Ball Turret Gunner Survived Fall
B 17 gunners had a high casualty rate.
Ball turret gunner survived fall. Immediately after the pearl harbor attack magee joined the united states army air forces and was assigned as a ball turret gunner on a b 17 bomber. But he said magee only spoke to him three times about the events on jan. During the raid his plane. On january 3 1943 his flying fortress b 17f 27 bo 41 24620 nicknamed snap crackle.
A b 17 ball turret gunner magee had no choice but to jump out of a disabled spinning out of control bomber from about 22 000 feet. Magee poses for the camera halfway into the tight confines of the ball turret of a b 17 flying fortress. Man survived 22 000 foot fall out of bomber. Via ranked among the luckiest people in the world alan e.
The turret held the gunner two heavy machine guns ammunition and sights. Paratroopers make a big deal about jumping out of planes from 800 feet but u s. Pop after the three. Magee was a ball turret gunner in a b 17 flying fortress on a bombing run on the atlantic coast of nazi occupied france.
5 tales of survival from extreme falls. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for german fighter planes. It was a manned turret as distinct from remote controlled turrets also in use. And he lived magee was a ball turret gunner in a b 17 named snap.
Magee survived a free fall of almost four miles from a b 17 bomber during a bombing raid in wwii. Military career and fall. He was very easy to get along with very cheerful very talkative and a very very sweet guy jenkins said. Pop part of the 360th bomb squadron 303rd bomb group was on a daylight bombing run over saint nazaire france.