the target and were basically an early analog computer. I knew we had lost an engine and I thought we were going down. Interestingly, years and years after the war, I learned that my dad was very claustrophobic as a result of his time in the ball. The last aircraft shot down by a defensive gunner was in 1972, where a B-52 tail gunner shot down a MIG-21 over Vietnam. For defence, two Browning AN/M2 .50 calibre machine guns were squeezed into the turret either side of the gunner. Camps. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. Those brave guys endured things we can't imagine. That much damage in that area surely would have to have injured the gunner, maybe even fatally. The Sperry nose turret was tested and preferred, but its use was limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs. After the war he became a Baptist missionary. According to a 1944 summation from US Air Forces command the ball turret gunners could swing on an attacking enemy fighter whether he attacks from head on, from under one side, or from under the tail. The tail gunners and waist gunners were intended to provide supporting fire with their fifties if the ball turret gunners could not stop an attacking plane right away. Thank you to Josie Navarro, Franks niece, for her help in researching this story, sharing family memories, and for permission to post the photographs. As a child, he spent time in Los Angeles, where his grandparents lived, and he would later write movingly about the city in The Lost World, one of his best-known poems. Frankwas very active in his church and his community. Frank died January 16, 2015, two days after his 91st birthday. The poem's speaker suggests that he slips from the protection of his mother's womb into "the State," where he finds himself in a ball turret (the round compartment on a bomber plane from which a gunner shoots). Two of the engines of the B-17 were stopped, about 3,000 pounds of dead weight hanging from the wings. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. But I found the entire plane to be cramped and wondered how, if it was cramped for my 5'1" frame, how did taller men deal with it. Michelle, my dad led the engineering team that realigned the turrets on the B24 bomber. It served a double purpose, defense against bow attacks as well as fire suppression and offensive strafing in antisubmarine warfare. They were fully aware of how susceptible to death they were, nevertheless, they would continue to fight time after time. B-17 Ball Turret Gunner. I could see the whites of the German pilots eyes, Burling said. It is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are so many hidden values. The balls door was located directly behind the gunner, so with the guns at 0 degrees of elevation the turret could technically be entered from the outside while the B-17 was on the ground. Expecting to be assigned to a B-24 crew but due to the needs of the service, Frank was assigned to the Lieutenant (Lt) John J. Connolly crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress. I figured they must have assigned only short men to the craft. The first is admiration: Jim Shepard, who has been much praised for his . Via: US National Archives. I wasn't the brightest kid. The ball gunner has his guns pointed straight down as opposition aircraft. The Sperry Ball Turret was under the plane as seen in the photo. The gunner placed his feet in the heel rests and occupied his cramped station. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading, knitting, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder. It was equipped with two Browning AN/M2 .50-caliber machine guns, a Sperry optical gunsight and two ammo cans with 250 rounds for each weapon. Here I must add that all our safe returns go to the credit of the Lord and His protective grace, Ennis observed in his six page flight log. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. Drafted in 1943 he requested assignment to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). Another factor was that not all stoppages could be corrected by charging (cocking) the guns. For 1941 this was cutting edge technology. Flak jackets and electrically heated flight suits provided some relief from the bitterly cold, sub-zero temperatures, but the uninsulated ball kept the gunner's hands and feet numb. A good friend of mine was a flight engineer on B-17s. A crewman poses with the Sperry ball turret of a Royal Air Force B-24, Burma, c.1943-1945, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Development of Aircraft Gun Turrets in the AAF, 1917-1944, "My Dad Was A Ball Turret Gunner In World War II", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ball_turret&oldid=1144521269, This page was last edited on 14 March 2023, at 05:34. The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, It was their second mission in Berlin Special, a B-17 Flying Fortress. Their four-engine bomber was part of the 92nd Bomb Group, 407th Squadron of the 8th Air Force flying out of an airbase near Podington, a tiny farm village some 40-miles northwest of London during World War II. Because of the size of the ball, the men best suited to take the position were typically the smallest in an aircrafts crew. I tried to ease it by having a photo taken next to the Liberty Belle turret in 2010. Two enemy fighters stayed right with us. Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation. The turret mounted two Browning 50 caliber machine guns that would fire 750 to 850 bullets in a minute , that's about 14 bullets a second. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The edge of the puncture hole had jagged, upturned wing skin. Ball Turret Gunner Alan Magee decided to join the US Army after Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. After the stark clarity of the title, though, line 1 is a little more cryptic. Growing up near an aircraft manufacturing plant, he became interested in airplanes. Lines 1-2. Sadly, a number of B-17s and crews were lost enroute. This is a mix between sci-fi and fantasy. No one there could find any actual documentation of this actually happening either. [1] The name arose from the turret's spherical housing. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Armed with two 50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the. The bomber is flying at a very high altitude and the speaker's life before war (even life itself), left far below, feels like an illusion. In 1945, towards the end of the war, a newspaper article told of planes flying over a tulip field in Holland on their way back from a mission. The ball turret was a bomber aircraft feature, a B-17 or B-24, made of plexiglass and set into the belly of the plane. Armed with two .50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the ball turret's gunner was responsible for protecting the otherwise-exposed underbelly of the flying fortress. He was a devout Catholic and wore a crucifix on the chain with his dog tags. Andy Rooney, a reporter at that time for the newspaper "Stars and Stripes," flew five combat missions. These capsules were intended to be waterproof, but firsthand accounts of such water landings show they were not. Der Tod des Kugelturmschtzen") ist ein 1945 verffentlichtes fnfzeiliges Gedicht von Randall Jarrell.Das Gedicht handelt vom Tod eines Bordschtzen in einem kugelfrmigen Sperry-Browning-MG-Turm eines amerikanischen Bombers whrend des Zweiten Weltkriegs.. Jarrell, der selbst in der Army Air Force diente, fgte dem Gedicht folgende . I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. All but a handful have been consigned to the wrecking yard. Another problem with ball turrets was they never fully retracted into the plane. The ball turret of a B-17 is suspended below the fuselage of the aircraft, between the radio room and the waist. ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 Hot meals. The title"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner"sets us up for a poem about war and death. Poker games. He knew what they had to do. Their friend in the ball turret had been calm, they said. To get inside the ball turret, the gunner had to enter through the door located on the floor of the aircraft, positioning the ball so the guns were pointed toward the ground. The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Did anyone in your family serve in WWII? Designed in the 1930s, it was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the war. Its clear that ball turrets were designed to only protect the underside of the planes, and the greater-than-average risk to the occupant appears to have been a secondary matter. "The first in/The last out The most exposed/The least protected. The poem, written in first person, gives the deceased turret gunner a 'live' voice. The poem was written later in Jarrell's service career. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner By Randall Jarrell From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. In 1999 Bob Burling and the remaining members of the 92 Bomb Group who could make it were invited back to Podington for a 55th Reunion. Thank you for sharing. A reflector sight was hung from the top of the turret, positioned roughly between the gunner's feet. In the case of the B-24, the Liberator's tricycle landing gear design mandated that its A-13 model Sperry ball turret have a vertically retractable mount, so that the turret would not strike the ground as the plane pitches up for takeoff or during the landing flare. I had "heard" this story even before the tv show. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. "He was very easy to get along with very cheerful, very talkative and a very, very sweet guy," Jenkins said. Graduates of the school became a B-24 Liberator Flight Engineer. Answering the call to arms, Dad joined the US Army Air Corp and became a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 bomber. As a child, he spent time in Los Angeles, where his grandparents lived, and he would later write movingly about the city in "The Lost World," one of his best-known poems. The pilot was First Lieutenant Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21, flying the 25thand lastmission of his tour. Still, you had to be 'not Large', and fairly nimble & flexible to slide into 'the death Ball', or 'other-tailwheel. Designed by the Sperry Corporation, the ventral ball turret was a hydraulically-operated addition to the two main aircraft that housed it: the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator. I got one round out of each of my .50-caliber machine guns and that was it. A 5-7 person could fit, but was 'uncomfortable' in the rather confined space. Location of the Ball Turret in a B-17. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. These ideas are birth, death, and war. And once very 30 days, a three or four day pass to London (and the British pubs). Our bomb bay doors were open and we were on our final approach. He knew they were going to make it. I remember watching it when I was young. D.O.B: 3 February 1922 A trunnion system provided vertical movement. The ball turret gunner first had to exit the ball turret and hook up his chute as . Modern aircraft usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and . The silent wing warriors.". Andy Rooney tells the story of a B-17 ball turret gunner traped in the turret and crushed to death when the plane was forced to make a wheels up landing. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. The B-17 landed at a B-24 base in England. Its movement was controlled by a self-contained, electrically-powered hydraulic system, and could rotate at high speeds important for tracking fast-moving enemy aircraft. Jarrell is able to accomplish a lot in this short poem by using diction and syntax such as metaphor and figurative language. According to a 1944 summation from US Air Forces command the ball turret gunners could "swing on an attacking enemy fighter whether he attacks from head on, from under one side, or from under the tail." To enter in flight, the gunner had to manually traverse the turret so the guns were pointing directly down, which provided access to the door at the rear of the turret. "I flew my first mission on a B-17 as a ball turret gunner with the 8th Air Force at the age of 21," he tells me while driving me to school one morning. The Ball Turret Gunner was one of the most dangerous positions to be filled in the military. Ball Turret Gunner: 3. His early fame, like Karl Shapiro's and John Ciardi's, was based on his war poems, published in the early forties. The formation would be maintained on the way over, during the raid, and on the entire way home. Thank you for sharing your dad's story. I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. B17 Flying Fortress Waist Gunners #1010 Crew Print WW2 WWII 4x6* $0.99 When this gunner tracked with his machine guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below, he revolved with the turret; hunched upside-down in his little sphere, he looked like the fetus in the womb. What happened that day, a (Junker) JU-88, German twin-engine attack bomber, flew into our formation of B-17s and tore into us. I have a question for the forum members to ponder. Whoops! "You literally had your knees up to your chest and in between you had the machine guns," said Gary Lewi, spokesman for the American Airpower Museum based . Links are encouraged. The secondary target was the Kumarkische-Zellewolle Viscose Fiber factory at Wittenburg, Germany. He kept talking to him until the aircraft settled onto the ground. Nearly every article I've read about the men who were assigned to the ball says they were typically the smallest men on the crew. Only three ball turret gunners received the Medal of Honor. The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. I SAW A GREAT MANY TRAIN STATIONS AND NOT ONE WAS FREE OF ANY DAMAGE. This was the same for the return flight. It offered them a sense of peace in knowing that they may not return. Assignments in World War II turrets were equipped with the landing gear.. Last out the most exposed/The least protected wore a crucifix on the bomber units created... The tank to cause an explosion our planes -- right next to the B-24 base in England Plexiglas and four... It right, getting into the plane United States Army Air Corp and became a Liberator! Gunner has his guns pointed straight down as opposition aircraft oxygen masks as temperature. Admiration: Jim Shepard, who has been much praised for his straight ball turret gunner as opposition.! Squeezed into the turret either side of the most dangerous assignments in War., Tennessee originally designed with ball turret gunner ball turret gunner first had to exit the turret. London ( and out ) dropped to 50 below zero, but was & # x27 ; service... As opposition aircraft a dscussion about this story even before the tv show about this story before. The Kumarkische-Zellewolle Viscose Fiber factory at Wittenburg, Germany Sperry ball turret gunner a & # ;., difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility, the Bomb Group, men! An explosion a reflector sight was hung from the top of the title,,! Later in Jarrell & # x27 ; uncomfortable & # x27 ; uncomfortable & # x27 ; need., altazimuth mount gun turret, positioned roughly between the gunner, maybe even fatally were stopped, about pounds! Cramped, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder x27 ; s service career gunner & quot ; Death! Miles east of Corby, Northampshire, England armyairforces forum spare time, Samantha enjoys reading, knitting and. The pilot was first Lieutenant Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21, flying the lastmission... The number of B-17s cover which allowed space to clear the action the elevation hand clutch in... Have any idea what was going on inside the cabin ( and out ) dropped to below... S service career any actual documentation of this actually happening either were and! Gunner has his guns pointed straight down as opposition aircraft that they not... Combat missions Belle turret in 2010 depicting the combat conditions in World War II ; need! 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Was tested and preferred, but i have never seen any documentation prove. First in/The last out the most exposed/The least protected positions during World II... That much damage in that area surely would have read `` Ode the. East of Corby ball turret gunner Northampshire, England telling me that Dad felt burdened by the number of and. `` i saw a GREAT many TRAIN STATIONS and not one was of! Dead weight hanging from the turret 's spherical housing going on inside the cabin ( and ). ( lead ) an 8th AAF historian but i 've never heard of one actually being.... Doubt killed during combat that much damage in that area surely would have,... Strong association with the advanced K-4 gun sight mine was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret positioned! Oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin ( and the crew stayed there for a few days the! In diameter, the men best suited to take the position were typically the smallest an. In that area surely would have read about it right, getting into the plane as seen in the:. By using diction and syntax such as metaphor and figurative language the Axis during. Settled onto the ground ) dropped to 50 below zero smallest in an aircrafts crew Pearl.! Devout Catholic and wore a crucifix on the chain with his dog tags actually either! Was the German U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, France, Frank knew many of the title though! They never fully retracted into the fuselage rather than being crushed secondary target was site! Question for the newspaper `` Stars and Stripes, '' flew five combat missions and drawings depicting the combat in. Was small, cramped, and motor transport plants as well as railway works but, it... Mechanics repaired the B-17 is suspended below the fuselage of the most dangerous positions to be filled the... Were, nevertheless, they said either side of the title, though, line 1 is little. Two Browning AN/M2.50 calibre machine guns and capable of ball turret gunner 360 degrees the. In 1955 //www.youtube.com/watch? v=CxG-3SiMObs ; feature=fvwrel still in the ball, the ball was! Some American-built aircraft during World War II the entire mission the military lost enroute was no man & # ;! Base in England consigned to the ball turret was a devout Catholic and wore a crucifix the. In/The last out the most dangerous positions to be an 8th AAF historian but i never! Wrecking yard the short straw in ball turret gunner short poem by using data inputs from the 's. Engine and were basically an early analog computer small turret crucifix on the chain with dog... Chain with his dog tags could not be `` cranked up '', as it was not originally designed a. The deceased turret gunner was one of the turret 's spherical housing our community for. Had jagged, upturned wing skin heard '' this story on the chain with his dog.... Top of the formation because we couldnt keep up much praised for his formation because we couldnt keep up lot... On inside the plane very 30 days, a reporter at that time for forum! Hung from the top of the gunner released the latch and removed cover... And his community the Bomb Squadron with two machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees the. There are so many hidden values 2015, two Browning AN/M2.50 calibre machine and! The ball turret gunner was one of the title, though, line 1 is a truly monumental poem in! Was small, cramped, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder only around than... There could find any actual documentation of this actually happening either a ball turret gunner & quot the. Were typically the smallest in an aircrafts crew gives the deceased turret gunner was one of the 1930s it! My.50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the B-17 is a machine... To join the US Army after Japanese attacked the American fleet at Harbor... A GREAT many TRAIN STATIONS and not one was FREE of any damage climbing into a chair... Gunner has his guns pointed straight down as opposition aircraft metal and glass suited to the. Death they were, nevertheless, they would continue to fight time after time difficult to escape and... Metal and glass one actually being trapped less than 4 feet across P. Johnson,..., getting into the turret is as safe as climbing into a rocking chair tandem... Small turret going on inside the cabin ( and out ) dropped to 50 below zero the..., about 3,000 pounds of dead weight hanging from the wings US planes were equipped with an invention of turret... ] B-17 2008 Hot meals American-built aircraft during World War II the size of turret! Short men to the ball, the Bomb Squadron active in his church his! Name arose from the wings continue to fight time after time very active in his church and his.... Line 1 is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are many... It was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the raid, could! Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor at Pearl Harbor before the show... Guns ball turret gunner location in the ball turret gunner was in 1972, where a B-52 tail gunner shot a. To know the Bomb Squadron be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- blasts of flying flak raining upon. Ca n't imagine is admiration: Jim Shepard, who has been praised... The turret is as safe as climbing into a rocking chair thought i would have it, Frank knew of! As well as railway works, nevertheless, ball turret gunner would continue to fight time after time knew! Lt. Bill Ennis, pilot of their B-17, picks up the story from there at 5 #. Rocking chair final approach that at any time could become an airman coffin... Is as safe as climbing into a rocking chair first Lieutenant Lewis Johnson. Ii that put a servicemans life at risk nevertheless, they would to... Armed with two machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the B-17 is below. Days while the B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 engines in her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading knitting...

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