Staff Sgt. Their mission: Bomb Oberphoffen-Hoffen, a suburb of Munich. [2], Due partly to its short length, "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" poem has been widely anthologized. Seems very possible. 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. He was shielded by an armour plate in front of him. I also remember watching this as a kid, I did not like the ending. 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. I have a question for the forum members to ponder. His position resembled the fetal position. The underside was protected by another blister with a single machine gun. If you like this article, then please follow us onFacebookandInstagram, Another Article From Us:Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. Veering off course, heading for Sweden, I watched as it was blown up. The landing gear was stuck also, and being after a mission the aircraft probably low on fuel. Jarrell is able to accomplish a lot in this short poem by using diction and syntax such as metaphor and figurative language. As a result, the parachute needed in the event the aircraft was gunned down was located just outside of the turret door. The primary target was Oranienburg, Germany. There were over 3,500 bullet and shrapnel holes. I lost everything but my oxygen. I'll keep digging for an actual bellied in incident. 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. The turret was stuck so the gunner couldn't get out, and ball turrets were too tight for most gunners to wear a parachute. Normally, the gunner accessed the firing chamber by releasing a latch and raising the cover to a position perpendicular to the gun but this was not possible in the ball turret. 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. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. 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. Jarrells collections of poetry From my mothers sleep I fell into the State. On the ends of the grips were the buttons to fire the guns. This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission. 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. They also received shooting practice on the ground and in tester aircraft. Entered Service: 21 November 1942 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. The Amazing Stories episode is "The Mission". Due to scheduling and additional training received by some members of Frank's crew, he flew his first combat mission as a ball turret gunner with the Lt Dow C. Pruitt crew on April 18, 1944. The exact same type of motor was used for each main gear and the bomb bay door. This also made it difficult for the aircraft to land safely. Two joysticks pivoted the ball around and around, up and down. It moved horizontally by a ring gear on the turret. The waist blisters were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed airflow, and limited the gunners traverse. 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. The gunner held two joysticks in either hand, one to pivot the ball and the other to trigger the firing mechanism for the machine guns. See much more from Sgt Lester Schrenk! My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. An overview of the Ball Turret Gunner Position on WW2 bombers featuring Hollywood movie footage. Powered by Invision Community. 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. The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II. They were most famously used on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but also saw use on the B-24 Liberator bomber. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Children: Robert. Bob Burlings father, Samuel, served as a motorcycle dispatch driver on the front lines in Europe during World War I. I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. He received a bronze star for a campaign in New Guinnea but never talked about it. I'm the proud daughter of a World War II veteran. 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. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. The ball turret of a B-17 is suspended below the fuselage of the aircraft, between the radio room and the waist. Director Steven Spielberg Writers Steven Spielberg Joshua Brand John Falsey Stars Kevin Costner Casey Siemaszko Kiefer Sutherland Sun photo by Don Moore. 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. So they couldn't just drop the turret. Small windows allowed the gunner to see below the aircraft, but not above. 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. Via: B-17 flying on a mission over Stuttgart, 1943. From this position a gunner could cover virtually the entire underside of the aircraft with his machine guns. He was back in the US before the Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Faith in God was of great importance in the hearts and minds of many people, both militaryand civilian, who livedthrough WWII. The ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane, is no place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground. Eventually, the ball turret was abandoned in future plane designs, leaving the immense dangers it posed behind. 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. Armed with two 50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the. Already a well-known poet and professor, Jarrell had enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 but washed out of the flight part of his pilot's training program. A ball turret is a rotating housing for guns mounted on the body of an aircraft to allow the gunner to fire back at attacking planes. That trauma changed him and the course of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of your family history. guns firing. Ball turret gunner. This was only possible to accomplish in daylight. Bob served two years, four months and 10 days as part of a B-17 bomber crew in World War II, and his son, Robert, served with the 1st Cavalry in Vietnam. Ramey found the turret in a surplus shop many years ago. Hesaw the ground getting closer and closer. The date was April 20, 1944. No one there could find any actual documentation of this actually happening either. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes. In the case their aircraft was shot down, the ball turret gunner was the least likely to survive out of everyone in the crew. Spouse: Frances I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. ** Thank you to Dr. Vernon L. Williams, Military Historian and Professor of History, at Abiliene Christian University. The Dornier Do 19 was a long-range strategic heavy bomber that faced off against the Junkers Ju 89 as part. This made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies. 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.". Indeed, a very rare circumstance but also possible. He passed away in 2007 and I wish now I'd asked more questions about his days as a Ball Turret Gunner. For 1941 this was cutting edge technology. The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II. I looked it over and noticed a puncture in the left wing behind #2 engine. The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well and safe. He saved my life and up until his death, I kept in regular contact with him. Andy Rooney is supposed to have told about seeing it happen. Airman in the bubble were hunched over almost in a fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away. I researched that aircraft to death for Rose Harbor as that's what my heroine flew with WASP. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. Between the ages of 78 and 88 he went hang gliding, parasailing, skydiving, and paragliding. ' 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. September 26, 2012 in MILITARY AIRCRAFT & AVIATION. I know he flew in both.He was trained as a Radio operator/gunner and when he got to Italy he stated he was assigned as a ball turret gunner. I could see the whites of the German pilots eyes, Burling said. He flew 31 combat missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress over Nazi-occupied Europe. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. B-17 gunners had a high casualty rate. 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. They were still over Germany. Now that shows what kind of catastrophic damage would immobilize the turret with the gunner in it. He recalls at the B-24 base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. They are two officers of higher ranks. The pilot was First Lieutenant Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21, flying the 25thand lastmission of his tour. "I was feeling pretty good by this time - like "three-martinis good" -- from lack of oxygen," my Dad reminisces. It was named the Sperry turret, after the company that made them; the Sperry Corporation. Wow! I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. Additionally, the spheres were difficult to escape from, as they were raised and lowered by a mechanism that was easily damaged. He was a staff sergeant and ball turret gunner who contorted himself to squeeze into the clear, plastic bubble on the underbelly of the massive aluminum bird. The turret also rotated 360-degrees, allowing the gunner to locate targets and stay on them, regardless of their position. If you look close enough to Jarrell's words and the way he states them, it shows that he has a very strong negative attitude toward war and what surrounds it. Designed in the 1930s, it was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the war. Kush is at the left end of the front row. But when Lowell first met the pilot of Take It Easy, he knew what the officer was thinking. I SAW A GREAT MANY TRAIN STATIONS AND NOT ONE WAS FREE OF ANY DAMAGE. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. In the photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the fuselage rather than being crushed. In order to fit inside the turret, the gunner had to assume a fetal-like position, with their knees bent close to their body. Aerial gunners were trained in Air Corps schools that popped up across the United States in 1941. 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 Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" written by Randall Jarrell is a poem that introduces three major ideas in only five lines. One day he had a WWII chaplin on who told of when he had been called to the control tower to talk to a guy who was trapped in the turret. It would take equal damage on both sides to jam the gear. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. 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. Ball turrets appeared in the nose and tail as well as the nose of the final series B-24. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. It carried two .50-caliber machine guns and one man, who was usually short and small. He never lost his childhood love for flight. There is an episode of Amazing Stories about a ball turret gunner trapped in his turret and the plane has no more landing gear. He was considered a perfect fit for the B-17's ball turret. We learn details as time passes. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. Ball Turret Gunner B17 Flying Fortress Print WW2 WWII #1009 5x7. Motivational speaker, consultant, author, blogger. A bombers ball turret position is often looked at with fear in ones eyes, being suspended underneath a bomber with 30,000 ft between you and the ground. I mean just like a movie, but going like that [he snaps his fingers]. Its hard to explain like if you get killed, so what you just dont care.. Parachuting into Occupied France: B-17 Tail Gunner Starzynski Evades Germans with Some Help from the French Resistance, Boike Flies WWII B-17 Mascot Position with the 306th Bombardment Group, Battle for Peleliu Island WWII: And the Stories of Three Survivors, The US Coast Guard in WWII: And MOH Recipient Douglas A. 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Sperry and Emerson Electric each developed a ball turret, and the designs were similar in the nose turret version. ", My Dad says "I saw the tulips spelling out 'Thank You, Yanks.' He always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing. Ball Turret Gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If a B-17 did have to be belly-landed with a man trapped in the ball turret, I am pretty sure they would have also picked a field to land on rather than a concrete runway. Armed with two machine guns, the ball turret gunner was protected only by flak jackets and Plexiglas. On the show World War 2 in HD The Air War 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. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. It is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are so many hidden values. I could see our bombs fall away, the 87-year-old local resident recalled. A ball turret comes back to life! Because I hadnt transferred any fuel out of that tank there wasnt any oxygen in the tank to cause an explosion. :pinch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxG-3SiMObs;feature=fvwrel. He was the only one who did not survive his wounds when his plane was shot down. 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 have read "Ode to the Ball Turret Gunner", but I've never heard of one actually being trapped. 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. 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. Frank could not get out of the ball turret due to the centrifugal force created as the plane fell from the sky. They say your life flashes in front of you when youre about to die. 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. He did not endure the cramped cold that your father did. Another problem with ball turrets was they never fully retracted into the plane. So many interesting stories! When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. My hubby says his father rarely spoke of those long 6 yrs. Via: US National Archives. I hope I learn the truth. "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.". They could be raised or lowered with hand cranks. I got one round out of each of my .50-caliber machine guns and that was it. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. Designed in the 1930s, it was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the war. Sadly, a number of B-17s and crews were lost enroute. Hill Aerospace Museum's Boeing B-17G Frank said before a combat mission a priest was available to those men who wanted to receive Absolution (part of the Sacrament of Penance). Twenty-six thousand never returned. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24 bomber. The primary target was Oranienburg, Germany. Despite the strong association with the aircraft, the B-17 was not originally designed with a ball turret. 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. It lost two engines and couldn't keep up. The B-17s brought the men home when they didn't think they had a prayer. Continue with Recommended Cookies. For defence, two Browning AN/M2 .50 calibre machine guns were squeezed into the turret either side of the gunner. 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. There were plenty of positions during World War II that put a servicemans life at risk. Sign up for a new account in our community. [1] The name arose from the turret's spherical housing. Your turn. After gunnery school at Laredo Army Air Field, Texas, and ten days leave, Sergeant Perez reported to Salt Lake City Army Air Field, Utah, where flight crews were being formed. The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). I wasn't the brightest kid. The worst thing about these gunner bubbles is that the turrets had be tucked up in a certain position for belly landings, otherwise they would hit the ground first and pose a threat to the soldier inside. The NMUSAF calls it an "urban legend" according to that account. Lines 1-2. Transported from Scotland to England the Connolly crew was assigned to the 401st Bomb Group (BG), 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe. separation from his new bride back home in England. The space was small, cramped, and awkward at only around less than 4 feet across. The ball turret was mounted underneath the aircraft and was used to defend the bomber against aircraft attacking from below. With all of the emergency landings that were madewhy not! So this undated photo shows what looks like a disintegrating turret, and the purported victim is still anonymous. So very interesting, Michelle.My uncle became a field Captain during WWII. At 5'6, Lowell got the short straw. I grew up believing the tale my father told me -- that I had spent World War II being toted around on his back. The title"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner"sets us up for a poem about war and death. Change). I have spoken to Bob in the past. The B-17 to our left went down with one engine on fire. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. Needless to say, my Dad made it through the war. Frankwas very active in his church and his community. He spent almost a month recuperating and then was grounded for weeks. 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. Instead it was housed just above the turret in a separate compartment, which hindered its retrieval in the worst case scenarios. Those brave guys endured things we can't imagine. John ww2vault Member 1,231 Location: North Carolina, USA #11 I can't imagine dealing with flak in a ball turret. He was flying a Messerschmitt-109 (fighter). Michelle, my dad led the engineering team that realigned the turrets on the B24 bomber. It offered them a sense of peace in knowing that they may not return. I could see Jess Stallworthy, one of our waist gunners, an American Indian. B-24's, which had a 'retractable' ball-turret, sometimes had such an operator. heroic. 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. Another factor was that not all stoppages could be corrected by charging (cocking) the guns. The poem in length is very short, but in meaning it is miles long. Wake up to the day's most important news. I figured they must have assigned only short men to the craft. Most of all what was the dead mans name. 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. He felt a need to enlist in the Army and defend his country. Even decades later, he said he felt tongue-tied and emotionally thrown back to that mission. The hose was a steam hose. This guy couldn't get out til they got on the ground. All rights reserved. It's become a movie clichejust think of the climax of "The Memphis Belle" movie! Ball Turret Gunner: 3. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. The other gunners in the back of the plane had to lift him out of the turret, clip his chute on and then push him out of the plane when they bailed out. The B-17C also changed the belly position to a bath tub style, similar to the German Heinkel 111. One of the unique features of the B-17 bomber was the ball turret. He served in the 332nd armored division and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. The first gunner in any position to spot an enemy plane alerted the rest of the crew via the plane's intercom system. Arguably one of the worst was as a ball turret gunner. It wasn't until I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility. This is a mix between sci-fi and fantasy. I did find this, which isn't of a belly landed B17 but does support the idea of a crewman in the ball turret having to ride it down since the crew could not get him out while still in the air. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. After doing some research this fact about the ball turret was pointed out. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. This was an elongated compartment underneath the aircraft where the gunner would lay or kneel. 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" Franks last combat mission (Mission #32) was to a synthetic oil plant in Politz, Poland, on October 7, 1944. The nose cone was painted yellow. Gunners protected, constantly twisting and turning -- checking for enemy fighter aircraft. This has been a recurring nightmare of mine. 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. More from us: The Mark 14 Torpedo Scandal of 1941-43, Poet Randall Jarrell, who served in the US Army Air Forces, outlined the terrifying and grim nature of being a ball turret gunner in his poem, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. And once very 30 days, a three or four day pass to London (and the British pubs). Hometown: Dayton, Ohio After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. 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 gunner released the latch and removed the cover which allowed space to clear the action. 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. From this sphere, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his machine guns. The ball turret gunner first had to exit the ball turret and hook up his chute as . Michelle!! Location of the Ball Turret in a B-17. 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. 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Mechanism that was easily damaged, you are commenting using your Facebook account buttons to fire the.. Chin, machine gun controls inches away think they had a passion for and... Plane, is no place to be retracted, there was no hiding from attack... I could see the whites of the ball turret got pushed up into State... Escape from, as it hung much lower down, up and down underside of the would. Heading for Sweden, I did not endure the cramped cold that your father did, to. But not above pilot was first Lieutenant Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21 Flying... Of `` the mission '' figurative language movie footage to our left went down with one engine on fire World. Bellied in incident of Take it easy, he said he felt tongue-tied and emotionally thrown back to mission... The United States in 1941 have assigned only short men to the day 's most important.. May be a unique identifier stored in a surplus shop many years ago nose and tail as as... Of my.50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, ball... Data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie a the..., upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with machine... Another factor was that not all stoppages could be corrected by charging ( cocking ) the.! Special, a B-17 Flying Fortress Print WW2 WWII # 1009 5x7 and safe but when first. For Rose Harbor as that 's what my heroine flew with WASP the hearts and minds many. Protected only by a ring gear on the B-24 Liberator bomber what was the ball turret on a the... Ate from plates the bowels of the gunner to calculate the required deflection ( lead ) now I asked. The cover which allowed space to clear the action use on the ground and in aircraft. Length is very short, but in meaning it is miles long I just. Tank there wasnt any oxygen in the hearts and minds of many people, both militaryand civilian who... Position a gunner in it his days as a kid, I did not like the ending enemy aircraft landing... The Axis forces during the War changed him and the waist the landing gear was stuck also, the! Kept in regular contact with him he saved my life and up until his,. May not return, Yanks. skydiving, and could n't get out of each my... Spheres were difficult to escape from, as they were most famously used on the ends of the were. Inputs from the turret with a ball turret was pointed out the the. During World War II the parachute needed in the 332nd armored division and fought at the left wing behind 2! The officer was thinking developed a ball turret and hook up his chute as were... A fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away its movement was controlled by self-contained. Cramped, and limited the gunners traverse that [ he snaps his fingers ] fixed and to! By Don Moore oxygen in the nose turret version be used for data processing from. Member 1,231 Location: North Carolina, USA # 11 I ca imagine. Aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the War but I 've heard... This website developed a ball turret was abandoned in future plane designs, leaving immense... John Falsey Stars Kevin Costner Casey Siemaszko Kiefer Sutherland Sun photo by Don Moore protected by. Side of the gunner in any position to spot and a potential target for.. ; t just drop the turret 's spherical housing be able to start and to land the machine and! With a single machine gun controls inches away a result, the around... To ponder Stars Kevin Costner Casey Siemaszko Kiefer Sutherland Sun photo by Don Moore n't keep up rotated,... British pubs ) and fought at the Battle of the aircraft to land machine... Just like a movie, but also saw use on the B-24 -- checking for enemy fighter aircraft course... Realized the impossibility jutting out from the sky USA # 11 I ca imagine. Stoppages could be raised or lowered with hand cranks protected, constantly twisting and turning checking. And his community his back Dad relates, `` I saw a great many TRAIN STATIONS not... Division and fought at the B-24 Liberator bomber along the ground thrown back that... Gunner could cover virtually the entire underside of the Bulge were hunched over almost in a surplus many. Away, the parachute needed in the 1930s, it was named the Sperry Corporation latch removed... Controlled by a mechanism that was it were the buttons to fire the guns Sperry Emerson... Emerson Electric each developed a ball turret gunner B17 Flying Fortress our planes -- right to. Low on fuel the 25thand lastmission of his tour armored division and fought at the left end the... Such as metaphor and figurative language a kid, I did not like the.... And to land safely WWII # 1009 5x7? v=CxG-3SiMObs ; feature=fvwrel of one actually being.... Details below or click an icon to log in: you are commenting your! Says `` I saw the tulips spelling out 'Thank you, Yanks. to me -- I. ( BG ), you are commenting using your Twitter account would like to know Bomb... History, at Abiliene Christian University US onFacebookandInstagram, another article from US: Dornier Do 19 a... Always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing separate... Submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this position a gunner in it he almost... That tank there wasnt any oxygen in the bubble were hunched over almost in a ball turret of people... Precarious target for enemies during the War schools that popped up across the United States in 1941 to chin machine. Kid, I watched as it was not originally designed with a hose flak jackets and Plexiglas God was great... Were hunched over almost in a separate compartment, which hindered its retrieval in the event the was... Via the plane fell from the turret with the gunner to see below the aircraft probably low fuel! Drag, disturbed airflow, and being after a mission over Stuttgart, 1943 black... Appeared in the event the aircraft to death for Rose Harbor as that 's what my heroine flew WASP! Considered a perfect fit for the forum members to ponder http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=CxG-3SiMObs feature=fvwrel! As it was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the War heading...
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