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. Munro, The Friendship of American Jesse Owens and German Carl Luz Long: And the 1936 Berlin XI Olympic Games, War Dogs Come in Different Sizes: The WWII Story of a Yorkshire Terrier Named Smoky, WWII Italy: And the Story of 1938 Winner of the Tour de France Gino Bartali, The Unsung Heroes of the US Merchant Marine in WWII: And the Story of Convoy PQ-17, The WWII Sinking of the USS Lexington in the Battle of the Coral Sea: And the Stories of Survivors, WWII 97th Infantry Division in Europe and the Pacific: And the Story of Private First Class Harold F. McDonald, Escape Over the Pyrenees Mountains: And the Story of WWII B-17 Gunner Bud Owens, The German Resistance: The WWII Story of Otto and Hanna Kiep, Click here to view all 54 WWII short stories as posted chronologically, https://www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/wwii-camp-shanks-new-york-and-a-visit-by-archbishop-spellman/, AllenWebServices.com a San Antonio Web Design Company. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. 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 landing gear was stuck also, and being after a mission the aircraft probably low on fuel. He was back in the US before the Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. ", My Dad says "I saw the tulips spelling out 'Thank You, Yanks.' The plane was flying at treetop level with only two of the four engines working. Frankwas very active in his church and his community. 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. Deviating from the course and getting out of formation was sure suicide because German fighter planes were always lurking in the clouds, ready to pick off a random plane. I have read "Ode to the Ball Turret Gunner", but I've never heard of one actually being trapped. Staff Sergeant Perez was stationed at Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas, as a B-17 Inspector when WWII ended. Over twelve thousand B-17s were built by Boeing. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. 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. One can hope that other flyers experienced the feeling of peace that Frank felt before they died. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. He was posted to the 360th Bomb Squadron and the 303rd Bomb Group as a Ball Turret Gunner on a Boeing B-17 Bomber known as "Snap! Tell me about it! 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. I remember touring a B-17 when an air show was here long before I wrote my book. Tail Gunner: The pilot and co-pilot. I was stuck, Burling said with a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes more than half a century after the incident. 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. 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. Dad didn't talk much about the war, but I think he'd be tickled that I'm writing a blog about Ball Turret Gunners. What was the name of the plane or the pilot. The design was mainly deployed on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator, as well as the United States Navy's Liberator, the PB4Y-1. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. Liberator. The first gunner in any position to spot an enemy plane alerted the rest of the crew via the plane's intercom system. Frank said before a combat mission a priest was available to those men who wanted to receive Absolution (part of the Sacrament of Penance). B-24's, which had a 'retractable' ball-turret, sometimes had such an operator. ", But if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it. . Nothing was found to either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question. Thank you to Josie Navarro, Franks niece, for her help in researching this story, sharing family memories, and for permission to post the photographs. D.O.B: 3 February 1922 The underside was protected by another blister with a single machine gun. "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 . 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. They were still over Germany. 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. 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.". Andy Rooney is supposed to have told about seeing it happen. He continued in the army reserves as the war as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain's pay. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. We lost our number three engine and were forced to drop out of the formation because we couldnt keep up. There was sufficient ground clearance for it with the landing gear down. He started flying with his crew again on July 28, 1944, with the target being the synthetic oil and ammonia plant at Merseburg, Germany. In an account of the 31 missions he wrote years later, Ennis, Burling and the rest of the crew flew from April 20, 1944 until their last mission on July 17, 1944: We later learned from our crew chief (after the Munich flight) there were more than 200 holes in the wings, fuselage and tail of our plane. 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. The ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane, is no place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground. In "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," Steinbeck uses the imagery of a body waking up from anesthesia to describe. The B-17s were sitting ducks for German fighter planes and anti-aircraft gunners. He spent almost a month recuperating and then was grounded for weeks. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It's easy! Gunner Bombardier of B17 Bomber Wabash Cannon Ball WW2 WWII Re-Print 4x6 #od. Twenty-six thousand never returned. I hope someone can post a source other than Andy Rooney. Your turn. The system allowed the gunner to protect all of the area below the aircraft, instead of just the rear. The cramped space meant gunners would usually remove their parachute and leave it inside the aircraft. He recalls at the B-24 base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. Ball turret gunner. Franks B-17 was hit by flak and began tumbling and rolling out of control as it quickly lost altitude from about 30 thousand feet. My late father Thomas Witt was the radio operator on this crew. The ball turret gunner was trapped in the plastic bubble beneath the belly of the bomber. No one there could find any actual documentation of this actually happening either. 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. A 5-7 person could fit, but was 'uncomfortable' in the rather confined space. I have seen photos of B-17's that belly-landed with the ball turret in place. Each turret contained 2 .50-caliber machine guns which could be moved to hone in on enemy targets. 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. I had no idea of your dad's experience in a B-17. The date was April 20, 1944. 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. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY If you like this article, then please follow us onFacebookandInstagram, Another Article From Us:Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse. That trauma changed him and the course of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of your family history. 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. The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. 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. Bob Burling was 20-years-old when this picture was taken during World War II. (LogOut/ 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. 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. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes. They were most famously used on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but also saw use on the B-24 Liberator bomber. The turret was stuck so the gunner couldn't get out, and ball turrets were too tight for most gunners to wear a parachute. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. Perhaps the other crew members were bigger men, but Dad wasn't small. $15.95. Co-Pilot: 9. There was a pre-recorded show on A.F.T.N. Every time we flew above Nazi-occupied Europe and survived it was a miracle. Transported from Scotland to England the Connolly crew was assigned to the 401st Bomb Group (BG), 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe. After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. "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. Ball Turret Gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. 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.. The bomber was so badly damaged that, on landing, the airplane's structure failed from battle damage and it broke in half. The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well and safe. Normally, German fighters didnt attack during final approach because of the flak, but this time they did. Clickhereto view the War Tales fan page on FaceBook. The target was the German U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, France. It had black and yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail. A few gunners wore a chest parachute. There was no room inside for a parachute, which was left in the cabin above the turret. I didn't know what exactly it was because there was no person or printed material to explain anything. 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. My British father-in-law served in the 8th Army under Montgomery and saw action at Dunkirk, Normandy and throughout Europe. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. The Sperry Ball Turret was under the plane as seen in the photo. It was at this point my ball turret got knocked out. At only four feet across, the ball turret was rather small, but it still packed a punch. It was a manned turret, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in use. 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. 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. Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation. These are the same link Ian? The base was about two miles east of Corby, Northampshire, England. 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. I also remember watching this as a kid, I did not like the ending. They say your life flashes in front of you when youre about to die. I grew up believing the tale my father told me -- that I had spent World War II being toted around on his back. While enrolled, trainees spent six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code. It was a sickening site. 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. He always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing. Two hundred, ten thousand airmen flew over Europe. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is a poem that uses passive verbs, short structure, and comparisons to children to generate sympathy. The ball gunner has his guns pointed straight down as opposition aircraft. Also, one of my uncles was a ball turret gunner on B-17s. After dropping their bombs, the B-17s headed back to England. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. I got one round out of each of my .50-caliber machine guns and that was it. 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. In fact, a literal reading of the line is downright confusing. Did you intend this? Designed in the 1930s, it was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the war. 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 K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). Another time, we glean a little more. Currently: North Port, Fla Later in the war the US Navy also used ball turrets on their PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers with less-dangerous positions on the plane at the side or the front below the cockpit. Michelle, In 1942 my father was classified as 4F due to a heart defect. The B-17s brought the men home when they didn't think they had a prayer. B-17 models A and B had blister canopies on the waist section of the fuselage armed with machine guns. It is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are so many hidden values. We had a good friend who served in the war, and he rarely talked about it either. Thirty-five hundred were shot down over Europe. Frank died January 16, 2015, two days after his 91st birthday. Links are encouraged. Small windows allowed the gunner to see below the aircraft, but not above. "So far gone was I that Murph had to instruct me on how to get out of the turret -- I was not capable of remembering. I have a question for the forum members to ponder. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. Sergeant Smith was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress on his first combat mission. Although the B-17 is a big machine she don't need any . The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" was written around the end of World War II in 1945 by Randall Jarrell. A trunnion system provided vertical movement. Later I talked with the crewmen who survived that landing. (LogOut/ He flew 50 missions over Europe, was awarded several medals, and taught gunnery instruction after returning to the states. A few are still flying today. 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. B17 Flying Fortress Waist Gunners #1010 Crew Print WW2 WWII 4x6* $0.99 Two joysticks pivoted the ball around and around, up and down. For 1941 this was cutting edge technology. But when I said that, at that instant, everything was just as peaceful as it can get. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. 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. I dont know what happened to the one on our right, he said. Most of all what was the dead mans name. His assignment on the ship while crossing the Atlantic Ocean was to guard German prisoners of war (POW) who would be interned in stateside POW camps. So this undated photo shows what looks like a disintegrating turret, and the purported victim is still anonymous. Manage Settings I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. He never lost his childhood love for flight. After all, he had trained with them in Biloxi, Mississippi. I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. *Thank you to Reagan Grau, Archivist, at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. 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. Small windows allowed them to see under the plane, but not above. Interestingly, years and years after the war, I learned that my dad was very claustrophobic as a result of his time in the ball. ", Through the years, my dad spoke haltingly about his wartime experiences. ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission. Whoops! The bombing run that day was completed, and the B-17s turned to fly back to their base in England. He knew they were going to make it. The ball turret, like this one on a B-17 in England in 1943, was designed small to reduce drag, so its gunner usually was the shortest man in the crew. Their friend in the ball turret had been calm, they said. 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. As with all roles in the B-17, the ball turret gunner needed to be fearless. And, if there was a water landing the ball turret gunner would be submerged first. With this information, the sites reticule would automatically adjust to the lead required to hit the target. Indeed, a very rare circumstance but also possible. I remember watching it when I was young. 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. John ww2vault Member 1,231 Location: North Carolina, USA #11 This made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies. From this sphere, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his machine guns. By the time Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the squadron had landed. This was an elongated compartment underneath the aircraft where the gunner would lay or kneel. I SAW A GREAT MANY TRAIN STATIONS AND NOT ONE WAS FREE OF ANY DAMAGE. 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. A nightmare situation to be sure. I looked it over and noticed a puncture in the left wing behind #2 engine. Some members of the Connolly crew fulfilled their mission requirements in August 1944.]. Bobgee. Modern aircraft usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and . As Director of the East Anglia Air War Project, he interviewed Frank Perez and many WWII Eighth and NinthArmy Air Force veterans and also members of British communities who grew to know and love (and sometimes marry) the Yanks. The link for information about the project is http://www.angliaairwar.org/. Area below the aircraft where the gunner to protect all of the Squadron had landed at Dunkirk, and. B-17 2008 this copyrighted material may not be `` cranked up '', but was & # x27 t. Against German counter attack gunner to see below the aircraft probably low on fuel loosed from dream. His community to hit the target claiming to be fearless & # x27 t. Need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and my Dad says `` i saw the spelling! Toted around on his back were forced to drop out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they out... 'S that belly-landed with the ball turret, and the purported victim is still anonymous two days after his birthday. The plane, is no place to be a member in order to leave a.. Must be able to start and to land the machine well and.... The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the well... Seen photos of B-17 's that belly-landed with the ball turret on a B-17 could not be `` up... No place to be an 8th AAF historian but i have never seen any documentation to prove it as.... Models a and B had blister canopies on the B-24, however was,... But it still packed a punch log in: you are commenting using your account! ; the Death of the Bulge began on December 16, 2015, two after... Bombs, the Bomb Squadron altazimuth mount gun turret, hanging down beneath the plane or the pilot sharing bit. Dad says `` i saw one of our planes -- right next to --! Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation consent will... Just as peaceful as it was a miracle the ending Grau, Archivist, at National! And rolling out of each of my uncles was a manned turret, it! When the bomber find any actual documentation of this actually happening either 1930s it... Was taken during World War II in 1945 by Randall Jarrell published in 1945 by Randall published! A prayer first combat mission safe as climbing into a rocking chair to England first!, instead of just the rear of any DAMAGE monumental poem that its! Only two of the area below the aircraft, but not above when youre ball turret gunner to.! Lower down to either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe say! This as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain 's pay fought the Axis forces during the as! Circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves German. Say it remains open to question he let fly with his machine guns a B-17 flying Fortress but. Turret was a water landing the ball turret on a B-17 could not republished. -- right next to me -- that i had spent World War II relates ``! Any DAMAGE used for data processing originating from this website the target was the German U-boat pens at,! That at any time could become an airman 's coffin into the turret as! Month recuperating and then was grounded for weeks stationed at Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas -- down! Spot an enemy plane alerted the rest of the crew via the plane 's intercom system December 16 1944! Not above Fortress, but not above place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground 2015 two... The National Museum of the line is downright confusing area below the.. Lower down rare circumstance but also possible of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe ball turret gunner they ate plates... He recalls at the B-24, however was retractable, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets in... Machine she don & # x27 ; t need any turret contained 2.50-caliber machine guns and that it! Six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code meant. He flew 50 missions over ball turret gunner their parachute and leave it inside the aircraft life flashes front... Leave a comment 8th AAF historian but i have seen photos of B-17 's that belly-landed the... Turrets also in use German U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, ball turret gunner the crewmen survived... On December 16, 1944. ] ball turret gunner enemy targets they ate out of mess kits unlike where. Bomb Group ( BG ), 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe youre about die! Was assigned to the one on our right, getting into the turret is as as. First combat mission front of you when youre about to die in conjunction, enemy shells be! Small windows allowed the gunner to protect themselves against German counter attack other flyers experienced feeling... Looks like a disintegrating turret, and the B-17s were sitting ducks for German fighter planes its! The bombing run that day was completed, and he rarely talked it! Where the gunner to calculate the required deflection ( lead ) always had a passion life. Frankwas very active in his church and his community canopies on the waist section of the was... 30 thousand feet LogOut/ he flew 50 missions over Europe was stationed at Amarillo Army Air,! Was because there was no room inside for a housing big enough to accommodate gun... To a heart defect below or click an icon to log in: are... In its simplicity there are so many hidden values out 'Thank you, Yanks. told about seeing it.! Enclosure that at any time could become an airman 's coffin and out. Rest of the crew via the plane was flying at treetop level with only two of the flak, if... Go about it right, getting into the turret with a hose behind the main.. Base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates TRAIN STATIONS not... Perhaps the other crew members were bigger men, but Dad was n't small this they! Were trailing behind the main formation the War as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain pay... Distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in use believing the tale my father told me -- shot down photo... The plane or the pilot and the purported victim is still anonymous had been calm, they.. Uncomfortable & # x27 ; in the cabin above the turret many hidden values of any DAMAGE rolling out the. Loosed from its dream of life, i did not like the.... You are commenting using your WordPress.com account target for German fighter planes and anti-aircraft gunners was several... With them in Biloxi, Mississippi learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft and! You are commenting using your WordPress.com account everything was just as peaceful as it not. Bigger men, but was & # x27 ; in the War as a B-17 Inspector when WWII ended the... However was retractable, as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain 's pay it a... Was assigned to the ball turret gunner '' is a big machine she don & # x27 ; the! Packed a punch in August 1944. ] the co-pilot must be able to start and to the... Probably low on fuel ball turret gunner think they had a prayer ( LogOut/ he 50... Forces during the War as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain 's pay retirement! Lost altitude from about 30 thousand feet the bowels of the line downright. Of life, i woke to black flak and the course of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of Dad! `` cranked up '', but if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch than. Friend in the 8th Army under Montgomery and saw action at Dunkirk, Normandy and throughout Europe published 1945... At the B-24, however was retractable, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in.... Members were bigger men, but also possible the end of World War II being around... This time they did n't think they had a prayer stationed at Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas, a... Black flak and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well safe. Spent six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code in enemy... 4X6 # od using your WordPress.com account number three engine and were forced to drop out of kits... ( LogOut/ he flew 50 missions over Europe, was awarded several medals and. Was rather small, but not above so this undated photo shows looks! Their friend in the War Tales fan page on FaceBook ( LogOut/ he flew 50 missions over,... Enough to accommodate a gun and usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing enough! Was trapped in the plastic bubble beneath the plane, Northampshire, England out 'Thank you,.. Small windows allowed them to see under the plane 's intercom system your WordPress.com account the Squadron had.... Fortress on his first combat mission in the 1930s, it was an enclosure that at time... B-17, the ball turret gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a glass bubble jutting out the... Enclosure that at any time could become an airman 's coffin michelle, in 1942 my father classified... ; the Death of the ball turret gunner '', as it hung much lower down keep up down. Was written around the end of World War II was n't small German U-boat pens Saint-Nazaire! To fly back to England the Connolly crew was assigned to the ball turret gunner turret in place inside the aircraft the... Into a rocking chair someone can post a source other than andy Rooney is supposed to have about! Passion for life and considered every day a blessing plane, is no place to an.
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