B 17 Ball Turret Gunner Height
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.
B 17 ball turret gunner height. The turret held the gunner two heavy machine guns ammunition and sights. He was considered a perfect fit for the b 17 s ball turret. Gunner mason howe survives these harrowing missions while operating one of the plane s most innovative defenses. The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous assignments in world war ii.
See video b 17 with 19 guns. He felt a need to enlist in the army and defend his country. Ingenuously mounted on a movable platform. A b 17 see photo had 13 see the drawing of the crew of a b 17.
Alan magee decided to join the us army after japanese attacked the american fleet at pearl harbor. The sperry ball turret was under the plane as seen in the photo. The ball turret gun. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman s coffin.
The ball turret gunner from b17 42 31377 pot o gold crashed on 22 feb 1944 tells in ball turret about his job. The space inside the turret was very small and cramped. This turret is owned by vintage aircraft in stockton ca. Eric climbs into the famous b 17 turret and mans the controls and rotates the ball from inside.
A ball turret was a spherical shaped altazimuth mount gun turret fitted to some american built aircraft during world war ii the name arose from the turret s spherical housing. At the height of world war ii allied bombing missions often include hundreds of boeing b 17 flying fortresses that strike deep behind enemy lines. See much more from sgt lester schrenk.