Indeed, a very rare circumstance but also possible. After the Connolly crew June 6, 1944, D-Day mission to Caen, France, Frank was hospitalized with pneumonia. "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. It had black and yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail. I didnt want to go down in flames so I tried everything to escape, he said. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. They were most famously used on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but also saw use on the B-24 Liberator bomber. Thanks for the post, and the personal info. The poem in length is very short, but in meaning it is miles long. Part of HuffPost News. I couldnt open my hatch and escape into the plane and I could swivel my turret around. It is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are so many hidden values. The date was April 20, 1944. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. He is retired and lives in Grantville, MD. If you like this article, then please follow us onFacebookandInstagram, Another Article From Us:Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse. fortunately I had my radio in my locker recording the base station while I was working and caught it. These are the same link Ian? The B-17 to our left went down with one engine on fire. The NMUSAF calls it an "urban legend" according to that account. Kassel targets included aircraft, heavy tank, locomotive, engine, and motor transport plants as well as railway works. 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. Lines 3-4. But when Lowell first met the pilot of Take It Easy, he knew what the officer was thinking. And often did. Ball turret gunner. The balls door was located directly behind the gunner, so with the guns at 0 degrees of elevation the turret could technically be entered from the outside while the B-17 was on the ground. For defence, two Browning AN/M2 .50 calibre machine guns were squeezed into the turret either side of the gunner. Frank sailed home to the United States (US) after completing his required combat missions. Former Staff Sgt. Arguably one of the worst was as a ball turret gunner. Over twelve thousand B-17s were built by Boeing. Small ammunition boxes rested on the top of the turret and additional ammunition belts fed the turret by means of a chute system. It also saw use with the US Navys PB4Y-1. They are two officers of higher ranks. This story was first printed in the Charlotte Sun newspaper, Port Charlotte, Florida on Monday, January 4, 2010 and is republished with permission. And once very 30 days, a three or four day pass to London (and the British pubs). I have read "Ode to the Ball Turret Gunner", but I've never heard of one actually being trapped. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. 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. I remember my mom once telling me that Dad felt burdened by the number of men he no doubt killed during combat. This made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies. 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. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. No answer. I figured they must have assigned only short men to the craft. Access was severely restricted by the guns' location in the small turret. Finally, I looked up through a 4-inch glass port that allowed me to see into the bomber. Early models had very different defensive setup. Once we were out of the target area the crew got the track of my ball turret unjammed, cranked it around by hand until my trap door could be opened and pulled me out.. Click Here to sign up to be notified when new stories are published. Motivational speaker, consultant, author, blogger. According to "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," ex-soldiers who do not talk about battle are considered. It carried two .50-caliber machine guns and one man, who was usually short and small. 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. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. Statistically, the ball turret was one of the safest crew 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. I hope I learn the truth. It was able to turn on two axis; 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. It offered them a sense of peace in knowing that they may not return. It would take equal damage on both sides to jam the gear. 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. 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. It was a sickening site. ** Thank you to Dr. Vernon L. Williams, Military Historian and Professor of History, at Abiliene Christian University. The American writer Randall Jarrell published "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" in 1945, the final year of World War II. Small windows allowed them to see under the plane, but not above. The ball turret gunner first had to exit the ball turret and hook up his chute as . The gunner placed his feet in the heel rests and occupied his cramped station. Frank could not get out of the ball turret due to the centrifugal force created as the plane fell from the sky. See video, B-17 with 19 guns! I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. Normally, German fighters didnt attack during final approach because of the flak, but this time they did. 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. 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. Since Japanese coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the . Our servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!! A 5-7 person could fit, but was 'uncomfortable' in the rather confined space. *Thank you to Reagan Grau, Archivist, at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. Prestige also shows off the Ball Turret Gunner in action, which is a new killstreak that is set to arrive within the free tiers of Season 2 battle pass. Hometown: Dayton, Ohio 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. We were very shortly looking into the faces of a dozen or more unhappy British pilots." Two Ton Tessie underwent repairs, and resumed combat operations on May 18. Sign up for a new account in our community. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, John ww2vault Member 1,231 Location: North Carolina, USA #11 In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. There is an episode of Amazing Stories about a ball turret gunner trapped in his turret and the plane has no more landing gear. 1 Be sure the elevation hand clutch is in the IN position. Left Waist Gunner: 5. I dont know what happened to the one on our right, he said. In the case their aircraft was shot down, the ball turret gunner was the least likely to survive out of everyone in the crew. 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. Then he called anyone. No answer. Battle damage to the radio operator's compartment of Boeing B-17F-65-BO 42 . Spouse: Frances Needless to say, my Dad made it through the war. 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. Each turret contained 2 .50-caliber machine guns which could be moved to hone in on enemy targets. The poem inspired the play "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Anna Moench, which premiered in New York City at the New York International Fringe Festival in August 2008 and was extended to play at The Space in Long Island City. I'll keep digging for an actual bellied in incident. Pintrest. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. 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. 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. From this sphere, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his machine guns. I've read of incidents in a couple different books but for the life of me couldn't find them yet despite spending much of last evening trudging through a large portion of my books looking. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" written by Randall Jarrell is a poem that introduces three major ideas in only five lines. He would put on a safety strap and close and lock the turret door. 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. 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. We should have been blown to bits. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY 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. Ball turret gunners were courageous warriors. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. There were plenty of positions during World War II that put a servicemans life at risk. After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. He always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing. Ball turrets appeared in the nose and tail as well as the nose of the final series B-24. Bobgee. Some gunners had to maintain this position on missions of up to 10 hours. When we got over the target the flak was so heavy you could almost land on it. Gunners protected, constantly twisting and turning -- checking for enemy fighter aircraft. He flew 50 missions over Europe, was awarded several medals, and taught gunnery instruction after returning to the states. 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. So many interesting stories! A nod to the poem can also be found in John Irving's 1978 novel The World According to Garp, in which the protagonist's father died from a "rather careless lobotomy" by enemy gunfire while serving as a ball-turret gunner in World War II. In order to fit inside the turret, the gunner had to assume a fetal-like position, with their knees bent close to their body. Concerned, he investigates and finds my father's oxygen tank has plugged up. 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. The first gunner in any position to spot an enemy plane alerted the rest of the crew via the plane's intercom system. With this set up, the turret can move vertically and horizontally at the same time. 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. After dropping their bombs, the B-17s headed back to England. Thank you for sharing. He flew 31 combat missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress over Nazi-occupied Europe. I'm the proud daughter of a World War II veteran. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. He received a bronze star for a campaign in New Guinnea but never talked about it. The link to the story ishttps://www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/wwii-camp-shanks-new-york-and-a-visit-by-archbishop-spellman/. In the tulips were spelled out the words, "Thank you Yanks. I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. While a terrifying position to be in, statistically the ball turret was one of the safer places to be on a B-17. With the thousands of B-17s in combat it is logical to think it did happen. "The first in/The last out The most exposed/The least protected. After all, he had trained with them in Biloxi, Mississippi. He had to sit on his flak jacket. Top Turret Gunner/Engineer: 10. The target that day was Kassel, Germany. As a result, the parachute needed in the event the aircraft was gunned down was located just outside of the turret door. 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. They also held the firing mechanisms for the machine guns protruding from each side of the ball. Last edited on 15 February 2023, at 01:43, "On "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Death_of_the_Ball_Turret_Gunner&oldid=1139421417, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 01:43. The Brits however weren't totally enamored with the boys from the U.S.A. As they said, "The Yanks were overpaid, oversexed and over here. With this information, the sites reticule would automatically adjust to the lead required to hit the target. Here's what he wrote: There was quite a dscussion about this story on the armyairforces forum. The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well and safe. ", But if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it. They had talked to him. Powered by Invision Community. I had it transferred to reel tape and eventually onto CDs.I sent a copy of all the cds to Buffalo college in New York to Dr. Lydia Fish and I should still have a copy in my originals. So this undated photo shows what looks like a disintegrating turret, and the purported victim is still anonymous. Lines 1-2. 1914-1965 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. September 26, 2012 in MILITARY AIRCRAFT & AVIATION. He wrote, When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.. This also made it difficult for the aircraft to land safely. At their height, the schools were pumping out 3,500 graduates a week, producing approximately 300,000 by the end of the war. By the time Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the squadron had landed. 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. A diagram depicting how a gunner sits inside a Sperry A2 ball turret. Sadly, a number of B-17s and crews were lost enroute. The plane was flying at treetop level with only two of the four engines working. Discharged: October 1944 He thought he was going to be killed and started to pray. Every time we flew above Nazi-occupied Europe and survived it was a miracle. It was a manned turret, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in use. A ball turret comes back to life! The Sperry Ball Turret was under the plane as seen in the photo. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. Our bomb bay doors were open and we were on our final approach. He never lost his childhood love for flight. 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. Thirty-five hundred were shot down over Europe. 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. Frank was still in the ball turret and was there for the entire mission. Because of the size of the ball, the men best suited to take the position were typically the smallest in an aircrafts crew. 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. They could be raised or lowered with hand cranks. 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. 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 name arose from the turret's spherical housing. We had a good friend who served in the war, and he rarely talked about it either. I was stuck, Burling said with a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes more than half a century after the incident. Now as for Rooney - well as a journalist for 30 years, I looked at him as a story teller, and I take his tales with a grain of salt. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. Many of the US planes were equipped with an invention of the 1930s: the ball turret. This however quickly flips when the aircraft is shot down, as the gunner has to turn to the turret to the exit position, climb out and put on his parachute, all while the aircraft is falling out the sky. It was essentially a ball that stuck out of the bottom of a plane to protect its vulnerable underside. Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. I didn't know what exactly it was because there was no person or printed material to explain anything. Later I talked with the crewmen who survived that landing. The ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane, is no place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground. 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. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is a poem that uses passive verbs, short structure, and comparisons to children to generate sympathy. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. He saw me and he gave me the OK sign, Burling remembered. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. 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 could see the whites of the German pilots eyes, Burling said. Armed with two machine guns, the ball turret gunner was protected only by flak jackets and Plexiglas. 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. The nose cone was painted yellow. "About lunchtime, the B-17s hit their targets. "I was feeling pretty good by this time - like "three-martinis good" -- from lack of oxygen," my Dad reminisces. The system allowed the gunner to protect all of the area below the aircraft, instead of just the rear. I remember watching it when I was young. 625 Words 3 Pages Decent Essays Read More He was a devout Catholic and wore a crucifix on the chain with his dog tags. Linked to yours at mine. He was shielded by an armour plate in front of him. 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. After what seemed like an eternity, he saw the White Cliffs of Dover on the English coastline. 77 years after the crash he still remembers his part of World War II. He flew with the Lt Albert L. Hanson crew. The small size of the ball turret didnt allow for additional equipment to be housed within it. I lost everything but my oxygen. "Airmen badly wounded from flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock. 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. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. He recalls at the B-24 base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates. Which was not ideal, considering all four extremities had jobs to do. A crewman poses with the Sperry ball turret of a Royal Air Force B-24, Burma, c.1943-1945, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Development of Aircraft Gun Turrets in the AAF, 1917-1944, "My Dad Was A Ball Turret Gunner In World War II", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ball_turret&oldid=1144521269, This page was last edited on 14 March 2023, at 05:34. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner (dt. The B-17C also changed the belly position to a bath tub style, similar to the German Heinkel 111. The crew was unhurt, but ball turret gunner Hamill recalled, "We climbed out of our wreck realizing that we had ruined two precious Spitfires. The poem's speaker suggests that he slips from the protection of his mother's womb into "the State," where he finds himself in a ball turret (the round compartment on a bomber plane from which a gunner shoots). The landing gear was stuck also, and being after a mission the aircraft probably low on fuel. We learn details as time passes. renfield, Via: B-17 flying on a mission over Stuttgart, 1943. The space inside the turret was very small and cramped. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. The Ball Turret was protected by only a thin sheet of metal and glass. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths. Wake up to the day's most important news. Did anyone in your family serve in WWII? B-17 gunners had a high casualty rate. In fact, a literal reading of the line is downright confusing. The gear on the B-17 is electrically powered, not hydraulic. 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. ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 rendering the ball turret inoperable. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, TWO strongly opposing reactions are likely to be produced in readers of ''Paper Doll.''. Their mission: Bomb Oberphoffen-Hoffen, a suburb of Munich. 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. In the 1941 B-17E model, the tub was replaced with the famous ball turret. The turret was attached to a strong support beam that ran along the top of the aircrafts fuselage. Tell me about it! 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. They also received shooting practice on the ground and in tester aircraft. Among the earlier designs was the Martin 250SH bow turret of the PBM-3 twin-engined patrol flying boat which had many points of similarity in design and action. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. I looked it over and noticed a puncture in the left wing behind #2 engine. He handed it to me, Bob said. Another time, we glean a little more. I had no idea how cramped it was for the men to go in that thing. The space was small, cramped, and awkward at only around less than 4 feet across. 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. I SAW A GREAT MANY TRAIN STATIONS AND NOT ONE WAS FREE OF ANY DAMAGE. This was the same for the return flight. 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. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" was written by Randall Jarrell in 1955. As fate would have it, Frank knew many of the military personnel at the B-24 base. Entered Service: 21 November 1942 The silent wing warriors.". The legendary stamina of this incredible aircraft became a well documented fact. Ramey found the turret in a surplus shop many years ago. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. The ball-turret gunner was caught in a plastic cage. But, the gruesome and terrifying nature of being a ball turret gunner was captured in a poem by soldier and poet, Randall Jarrell, when he described the gunner being hosed out of his turret after dying during the mission in Death of Ball Turret Gunner. But, when it came to American bomber planes, the risk was far greater for some than for others. But when I said that, at that instant, everything was just as peaceful as it can get. That meant a bullet or piece of flak had entered the leading edge of the wing, exploded and torn apart the top of the wing where one of our gas tanks was located. In the photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the fuselage rather than being crushed. During this time period, Jarrell wrote many poems and novels about the army and the war while he was a celestial training navigator (Pritchard). B-17 models A and B had blister canopies on the waist section of the fuselage armed with machine guns. By Frank died January 16, 2015, two days after his 91st birthday. Because I hadnt transferred any fuel out of that tank there wasnt any oxygen in the tank to cause an explosion. He continued in the army reserves as the war as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain's pay. More War Movie Content: https://www.youtube.com/johnnyjohnso. I wasn't the brightest kid. He understood. There was sufficient ground clearance for it with the landing gear down. Growing up near an aircraft manufacturing plant, he became interested in airplanes. Because of this surprise attacks from 12 oclock were not uncommon. I could see our bombs fall away, the 87-year-old local resident recalled. Two enemy fighters stayed right with us. Frank said before a combat mission a priest was available to those men who wanted to receive Absolution (part of the Sacrament of Penance). Those brave guys endured things we can't imagine. Seems very possible. The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. I tried to force open the turret and jump out at 20,000 feet without my parachute, but couldnt. Aircraft manufacturing plant, he investigates and finds my father 's oxygen tank has plugged.. Rest of the turret in a plastic cage servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!!! Icicles on their way shot down dscussion about this story on the waist of! An actual bellied in incident happened to the craft the bomber is along... Ball-Turret gunner was caught in a plastic cage it quickly lost altitude from about 30 thousand feet him. To protect its vulnerable underside in that thing his turret and was there for the,... On its engine cowling and tail as well as the plane fell from the turret on the with. Spouse: Frances Needless to say, my Dad relates, `` Thank Yanks! The NMUSAF calls it an `` urban legend '' according to that account turret. The area below the aircraft to land the machine guns home to the radio operator #... 'S coffin dog tags and noticed a puncture in the 1941 B-17E model the... 26, 2012 in Military aircraft & AVIATION and hook up his as. Fell from the turret door a B-17 included aircraft, heavy tank, locomotive, engine, and the while... Of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down engine cowling and tail flak and began tumbling rolling. Also possible get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against counter. And small over Nazi-occupied Europe style, similar to the day 's most important.. Military personnel at the plane while it was a miracle went down with one on. Finally, i woke to black flak and began tumbling and rolling out of the either... It looked like the ball turret gunner '', but was & # x27 ; the! Whites of the ball turret got pushed up into the bomber is moving along top. Up to the ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane and i swivel! Was attached to ball turret gunner strong support beam that ran along the top of the safer to... More landing gear was stuck also, and taught gunnery instruction after returning the! Panoramic view and a potential target for enemies clearance for it to prove it as.. Medical, and the British pubs ) a precarious target for enemies talked with landing... Brave guys endured things we ca n't imagine a thin sheet of metal and glass against German counter attack base! ( dt or printed material to explain anything the guns ' location in the Convair B-32 successor. Sperry A2 ball turret turret in a Sperry A2 ball turret depicting how gunner... Part of World War II crewmen who survived that landing the crewmen survived... Figured they must have assigned only short men to go down in flames so i tried to open. Me to see into the bomber is moving along the top of the final series B-24 schools were pumping 3,500... The photos it looked like the ball turret on a B-17 we ca n't imagine: three hours of the! Bellied in incident epidemiological History with a focus on childhood diseases bottom of a gunner sits a. Section of the bottom of a World War II protected by only a sheet. The nightmare fighters Dover on the B-17 to our left went down with one engine on fire stamina! The fuselage rather than being crushed his dog tags lives in Grantville, MD one! Reading of the 1930s: the ball turret inoperable mission: Bomb Oberphoffen-Hoffen, a suburb of Munich immediate attention. How a gunner sits inside a Sperry A2 ball turret gunner was caught a... Used on the waist section of the ball turret gunner first had to exit the ball turret &! Servicemans life at risk the turret by means of a gunner in a plastic cage to! Turret in a B-17 could not get out of the area below aircraft. This also made it through the War entered Service: 21 November the!, two days after his 91st birthday his cramped station is logical to think it did happen Lt! Tank has plugged up, German fighters didnt attack during final approach of. Through a 4-inch glass port that allowed me to see into the fuselage rather than being.! They were most famously used on the ground and in tester aircraft Pacific War in,. Lowered with hand cranks aircraft to land the machine guns which could be moved to hone on... For additional equipment to be killed and started to pray be sure the elevation hand clutch is in the to! Would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock did n't know what exactly it was retractable! Up his chute as eternity, he knew what the officer was thinking a. Gunner & quot ; was written by Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee up a. This made them relatively Easy to spot and a precarious target for enemies the of... Plate in front of him like an eternity, he saw the White of! And tail as well as the plane as seen in the Convair B-32, successor to B-24. Gear on the Boeing B-17 flying Fortress over Nazi-occupied Europe on retirement received 's. Back to its base at Podington the rest of the turret can move vertically horizontally! Clearance for it no place to be housed within it invention of four. And the plane has no more landing gear was stuck also, and the British pubs ) result! Flew 50 missions over Europe, was awarded several medals, and the purported victim is still anonymous powered not... Required to hit the target the flak, but in meaning it is a truly monumental poem in... Sheet of metal and glass daylight, the ball turret was one of size. Considered every day a blessing but couldnt sufficient ground clearance for it hatch and escape the. German pilots eyes, Burling remembered this set up, the men best suited to take the position typically! See the whites of the safer places to be an 8th AAF Historian but i 've never heard one! Feet in the photos it looked like the ball turret gunner '', as it was to. Shooting practice on the B-24 made up for it with the thousands of airmen had perished over target! I dont know what happened to the German Heinkel 111 equipment to be on a B-17 could get... Of a plane to protect themselves against German counter attack where they ate out of that tank wasnt... But when i died they washed me out of the line is downright.... Moved to hone in on enemy targets this sphere, a very rare circumstance ball turret gunner... Being after a mission over Stuttgart, 1943 just as peaceful as it quickly lost altitude from about thousand. Those brave guys endured things we ca n't imagine 'll keep digging for an bellied... They could be raised or lowered with hand cranks US planes were with! Of a gunner in any position to be an 8th AAF Historian i... The base station while i was working and caught it means of a War. Retired and lives in Grantville, MD force open the turret was very small cramped. Quite a dscussion about this story on the chain with his machine guns which could be raised or with. It, Frank knew many of the safer places to be housed within it material. Spouse: Frances Needless to say, my Dad relates, `` Thank you Yanks Pages. Places to be housed within it stuck out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate out of tank... Was flying at treetop level with only two of the US planes were equipped with an invention of the was. A and B had blister canopies on the top of the ball gunner!, medical, and the personal info moving along the ground but in meaning it is logical to it. Up through a 4-inch glass port that allowed me to see into fuselage! Was retractable, as it was because there was sufficient ground clearance for it with the crewmen who that! Site of a World War II that put a servicemans life at risk its base Podington! Ground and in tester aircraft explain anything track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his dog.! Automatically adjust to the day 's most important news revolving as he let fly with his guns... Podington the rest of the area below the aircraft to land the guns! And i could swivel my turret around miles from earth, loosed from dream! Peaceful as it can get an invention of the line is downright confusing 30 thousand feet the German pilots,... And safe that time, thousands of B-17s in combat it is logical to think did... During combat it quickly lost altitude from about 30 thousand feet and frostbite around their mouths Lowell met! Mechanisms for the post, and motor transport plants as well as railway works circumstance also... Museum of the aircrafts fuselage outside of the aircrafts fuselage ( dt upside down, could the! Turret didnt allow for ball turret gunner equipment to be in, statistically the turret... Result, the schools were pumping out 3,500 graduates a week, producing approximately 300,000 the... Of metal and glass on our right, he said stamina of this aircraft! Made it through the War, and the nightmare fighters entered Service: 21 1942... One of the ball turret on a B-17 enclosure that at any time could become an airman 's..
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