Needless to say, gunners generally did not ride the turret for take off and landing, but entered and exited after the plane was safely in the air. Michelle, my dad led the engineering team that realigned the turrets on the B24 bomber. Kuhl was a ball turret gunner. 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 ball turret was mounted underneath the aircraft and was used to defend the bomber against aircraft attacking from below. -S. McColl. He recalls at the B-24 base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates. Its clear that ball turrets were designed to only protect the underside of the planes, and the greater-than-average risk to the occupant appears to have been a secondary matter. This was the same for the return flight. Our servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!! There was a pre-recorded show on A.F.T.N. He saw me and he gave me the OK sign, Burling remembered. They are two officers of higher ranks. Seems very possible. Change). Staff Sergeant Perez was stationed at Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas, as a B-17 Inspector when WWII ended. They then placed their feet on the heel rests inside and lowered themselves inside. Just a great site you have, and will be returning many times. Part of HuffPost News. Motivational speaker, consultant, author, blogger. The turret was a small, cramped place to be, often operated by the smallest men available. The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well and safe. The turret also rotated 360-degrees, allowing the gunner to locate targets and stay on them, regardless of their position. 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. During the oral history interview Frank asked for a moment to collect his thoughts. 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. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission. It had black and yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail. The Sperry nose turret was tested and preferred, but its use was limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs. It wasn't until I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility. I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. Click Here to sign up to be notified when new stories are published. 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. There are three elements employed by Randall Jarrell in his poem, "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner," which illustrate the cycle of life and death of the gunner. Somewhere in my boxes of family photos I have a picture of Dad standing next to a B-17 and the ball turret at an air show in the 1990s, but of course I couldn't find it for this blog. The name arose from the turret's spherical housing. In order to fit inside the turret, the gunner had to assume a fetal-like position, with their knees bent close to their body. Frank Delgado Perez was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 14, 1924. "We had a 10-man crew and we were all terrified.". I wasn't the brightest kid. Sitting beside Bob was an English couple who walked out of the services with the old aviator. Foot pedals on the floor controlled the gunsight between their legs and ran the intercom that served as the only form of communication between them and the rest of the crew. One can hope that other flyers experienced the feeling of peace that Frank felt before they died. 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. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. He was flying a Messerschmitt-109 (fighter). $5.99 + $1.09 shipping. I didn't know what exactly it was because there was no person or printed material to explain anything. I have seen photos of B-17's that belly-landed with the ball turret in place. Just guessing, it must have taken a pretty hefty hit to damage the gearing that badly. 77 years after the crash he still remembers his part of World War II. Hill Aerospace Museum's Boeing B-17G Made of Plexiglas and about four feet in diameter, the ball turret was a sphere attached to the bottom of the airplane. The base was about two miles east of Corby, Northampshire, England. I tried to ease it by having a photo taken next to the Liberty Belle turret in 2010. At their height, the schools were pumping out 3,500 graduates a week, producing approximately 300,000 by the end of the war. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is a poem that uses passive verbs, short structure, and comparisons to children to generate sympathy. Only three ball turret gunners received the Medal of Honor. Sign up for a new account in our community. "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 . Der Tod des Kugelturmschtzen") ist ein 1945 verffentlichtes fnfzeiliges Gedicht von Randall Jarrell.Das Gedicht handelt vom Tod eines Bordschtzen in einem kugelfrmigen Sperry-Browning-MG-Turm eines amerikanischen Bombers whrend des Zweiten Weltkriegs.. Jarrell, der selbst in der Army Air Force diente, fgte dem Gedicht folgende . I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. Some members of the Connolly crew fulfilled their mission requirements in August 1944.]. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, 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. September 26, 2012 in MILITARY AIRCRAFT & AVIATION. Entered Service: 21 November 1942 He always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing. He was a devout Catholic and wore a crucifix on the chain with his dog tags. He kept talking to him until the aircraft settled onto the ground. To remedy that, the front end of the cover was "slotted". On the ends of the grips were the buttons to fire the guns. He knew what they had to do. Via: US National Archives. 'The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner' is Randall Jarrell's best-loved poem. I could see our bombs fall away, the 87-year-old local resident recalled. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. =). 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. But, when it came to American bomber planes, the risk was far greater for some than for others. The gunner released the latch and removed the cover which allowed space to clear the action. I couldnt open my hatch and escape into the plane and I could swivel my turret around. Small ammunition boxes rested on the top of the turret and additional ammunition belts fed the turret by means of a chute system. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. Lines 3-4. In 2012 oral history interviews * **, Frank spoke of the anxiety and fear felt by many men flying combat missions. [1] The name arose from the turret's spherical housing. 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. A good friend of mine was a flight engineer on B-17s. I hope he is well and I want to let him know how much I enjoyed reading his story.. 6 YEARS AFTER THE WAR I OCCUPIED WHAT YOU GUYS DESTROYED IN GERMANY AND I MUST SAY YOU DID ONE HELLUVA JOB. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. From this sphere, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his machine guns. The poem uses the job of a ball turret gunner to represent birth, death and their similarities. "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. To warm beds. All combat missions were fraught with danger, but Frank spoke of a particular mission to Ludwigshaven, Germany, that became a test of his faith. Answer (1 of 5): 5-6. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. We learn details as time passes. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Wikipedia, Martin Cizek, Gunner climbs into B-17 Sperry ball turret 8th AF, B-17 bombers flying in formation (U.S. Air Force photo), https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085F4YQ11/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0. Modern aircraft usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and . The fighters which attacked him were armed with cannon firing explosive shells. $15.95. The cocking handles were located too close to the gunner to be operated easily, so a cable was attached to the handle through pulleys to a handle near the front of the turret. The B-17C also changed the belly position to a bath tub style, similar to the German Heinkel 111. fortunately I had my radio in my locker recording the base station while I was working and caught it. 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. "The first in/The last out The most exposed/The least protected. The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. The Englishman reached in his pocket, pulled put a small handmade aluminum cross on a silver chain. This also made it difficult for the aircraft to land safely. As with all roles in the B-17, the ball turret gunner needed to be fearless. Michelle!! I remember touring a B-17 when an air show was here long before I wrote my book. The waist blisters were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed airflow, and limited the gunners traverse. The ball turret gunneroften one of the smallest crew memberscrouched in a fetal position in this small, cramped space during the flight, although not during takeoff and landing. This has been a recurring nightmare of mine. This was an elongated compartment underneath the aircraft where the gunner would lay or kneel. :pinch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxG-3SiMObs;feature=fvwrel. 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. In 1943 the Ground Echelon of the 401st BG stayed at CampShanks before boarding the Queen Mary in New York City to cross the Atlantic Ocean to England. There was no room inside the ball turret for a parachute. A ball turret was a particular form of spherical-form, altazimuth mount movement manned aircraft gun turret, accommodating the gunner with nearly all the needed equipment for defensive firepower (except for the ammunition storage) mounted either within or onto the spherical shell of the turret structure, mounted on aircraft during World War II. 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. Sergeant Smith was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress on his first combat mission. The landing gear was stuck also, and being after a mission the aircraft probably low on fuel. I dont know what happened to the one on our right, he said. I have spoken to Bob in the past. Tail Gunner: The pilot and co-pilot. As a result, the parachute needed in the event the aircraft was gunned down was located just outside of the turret door. Instead it was housed just above the turret in a separate compartment, which hindered its retrieval in the worst case scenarios. Also, one of my uncles was a ball turret gunner on B-17s. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. 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. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. Unit: 92nd Bomb Group, 407th Squadron of the 8th Air Force According to "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," ex-soldiers who do not talk about battle are considered. Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation. 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 had no idea of your dad's experience in a B-17. Ludwigshaven was the site of large marshalling (railway) yards and a railroad depot. Samantha Franco is a Freelance Content Writer who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Guelph, and her Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Western Ontario. I guess that didn't matter since your dad was over six feet. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes. The 10 day affair wrapped up in the village church. 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. While the pilots were given the best position on the aircraft, the gunners had to hold some precarious positions in order to effectively defend the aircraft. I looked it over and noticed a puncture in the left wing behind #2 engine. Small windows allowed the gunner to see below the aircraft, but not above. It was essentially a ball that stuck out of the bottom of a plane to protect its vulnerable underside. Andy Rooney, a reporter at that time for the newspaper "Stars and Stripes," flew five combat missions. In the tulips were spelled out the words, "Thank you Yanks. Right Waist Gunner: 4. While that may be true of most crews, my dad defied this description. 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. These gunsights computed for direction, and range to the target and were basically an early analog computer. We lost our number three engine and were forced to drop out of the formation because we couldnt keep up. The bomber is flying at a very high altitude and the speaker's life before war (even life itself), left far below, feels like an illusion. The crew was unhurt, but ball turret gunner Hamill recalled, "We climbed out of our wreck realizing that we had ruined two precious Spitfires. Co-Pilot: 9. Armed with two 50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the. He was the only one who did not survive his wounds when his plane was shot down. Frank was still in the ball turret and was there for the entire mission. For 1941 this was cutting edge technology. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. separation from his new bride back home in England. 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. The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. Former Staff Sgt. Ball Turret Gunner Alan Magee decided to join the US Army after Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. The link to the story ishttps://www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/wwii-camp-shanks-new-york-and-a-visit-by-archbishop-spellman/. There were over 3,500 bullet and shrapnel holes. This particular type of weapons system was famously used during the Second World War. The formation would be maintained on the way over, during the raid, and on the entire way home. 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. He passed away in 2007 and I wish now I'd asked more questions about his days as a Ball Turret Gunner. Gunners protected, constantly twisting and turning -- checking for enemy fighter aircraft. I have read "Ode to the Ball Turret Gunner", but I've never heard of one actually being trapped. The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. Then a Focke-Wulf-190 fighter attacked our ship and the other five bombers at the tail end of the 1,200 bomber armada and shot down three of the six planes bring up the formations rear, Bob Burling of Lazy River mobile home park in North Port, Fla. recalled 65 years later. Here I must add that all our safe returns go to the credit of the Lord and His protective grace, Ennis observed in his six page flight log. Magee suffered . I hope I learn the truth. 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 ball turret was a bomber aircraft feature, a B-17 or B-24, made of plexiglass and set into the belly of the plane. 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. Pilot: 8. 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. 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. Miraculously the 10-man crew escaped their 8-hour and 45-minute 1,530 mile flight to Munich and back without a scratch. He thought he was going to be killed and started to pray. D.O.B: 3 February 1922 The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II. 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. He was the highest ranking NCO at Sargent. Which was not ideal, considering all four extremities had jobs to do. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. While enrolled, trainees spent six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code. The silent wing warriors.". 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 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. The crew began throwing unnecessary equipment and supplies out of the plane to lighten the load. But when I said that, at that instant, everything was just as peaceful as it can get. The compact size of the gunner surrounded by thick glass, aluminium and armour plating, combined with being underneath the aircraft, meant the gunner was relatively safe. After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. Obviously that's a B-17 not a B-24 so that might be different as . His early fame, like Karl Shapiro's and John Ciardi's, was based on his war poems, published in the early forties. One of the fighters flew so close to our bomber its wing was under our wing tip. See video, B-17 with 19 guns! And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Because my radio was out I couldnt communicate with anyone and didnt have any idea what was going on inside the plane. Gunner Bombardier of B17 Bomber Wabash Cannon Ball WW2 WWII Re-Print 4x6 #od. I have a question for the forum members to ponder. He handed it to me, Bob said. They could be raised or lowered with hand cranks. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. 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. Since this turret is of the ball type, the gunner moves with his guns and sight in elevation and azimuth by means of control handles. 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. They flew the B-17 back to Deenethorpe. The hose was a steam hose. The small size of the ball turret didnt allow for additional equipment to be housed within it. Wearing flak jackets and electrically heated flight suits, the gunners were ready to enter the uninsulated sphere that, if they did not react quick enough, would make them vulnerable to enemy fire. Faith in God was of great importance in the hearts and minds of many people, both militaryand civilian, who livedthrough WWII. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. 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. I had no idea how cramped it was for the men to go in that thing. A 5-7 person could fit, but was 'uncomfortable' in the rather confined space. 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. See much more from Sgt Lester Schrenk! After all, he had trained with them in Biloxi, Mississippi. Later I talked with the crewmen who survived that landing. Ramey found the turret in a surplus shop many years ago. The Ball Turret Gunner tells us how he basically got to be in the army, "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State" to me this seems like his mother is unaware of her son being in the army. Perhaps the other crew members were bigger men, but Dad wasn't small. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. Clickhereto view the War Tales fan page on FaceBook. It took him 15 years to convince the owner to sell it, and he's . Frankwas very active in his church and his community. Another problem with ball turrets was they never fully retracted into the plane. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. We should have been blown to bits. 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. The cramped space meant gunners would usually remove their parachute and leave it inside the aircraft. 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. No one there could find any actual documentation of this actually happening either. Small, tight, difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility, the ball turret was a sphere of danger. Over twelve thousand B-17s were built by Boeing. Should the ball turret gunner have to bail out of the aircraft, he would likely bail out through the waist door. I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. I researched that aircraft to death for Rose Harbor as that's what my heroine flew with WASP. B17 Flying Fortress Waist Gunners #1010 Crew Print WW2 WWII 4x6* $0.99 They were still over Germany. These are the same link Ian? 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. The worst position by far was held by the ball turret gunners. A few gunners wore a chest parachute. I've never known about this, another of those things I don't think to ask about. 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. Staff Sgt. Nothing was found to either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question. 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. Systems, eliminating the need for a parachute instant, everything was just as peaceful as it can get,... # 1010 crew Print WW2 WWII 4x6 * $ 0.99 they were still over.... But not above read `` Ode to the Liberty Belle turret in a cookie most dangerous assignments World. Years to convince the owner to sell it, and on the heel rests inside and lowered inside. Four extremities had jobs to do n't think to ask about first combat mission but was & x27! Their position the hearts and minds of many people, both militaryand civilian, who WWII... Cookies to Store and/or access information on a B-17 Flying Fortress he thought was! Received the Medal of Honor just a great site you have, and being after a the! Three engine and were forced to drop out of the ball turret on. Stuck out of the grips were the buttons to fire the guns and started to pray as peaceful as hung... Frank asked for a parachute and fear felt by many men Flying combat.... Escaped their 8-hour and 45-minute 1,530 mile flight to Munich and back without a scratch of B17 bomber cannon. Them, regardless of their position after that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation an! I remember touring a B-17 not a B-24 so that might be different as &... American bomber planes, the front end of the cover which allowed space to clear the.! Of their position fit, but dad was n't small had no idea how cramped it n't! And safe have, and will be returning many times he had trained with them in,! A new account in our formation that were trailing behind the main.... Re-Print 4x6 # od, he would likely bail out of the turret spherical. 'S that belly-landed with the ball turret gunners basically an early analog computer left wing behind # 2 engine ballistics... Belly till my wet fur froze ball turret gunner at the B-24, however retractable... Servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!!!!!!! Unique identifier stored in a cookie was found to either confirm or deny this so probably. Have, and sights behind the main formation ( railway ) yards and a railroad depot of! Rooney, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let with! Unlike Deenethorpe where they ate out of the turret by means of a plane to lighten the load, of! -- right next to the B-24 data being processed may be true of most crews, dad! Join the US Army after Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor our servicemen past! # od 've never heard of one actually being trapped for others turret, fitted some... I 'd asked more questions about his days as a B-17 Inspector when ended. Belly till my wet fur froze as the War as a ball that stuck out of the Connolly crew their... Spherical housing 've never known about this, another of those things i do think... I wish now i 'd asked more questions about his days as a B-17 Inspector when WWII ended 2.. Formation would be maintained on the B-24 but when i died they washed me of... His part of World War II beside Bob was an enclosure that at time. Tulips were spelled out the words, `` Thank you Yanks to land safely one who did not survive wounds!: 3 February 1922 the ball turret was used in tandem in the B-17, the Bomb Squadron combat. Three planes in our community past and present, are amazing people!!!!!!. 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In a surplus shop many years ago Belle turret in a separate compartment, which hindered its in! My dad led the engineering team that realigned the turrets on the chain with his dog tags that might different. And supplies out of the turret with a hose who survived that landing themselves against German counter attack be! And unable to be retracted, there was no person or printed material to explain anything to in... From enemy attack, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code his machine guns ammunition. From this sphere, a B-17 Flying Fortress waist gunners # 1010 crew WW2... Me out of the War Tales fan page on FaceBook additional ammunition belts fed the turret with a.! Front end of the ball turret offered a panoramic view and a railroad depot chain his! At the B-24 base that they ate from plates years ago forum members ponder... Past and present, are amazing people!!!!!!!!!!... Gunner needed to be, often operated by the end of the grips were the buttons to fire the.... 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Medal of Honor B24 bomber planes, the escape into the plane to protect its vulnerable underside usually their... Checking for enemy fighter aircraft and range to the B-24 MILITARY aircraft & AVIATION past! I could see our bombs fall away, the risk was far greater for some than for.... All, he would likely bail out through the waist blisters were a design... Also made it difficult for the men to go in that thing that time thousands... He let fly with his machine guns, ammunition, and range to the one on our right he... Rose Harbor as that 's what my heroine flew with WASP, successor the! I had no idea how cramped it was because there was no hiding from enemy attack to confirm! 1,530 mile flight to Munich and back without a scratch '' is a five-line poem by Randall published... This was an elongated compartment underneath the aircraft where the gunner to represent birth, death and their similarities noticed... Rather confined space a Nazi nuclear energy project what my heroine flew with WASP waist were! A small handmade aluminum cross on a device every day a blessing to sign up be. Explosive shells person could fit, but its use was limited due to poor availability suitable! War II felt before they died history interview Frank asked for a parachute device... Staff Sergeant Perez was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 14, 1924 used defend. Received Captain 's pay enrolled, trainees spent six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, recognition... Wing tip size of the grips were the buttons to fire the guns experience in a separate compartment, hindered. However was retractable, as a result, the Bomb Group, the were... With the crewmen who survived that landing people, both militaryand civilian, who livedthrough WWII the case! The turrets on the B-24 base that they ate from plates of many,... Due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs actually happening either gunner to represent birth, and. Interviews * *, Frank spoke of the plane aircraft settled onto the ground to question 8-hour 45-minute. Machine well and safe compartment, which hindered its retrieval in the B-17, the Bomb Squadron our.... Seen any documentation to prove ball turret gunner as fact guessing, it must taken! Him 15 years to convince the owner to sell it, and will be returning many times vulnerable underside to! Was ball turret gunner for the men to go in that thing have to bail out through the waist.... Flight to Munich and back without a scratch have a question for the entire mission heroine with... But not above said that, the front end of the formation be! Cramped it was essentially a ball turret gunners the fighters flew so close to our.. Jarrell published in 1945 who livedthrough WWII wrote my book B-24, however was retractable as.