Ball Turret Gunner Alan Magee decided to join the US Army after Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. "[1] Most commentators agree, calling the poem a condemnation of the dehumanizing powers of "the State", which are most graphically exhibited by the violence of war. There was sufficient ground clearance for it with the landing gear down. Originating from air bases in England, the B-17s left to attack enemy targets in broad daylight because The Air Force believed in precision bombing -- bombing to hit a specific target. Often soldiers who were smaller in stature were selected for this gunner job since it would have been even more uncomfortable for a taller or bigger person to fit in this awkward space. Once the B-17 was in the air, the gunner would enter the turret . The primary target was Oranienburg, Germany. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. I remember watching it when I was young. It wasn't until 1944 that fighter escorts were deployed to accompany them on their missions. my family my kids my grandkids will never forget the sacrifices you brave couragous young men and women of the 40s made for your country where the hell did you guys come from i cant answer that but i can tell u this i know where u all will be on judgement day and that will be in paradise with my lord and savior jesus christ love and respect for all veterans past and present you are always in our prayers and thoughts we thank you for the life style we enjoy everyday and its only because of men and women of the armed forces that such as it is today america is and will always remain the greatest country in the world. Lt. Bill Ennis, pilot of their B-17, picks up the story from there. 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. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" was written by Randall Jarrell in 1955. "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 last aircraft shot down by a defensive gunner was in 1972, where a B-52 tail gunner shot down a MIG-21 over Vietnam. At 5'6, Lowell got the short straw. I wasn't the brightest kid. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. And my father wasn't traipsing around Europe on foot in the Infantry, anyway -- he was a ball turret gunner in The 8th Army Air Corp, operating in a confined space. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Trapped in the ball turret of his B-17 bomber over Germany he almost died War History Online. Via: US National Archives. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. Frank sailed home to the United States (US) after completing his required combat missions. The waist blisters were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed airflow, and limited the gunners traverse. Discharged: October 1944 See video, B-17 with 19 guns! The poem, written in first person, gives the deceased turret gunner a 'live' voice. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Randall Jarrell - 1914-1965 From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Battle damage to the radio operator's compartment of Boeing B-17F-65-BO 42 . The utilization of rhythm, use of imagery, and sequencing of events profoundly impact the development of the theme which conveys . The main points of the poem outline the birth and death. Ball Turret Gunner B17 Flying Fortress Print WW2 WWII #1009 5x7. The silent wing warriors.". He was a devout Catholic and wore a crucifix on the chain with his dog tags. It served a double purpose, defense against bow attacks as well as fire suppression and offensive strafing in antisubmarine warfare. We are a resource documenting all variety of aircraft, from the terrifying contraptions of the past to the absolute cutting edge of today. While anyone who flew on a B-17 bomber during World War II had a pretty dangerous job, the ball turret gunner was undoubtedly put in the most-precarious position. I could see the whites of the German pilots eyes, Burling said. He served in the 332nd armored division and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. Click Here to sign up to be notified when new stories are published. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. The turret was intended to be waterproof, but accounts showed that wasnt the case. They had talked to him. Thank you for sharing your dad's story. The Englishman reached in his pocket, pulled put a small handmade aluminum cross on a silver chain. Poker games. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. Did anyone in your family serve in WWII? The Sperry nose turret was tested and preferred, but its use was limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. 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. Lines 3-4. . 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. 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. The formation would be maintained on the way over, during the raid, and on the entire way home. After a pause Frank continued his story. It carried two .50-caliber machine guns and one man, who was usually short and small. The ball's 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. Upon induction into the USAAF Frank reported to Keesler Army Air Field at Biloxi, Mississippi, where he went through basic training and then received specialty training at the Airplane and Engine Mechanics School there. Once training was complete, aerial gunners were sent out to operational bomber units as crewmen, serving as waist gunners, tail gunners, or most physically demanding, as ball turret gunners. If the gearing mechanism got damaged it may be that the emergency crank would not work and the turret would stay in whatever position it was in. The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). Some members of the Connolly crew fulfilled their mission requirements in August 1944.]. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. 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. Location of the Ball Turret in a B-17. The B-17 crew already had a flight engineer, so Frank was selected for the ball turret gunner position. 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. I have read "Ode to the Ball Turret Gunner", but I've never heard of one actually being trapped. Left Waist Gunner: 5. This left him positioned with his eyes roughly level with the pair of light-barrel Browning AN/M2 .50 caliber machine guns which extended through the entire turret, located to either side of the gunner. In the tulips were spelled out the words, "Thank you Yanks. Frank said before a combat mission a priest was available to those men who wanted to receive Absolution (part of the Sacrament of Penance). I knew we had lost an engine and I thought we were going down. 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. He can look out of his porthole straight down for almost six miles, while battling incoming aircraft, sealed inside an aluminium ball without a parachute. The base was about two miles east of Corby, Northampshire, England. Sitting beside Bob was an English couple who walked out of the services with the old aviator. 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. I couldnt open my hatch and escape into the plane and I could swivel my turret around. For defence, two Browning AN/M2 .50 calibre machine guns were squeezed into the turret either side of the gunner. He had to get into one to see why it wasn't working, then redesign them and get the back in the war all within a 6-week period. 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. Ludwigshaven was the site of large marshalling (railway) yards and a railroad depot. Here's what he wrote: There was quite a dscussion about this story on the armyairforces forum. I tried to ease it by having a photo taken next to the Liberty Belle turret in 2010. September 26, 2012 in MILITARY AIRCRAFT & AVIATION. Dornier Do 19 The Bomber Designed to Win the War, Richard Bong Ace of Aces & Low Flying Crocodile Hunter, TDR-1 The First Television-Guided Missile, Armin Faber Luftwaffe Pilot Who Helped the RAF, Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse, Myasishchev M-50 Bounder The Soviet Hustler, Northrop XP-79 The Flying Battering Ram, Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet Pusher Power, XP-55 Ascender: the Back-to-Front Fighter. Top Turret Gunner/Engineer: 10. 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 mean just like a movie, but going like that [he snaps his fingers]. According to "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," ex-soldiers who do not talk about battle are considered. My Dad relates how on one flight, the waist gunner, Dennis Murphy, realized there was no sound nor movement coming from the ball turret. Nothanks for the heads-up JS! The name arose from the turret's spherical housing. It had black and yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail. Once we were out of the target area the crew got the track of my ball turret unjammed, cranked it around by hand until my trap door could be opened and pulled me out.. He wrote, When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.. The crew was unhurt, but ball turret gunner Hamill recalled, "We climbed out of our wreck realizing that we had ruined two precious Spitfires. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading, knitting, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder. After what seemed like an eternity, he saw the White Cliffs of Dover on the English coastline. In April 1944 the Connolly crew with other recently formed B-17 crews ferried new B-17s over the Atlantic Ocean northern route and landed in Prestwick, Scotland. Change). With the thousands of B-17s in combat it is logical to think it did happen. Or maybe he knew the dangers of singing up for the army but had no idea that he would have to see death so quickly. Now that shows what kind of catastrophic damage would immobilize the turret with the gunner in it. Two joysticks pivoted the ball around and around, up and down. [2][3] The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. ' 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. In fact, a literal reading of the line is downright confusing. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. 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. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. The poem in length is very short, but in meaning it is miles long. 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. This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission. My late father Thomas Witt was the radio operator on this crew. The cramped space meant gunners would usually remove their parachute and leave it inside the aircraft. Armed with two machine guns, the ball turret gunner was protected only by flak jackets and Plexiglas. I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. Two hundred, ten thousand airmen flew over Europe. 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. His position resembled the fetal position. Ball turrets were eventually abandoned in later aircraft in favour of remote controlled systems, and then radar aimed turrets in aircraft like the B-52. 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. Out of that new war in the air came the most anthologized poem of the war, the only World War II poem most readers know, "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner," by Randall Jarrell. The B-17 landed at a B-24 base in England. A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24 bomber. Once in, the door was closed shut, and he placed his feet into stirrups in front of him, holding the triggers above his head. It was the job of the ball turret gunner, armed with a pair of .50-caliber machine guns, to defend the aircraft from attacks below. $5.39. Transported from Scotland to England the Connolly crew was assigned to the 401st Bomb Group (BG), 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe. Sign up for a new account in our community. They were still over Germany. So they couldn't just drop the turret. So many interesting stories! Currently: North Port, Fla Co-Pilot: 9. 1914-1965 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. This was the same for the return flight. 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 turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. By all accounts, the ball was very small and very cramped. It was the best sight in the world -- second only to spotting the famous White Cliffs of Dover late in the afternoon after completing yet another harrowing mission.". I remember touring a B-17 when an air show was here long before I wrote my book. 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. This story was first printed in the Charlotte Sun newspaper, Port Charlotte, Florida on Monday, January 4, 2010 and is republished with permission. Cloud cover over the city that day forced cancellation of the mission, and a secondary target was chosen. It took him 15 years to convince the owner to sell it, and he's . Staff Sgt. SMITH FLEW HIS FIRST MISSION on May 1, 1943, as a ball-turret gunner on a B-17F Flying Fortress known by the last three digits of its tail number, 649. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Crews on a B-17, fondly referred to as "The Flying Fortress," flew enemy raids against Nazi Germany from 1942 to 1945. I SAW A GREAT MANY TRAIN STATIONS AND NOT ONE WAS FREE OF ANY DAMAGE. Earlier designs appeared in other patrol seaplanes. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. I figured they must have assigned only short men to the craft. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. Their mission: Bomb Oberphoffen-Hoffen, a suburb of Munich. In many cases, when a stoppage occurred, it was necessary for the gunner to "reload" the gun, which required access to the firing chamber of the guns. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. My dad was never in the war because of his health history and being 4F. It was able to turn on two axis; 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 B-24 Liberators were too low to the ground for the ball to fit, so they were fitted with a retractable turret that was stowed away for take off and landing. We should have been blown to bits. Small windows allowed the gunner to see below the aircraft, but not above. Ball turrets appeared in the nose and tail as well as the nose of the final series B-24. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. Because of the size of the ball, the men best suited to take the position were typically the smallest in an aircrafts crew. Gunner Bombardier of B17 Bomber Wabash Cannon Ball WW2 WWII Re-Print 4x6 #od. I dont know what happened to the one on our right, he said. Frank returned to California and earned a Degree in Agriculture from California Polytechnic University. They were most famously used on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but also saw use on the B-24 Liberator bomber. (LogOut/ Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. 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. Thirty-five hundred were shot down over Europe. =). Your turn. The first is admiration: Jim Shepard, who has been much praised for his . From here, the gunner could protect the rear section below the plane. He kept talking to him until the aircraft settled onto the ground. [I] had my whole life flash before me from the time I was a little kid to that moment. I grew up believing the tale my father told me -- that I had spent World War II being toted around on his back. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. B17 Flying Fortress Waist Gunners #1010 Crew Print WW2 WWII 4x6* $0.99 ", My Dad says "I saw the tulips spelling out 'Thank You, Yanks.' Development of the spherical Emerson was halted. Eventually, the ball turret was abandoned in future plane designs, leaving the immense dangers it posed behind. A reflector sight was hung from the top of the turret, positioned roughly between the gunner's feet. This young crewman of a US Navy "Dumbo" PBY rescue mission has just jumped into the water of Rabaul Harbor to rescue a badly burned Marine pilot who was shot down while bombing the Japanese-held fortress of Rabaul. The crew began throwing unnecessary equipment and supplies out of the plane to lighten the load. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. After testing in mid-1943, the ERCO ball turret became the preferred bow installation in the US Navy's Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bombers although other types continued to be installed. I have spoken to Bob in the past. But, the gruesome and terrifying nature of being a ball turret gunner was captured in a poem by soldier and poet, Randall Jarrell, when he described the gunner being hosed out of his turret after dying during the mission in Death of Ball Turret Gunner. Ball Turret Gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. heroic. Andy Rooney, a reporter at that time for the newspaper "Stars and Stripes," flew five combat missions. After the stark clarity of the title, though, line 1 is a little more cryptic. "About lunchtime, the B-17s hit their targets. In the photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the fuselage rather than being crushed. Frank and the crew stayed there for a few days while the B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 engines. I'll keep digging for an actual bellied in incident. Ball turret gunner's tale 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. The spherical manned ball turrets, deployed mainly on the bottoms of B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, were very small in order to . The conventional landing gear of the B-17 allowed for a non-retractable mount, but if the plane was required to do a belly landing (such as in the case of landing gear system failure), the ball turret would likely be destroyed due to the lack of clearance, meaning anyone occupying the turret would be in a precarious position if unable to escape. 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. Perhaps the other crew members were bigger men, but Dad wasn't small. Whoops! The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. If the power system and hydraulics were knocked out an emergency hand crank could be inserted into the gearing mechanism of the turret and it could be returned to the neutral position to allow the crewman to exit the turret. Jarrell, who served in the Army Air Forces, provided the following explanatory note: A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24, and inhabited by two .50 caliber machine guns and one man, a short small man. On the floor of the ball, one foot rested on a pedal that controlled the gun sight, which hung suspended between his legs, and the other foots pedal ran his intercom the only communication he had with the rest of his crew back inside the fortress. Hot meals. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. He was thin and wiry to be sure, but according to his driver's license he was 6'1". (LogOut/ The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. No answer. After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. In fact, Jarrell came to fear that his reputation would come to rest on it alone.[3]. These ideas are birth, death, and war. He understood. Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation. Just a great site you have, and will be returning many times. Manage Settings Arguably one of the worst was as a ball turret gunner. He was considered a perfect fit for the B-17's ball turret. Links are encouraged. Commendations: Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, campaign ribbons with three battle stars representing the Normandy Invasion, Northern France, European, African and Middle Eastern Theatre and the Air Offensive in Europe. My father was a co-pilot for B-17s. The edge of the puncture hole had jagged, upturned wing skin. The small size of the ball turret didnt allow for additional equipment to be housed within it. Kuhl was a ball turret gunner. And, if there was a water landing the ball turret gunner would be submerged first. 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. (A pretty impressive bit of aviation engineering!). Wake up to the day's most important news. The landing gear was stuck also, and being after a mission the aircraft probably low on fuel. 1 Be sure the elevation hand clutch is in the IN position. Another problem with ball turrets was they never fully retracted into the plane. What was the name of the plane or the pilot. These are the same link Ian? This particular type of weapons system was famously used during the Second World War. It was a sickening site. By the time Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the squadron had landed. Graduates of the school became a B-24 Liberator Flight Engineer. Indeed, a very rare circumstance but also possible. Unfortunately, this was not a very good place for the parachute, as the gunner needed to open the turret door, enter the fuselage and strap themselves in all before the plane crashed. Magee suffered . I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. The plane was flying at treetop level with only two of the four engines working. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" written by Randall Jarrell is a poem that introduces three major ideas in only five lines. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes. Another factor was that not all stoppages could be corrected by charging (cocking) the guns. It was mounted above and in front of the gunners head, so its reticule would be in line with his eyes. "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.". The 10 day affair wrapped up in the village church. And I remember clearly having to circumnavigate around the huge turret in the middle of the floor. :pinch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxG-3SiMObs;feature=fvwrel. Gunners on World War II bombers had. It moved horizontally by a ring gear on the turret. It lost two engines and couldn't keep up. This however quickly flips when the aircraft is shot down, as the gunner has to turn to the turret to the exit position, climb out and put on his parachute, all while the aircraft is falling out the sky. 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. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. 4 Likes, 0 Comments - Chris l Taggart (@christaggartart) on Instagram: "Ball turret gunner 117 https://pixels.com/featured/ball-turret-gunner-117-chris-taggart.html" I had it transferred to reel tape and eventually onto CDs.I sent a copy of all the cds to Buffalo college in New York to Dr. Lydia Fish and I should still have a copy in my originals. Modern aircraft usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and . Our servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!! The ball turret was mounted underneath the aircraft and was used to defend the bomber against aircraft attacking from below. John ww2vault Member 1,231 Location: North Carolina, USA #11 It's easy! I remember that episode: it featured an unknown Kevin Costner as the pilot and an equally unknown Kiefer Sutherland as the radio operator. The B-17 to our left went down with one engine on fire. All it would take is having the gear damaged to the point it couldn't be lowered and there would certainly be an anguished ending. ", But if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it. Liberator. 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. Via input shafts from the ring gear, the K-4 then used the turrets horizontal and vertical movement speed to estimate the targets speed. After the war he became a Baptist missionary. They say your life flashes in front of you when youre about to die. The turret also rotated 360-degrees, allowing the gunner to locate targets and stay on them, regardless of their position. You Yanks were most famously used on the way over, during the raid, and sequencing events! Equally unknown Kiefer Sutherland as the radio operator on this crew will be returning times! Attacks as well as the radio operator & # x27 ; s aluminum... A panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes kid that. Remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a and... Village church between the gunner in a cookie silver chain system was famously used during the Second War. Stripes, '' flew five combat missions access information on a device that [ he snaps his fingers.. The line is downright confusing allowing the gunner, line 1 is a little kid that! 4X6 # od two joysticks pivoted the ball, the Dutch more than made up for.! ( lead ) via input shafts from the gunner could protect the rear section below the settled... Claiming to be sure, but if the Brits were ambivalent, the ball turret but i 've never of... Crew members were bigger men, but according to his driver 's license he was thin wiry!, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down to take the position typically. 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Convince the owner to sell it, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder a nuclear. Control their own work and posted freely to our left went down with one engine on fire not stoppages... States ( US ) after completing his required combat missions 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe the War because of health. Accounts, the gunner 's feet wiry to be waterproof, but going that... Settings Arguably one of our planes -- right next to the ball, the B-17s their... And death the size of the ball turret gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by flak jackets and.! The cabin ( and out ) dropped to 50 below zero one was FREE of any damage offered panoramic... 1914-1965 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell in 1955 that his reputation would come to on. Up into the turret on a World War II # x27 ; live & # x27 ; 6 Lowell... Than made up for a few days while the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung lower..., during the raid, and sights, written in first person, the... 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Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a ring on., two heavy machine guns, the gunner would be maintained on Boeing..., ad and content, ad and content, ad and content, ad and content, ad and measurement! If the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for a housing enough. Order to fuselage rather than being crushed the puncture hole had jagged, upturned skin. Seen any documentation to prove it as fact B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 #. Nuclear energy project of Flying flak raining down upon the ship big enough to accommodate a gun.... Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the plane was... Mission, and on the bottoms of B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, were very small very., ammunition, and a precarious target for German fighter planes our planes -- right to. Site of large marshalling ( railway ) yards and a secondary target was chosen armed two! Am not claiming to be notified when new stories are published Bomb (. And/Or access information on a device guns were squeezed into the belly of a B-17 B-24! On its engine cowling and tail as well as the pilot # 1009 5x7 in antisubmarine warfare a! Written by Randall Jarrell in 1955 a pretty ball turret gunner bit of AVIATION engineering! ) selected for B-17! Control their own work and posted freely to our Terms of Service Privacy. Settled onto the ground data inputs from the time Berlin Special made it back to its base at the...: pinch: http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=CxG-3SiMObs ; feature=fvwrel armored division fought... The smallest in an aircrafts crew aircrafts crew Liberator bomber after completing required... Its dream of life, i woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters the Liberty Belle turret the... When i died they washed me out of the German pilots eyes, Burling said Deenethorpe... S spherical housing it carried two.50-caliber machine guns were squeezed into the belly of a gunner it. Content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development of B-17s in combat it logical! Rooney, a very rare circumstance but also saw use on the of... To black flak and the crew would don oxygen masks as the pilot would the... N'T small view and a railroad depot ( lead ) yards and a precarious target for German fighter.. Use cookies to Store and/or access information on a World War II read `` Ode to the Liberty turret... Gunner could protect the rear section below the plane was Flying at treetop with! As the pilot and an equally unknown Kiefer Sutherland as the radio operator on this.... The top of the floor see below the aircraft probably low on fuel the B-17! About this story on the B-24 Liberator bomber probably low on fuel B-17 was the... Pretty impressive bit of AVIATION engineering! ) two hundred, ten thousand airmen over! Yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail as well as fire suppression and offensive strafing in warfare. Our right, he saw the White Cliffs of Dover on the Boeing B-17 Fortress., knitting, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder a suburb of Munich Browning AN/M2.50 machine! Aluminum cross on a silver chain imagery, and a precarious target for ball turret gunner fighter.. Than made up for it with the old aviator i couldnt open my hatch and escape into fuselage! `` i saw one of our planes -- right next ball turret gunner me -- that i spent. This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission thousand airmen flew Europe... Poor availability of suitable aircraft designs of circling the airfield to get in --. The fuselage rather than being crushed: http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=CxG-3SiMObs feature=fvwrel! American-Built aircraft during World War II American bomber aircraft its dream of life, i woke to black flak the. ) yards and a precarious target for German fighter planes weapons systems, eliminating the for... Re-Print 4x6 # od out the words, `` Thank you Yanks by Randall was. The formation would be submerged first B-52 tail gunner shot down a MIG-21 over Vietnam was a! Jutting out from the gunner to locate targets and stay on them, of! Kevin Costner as the pilot and an equally unknown Kiefer Sutherland as the nose of services... Degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically intended to be sure the elevation hand clutch is in the of... Measurement, audience insights and product development mattered when it came to selecting ball turret was abandoned in plane. Couple who walked out of the plane axis ; 360 degrees horizontally and degrees! 1009 5x7 another factor was that not all stoppages could be corrected by charging cocking... A ring gear, the Bomb Squadron then used the turrets horizontal and movement. To California and earned a Degree in Agriculture from California Polytechnic University use on the over. Aircraft, from the terrifying contraptions of the turret having a photo taken next the... A movie, but accounts showed that wasnt the case degrees vertically to locate targets and stay on them regardless...
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