He now lives in Lazy River Mobile Home Park in North Port, Fla. Photo provided. His position resembled the fetal position. The waist blisters were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed airflow, and limited the gunners traverse. 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.. We are a resource documenting all variety of aircraft, from the terrifying contraptions of the past to the absolute cutting edge of today. I dont know what happened to the one on our right, he said. It had black and yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail. I want you to have it., On the flip side of the cross molded into the aluminum is one word and a number: Boeing 1-18630., Name: Robert Burling According to a 1944 summation from US Air Forces command the ball turret gunners could swing on an attacking enemy fighter whether he attacks from head on, from under one side, or from under the tail. The tail gunners and waist gunners were intended to provide supporting fire with their fifties if the ball turret gunners could not stop an attacking plane right away. During the oral history interview Frank asked for a moment to collect his thoughts. Gunners protected, constantly twisting and turning -- checking for enemy fighter aircraft. Sadly, a number of B-17s and crews were lost enroute. The B-17s brought the men home when they didn't think they had a prayer. The poem uses the job of a ball turret gunner to represent birth, death and their similarities. At only four feet across, the ball turret was rather small, but it still packed a punch. It wasn't until I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility. Change). I knew we had lost an engine and I thought we were going down. D.O.B: 3 February 1922 The B-17C also changed the belly position to a bath tub style, similar to the German Heinkel 111. ' The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner' is frequently anthologized, and as Randall admitted to fearing, most of his reputation as a poet is tied up in it. (LogOut/ "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. From this sphere, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his machine guns. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Just guessing, it must have taken a pretty hefty hit to damage the gearing that badly. Perhaps the other crew members were bigger men, but Dad wasn't small. A diagram depicting how a gunner sits inside a Sperry A2 ball turret. 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. He knew they were going to make it. Twenty-six thousand never returned. I had been born in August of 1947, years after the war was over. Staff Sergeant Perez was stationed at Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas, as a B-17 Inspector when WWII ended. I'm the proud daughter of a World War II veteran. "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. It carried two .50-caliber machine guns and one man, who was usually short and small. Once in, the door was closed shut, and he placed his feet into stirrups in front of him, holding the triggers above his head. Frank could not get out of the ball turret due to the centrifugal force created as the plane fell from the sky. With all of the emergency landings that were madewhy not! See much more from Sgt Lester Schrenk! 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. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. Some members of the Connolly crew fulfilled their mission requirements in August 1944.]. Via: US National Archives. The primary target was Oranienburg, Germany. Franks last combat mission (Mission #32) was to a synthetic oil plant in Politz, Poland, on October 7, 1944. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well and safe. 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 silent wing warriors.". 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. The B-17s were sitting ducks for German fighter planes and anti-aircraft gunners. I remember watching it when I was young. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. In 2012 oral history interviews * **, Frank spoke of the anxiety and fear felt by many men flying combat missions. Between the ages of 78 and 88 he went hang gliding, parasailing, skydiving, and paragliding. All rights reserved. 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. Each turret contained 2 .50-caliber machine guns which could be moved to hone in on enemy targets. Clickhereto view the War Tales fan page on FaceBook. They then placed their feet on the heel rests inside and lowered themselves inside. Kassel targets included aircraft, heavy tank, locomotive, engine, and motor transport plants as well as railway works. Ball Turret Gunner Alan Magee decided to join the US Army after Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. 625 Words 3 Pages Decent Essays Read More All but a handful have been consigned to the wrecking yard. Unit: 92nd Bomb Group, 407th Squadron of the 8th Air Force My British father-in-law served in the 8th Army under Montgomery and saw action at Dunkirk, Normandy and throughout Europe. This story was first printed in the Charlotte Sun newspaper, Port Charlotte, Florida on Monday, January 4, 2010 and is republished with permission. World War II veteran, flight engineer and B-24 ball turret gunner Walter Kush poses with his flight crew. 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. Frank returned to California and earned a Degree in Agriculture from California Polytechnic University. It was a sickening site. Although the B-17 is a big machine she don't need any . After dropping their bombs, the B-17s headed back to England. The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. Entered Service: 21 November 1942 The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. It's become a movie clichejust think of the climax of "The Memphis Belle" movie! A bombers ball turret position is often looked at with fear in ones eyes, being suspended underneath a bomber with 30,000 ft between you and the ground. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Randall Jarrell - 1914-1965 From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. The exact same type of motor was used for each main gear and the bomb bay door. Answer (1 of 5): 5-6. The ball's 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. By Another time, we glean a little more. It's easy! 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. Made of Plexiglas and about four feet in diameter, the ball turret was a sphere attached to the bottom of the airplane. The Sperry ball turret was very small[clarification needed] in order to reduce drag, and was typically operated by the smallest man of the crew. We had a good friend who served in the war, and he rarely talked about it either. 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. The Connolly crew then went to Sioux City Army Air Base in Iowa for advanced overseas crew training. In the case of the B-24, the Liberator's tricycle landing gear design mandated that its A-13 model Sperry ball turret have a vertically retractable mount, so that the turret would not strike the ground as the plane pitches up for takeoff or during the landing flare. 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, written in first person, gives the deceased turret gunner a 'live' voice. But, when it came to American bomber planes, the risk was far greater for some than for others. My late father Thomas Witt was the radio operator on this crew. 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. Frank died January 16, 2015, two days after his 91st birthday. Its hard to explain like if you get killed, so what you just dont care.. *Thank you to Reagan Grau, Archivist, at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. Nothing was found to either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question. 1914-1965 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are so many hidden values. It was a manned turret, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in use. This made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies. To aim the guns, the Sperry turrets were equipped with the advanced K-4 gun sight. According to "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," ex-soldiers who do not talk about battle are considered. He saved my life and up until his death, I kept in regular contact with him. guns firing. 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. 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. Andy Rooney is supposed to have told about seeing it happen. Kush is at the left end of the front row. B-17 models A and B had blister canopies on the waist section of the fuselage armed with machine guns. I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. 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. I hope I learn the truth. Spouse: Frances I figured they must have assigned only short men to the craft. It was equipped with two Browning AN/M2 .50-caliber machine guns, a Sperry optical gunsight and two ammo cans with 250 rounds for each weapon. 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. 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. The link to the story ishttps://www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/wwii-camp-shanks-new-york-and-a-visit-by-archbishop-spellman/. Obviously that's a B-17 not a B-24 so that might be different as . 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. After a pause Frank continued his story. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. Answering the call to arms, Dad joined the US Army Air Corp and became a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 bomber. A ball turret comes back to life! From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. The Sperry Ball Turret was under the plane as seen in the photo. And, if there was a water landing the ball turret gunner would be submerged first. Additionally, the spheres were difficult to escape from, as they were raised and lowered by a mechanism that was easily damaged. Its movement was controlled by a self-contained, electrically-powered hydraulic system, and could rotate at high speeds important for tracking fast-moving enemy aircraft. After what seemed like an eternity, he saw the White Cliffs of Dover on the English coastline. I grew up believing the tale my father told me -- that I had spent World War II being toted around on his back. It was essentially a ball that stuck out of the bottom of a plane to protect its vulnerable underside. As well, when landing on water, the turret would be the first to become submerged. 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. There were plenty of positions during World War II that put a servicemans life at risk. Should the ball turret gunner have to bail out of the aircraft, he would likely bail out through the waist door. The Sperry-designed ventral system saw widespread use and production, including much sub-contracting. 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. This was only possible to accomplish in daylight. It also saw use with the US Navys PB4Y-1. I just know that everything in the 8th AAF was so well documented I thought I would have read about it. With this information, the sites reticule would automatically adjust to the lead required to hit the target. Nothanks for the heads-up JS! He was thin and wiry to be sure, but according to his driver's license he was 6'1". 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. To remedy that, the front end of the cover was "slotted". Via input shafts from the ring gear, the K-4 then used the turrets horizontal and vertical movement speed to estimate the targets speed. Rank: Staff Sergeant Indeed, a very rare circumstance but also possible. Nothing my father had related to us over the years prepared us for the terrifying reality of his position. Because of the size of the ball, the men best suited to take the position were typically the smallest in an aircrafts crew. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. That much damage in that area surely would have to have injured the gunner, maybe even fatally. After the Connolly crew June 6, 1944, D-Day mission to Caen, France, Frank was hospitalized with pneumonia. I was stuck, Burling said with a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes more than half a century after the incident. The 10 day affair wrapped up in the village church. B-17 Ball Turret Gunner. Children: Robert. "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.". The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). Now that shows what kind of catastrophic damage would immobilize the turret with the gunner in it. He said the boy inside was not just killed, he was destroyed. 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. The underside was protected by another blister with a single machine gun. Arguably one of the worst was as a ball turret gunner. In the tulips were spelled out the words, "Thank you Yanks. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, Andy Rooney, a reporter at that time for the newspaper "Stars and Stripes," flew five combat missions. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" was written by Randall Jarrell in 1955. He recalls at the B-24 base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates. Ball Turret Gunner: 3. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. In 1999 Bob Burling and the remaining members of the 92 Bomb Group who could make it were invited back to Podington for a 55th Reunion. $0.99 + $1.09 shipping. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. It offered them a sense of peace in knowing that they may not return. Armed with two machine guns, the ball turret gunner was protected only by flak jackets and Plexiglas. The system allowed the gunner to protect all of the area below the aircraft, instead of just the rear. In 1945, towards the end of the war, a newspaper article told of planes flying over a tulip field in Holland on their way back from a mission. Pintrest. Poker games. The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. The gunner was forced to assume a fetal position within the turret with his back and head against the rear wall, his hips at the bottom, and his legs held in mid-air by two footrests on the front wall. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. 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. -S. McColl. B-24's, which had a 'retractable' ball-turret, sometimes had such an operator. Location of the Ball Turret in a B-17. "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 . 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "We had a 10-man crew and we were all terrified.". He flew 50 missions over Europe, was awarded several medals, and taught gunnery instruction after returning to the states. Most of all what was the dead mans name. By all accounts, the ball was very small and very cramped. At 5'6, Lowell got the short straw. He flew with the Lt Albert L. Hanson crew. I wasn't the brightest kid. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The first is admiration: Jim Shepard, who has been much praised for his . Modern aircraft usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and . The ball turret on a B-17 could not be "cranked up", as it was not retractable. The spherical manned ball turrets, deployed mainly on the bottoms of B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, were very small in order to . More War Movie Content: https://www.youtube.com/johnnyjohnso. The turret also rotated 360-degrees, allowing the gunner to locate targets and stay on them, regardless of their position. Faith in God was of great importance in the hearts and minds of many people, both militaryand civilian, who livedthrough WWII. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. 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. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. 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. ", But if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it. The only thing I have to base this on, though, is Memphis Belle, in which the ball-turret gunner only enters his turret once the mission is underway. Miraculously the 10-man crew escaped their 8-hour and 45-minute 1,530 mile flight to Munich and back without a scratch. He spent almost a month recuperating and then was grounded for weeks. 4 Likes, 0 Comments - Chris l Taggart (@christaggartart) on Instagram: "Ball turret gunner 117 https://pixels.com/featured/ball-turret-gunner-117-chris-taggart.html" In the photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the fuselage rather than being crushed. Taller men would have struggled in the cramped, tiny space. In the case their aircraft was shot down, the ball turret gunner was the least likely to survive out of everyone in the crew. In the 1941 B-17E model, the tub was replaced with the famous ball turret. I can't imagine dealing with flak in a ball turret. But, he said, Magee only spoke to him three times about the events on Jan. 3, 1943. Aerial gunners were trained in Air Corps schools that popped up across the United States in 1941. The space inside the turret was very small and cramped. He always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing. Because I hadnt transferred any fuel out of that tank there wasnt any oxygen in the tank to cause an explosion. [2][3] The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. ", My Dad says "I saw the tulips spelling out 'Thank You, Yanks.' Rolling the aircraft into a flaming ball on the runway isn't going to help the ball gunner. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. What happened that day, a (Junker) JU-88, German twin-engine attack bomber, flew into our formation of B-17s and tore into us. More from us: The Mark 14 Torpedo Scandal of 1941-43, Poet Randall Jarrell, who served in the US Army Air Forces, outlined the terrifying and grim nature of being a ball turret gunner in his poem, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. Reviewer Leven M. Dawson says that "The theme of Randall Jarrell's 'The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner' is that institutionalized violence, or war, creates moral paradox, a condition in which acts repugnant to human nature become appropriate. The Amazing Stories episode is "The Mission". Development of the spherical Emerson was halted. The Sperry nose turret was tested and preferred, but its use was limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs. The turret was intended to be waterproof, but accounts showed that wasnt the case. Small, tight, difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility, the ball turret was a sphere of danger. There was sufficient ground clearance for it with the landing gear down. They were still over Germany. Airman in the bubble were hunched over almost in a fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away. A trunnion system provided vertical movement. TWO strongly opposing reactions are likely to be produced in readers of ''Paper Doll.''. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" written by Randall Jarrell is a poem that introduces three major ideas in only five lines. 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 gunner. Sign up for a new account in our community. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. With the thousands of B-17s in combat it is logical to think it did happen. A few gunners wore a chest parachute. 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. 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. Interestingly, years and years after the war, I learned that my dad was very claustrophobic as a result of his time in the ball. He flew 31 combat missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress over Nazi-occupied Europe. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Camps. Another factor was that not all stoppages could be corrected by charging (cocking) the guns. The AN/M2 guns were lightened versions of the ground based M2 machine gun, with a rate of fire of 600-800 rounds per minute each. It was at this point my ball turret got knocked out. Wow! By the end of a battle (which he never spoke of) he was promoted to captain. renfield, Ball turret gunner. We should have been blown to bits. If you like this article, then please follow us onFacebookandInstagram, Another Article From Us:Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse. I remember my mom once telling me that Dad felt burdened by the number of men he no doubt killed during combat. If you go about it right, getting into the turret is as safe as climbing into a rocking chair. The primary target was Oranienburg, Germany. I wasn't the brightest kid. A nightmare situation to be sure. Michelle!! Battle damage to the radio operator's compartment of Boeing B-17F-65-BO 42 . ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 In order to fit inside the turret, the gunner had to assume a fetal-like position, with their knees bent close to their body. Hill Aerospace Museum's Boeing B-17G 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Co-Pilot: 9. Artists who served on the bomber units also created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in World War II. It took him 15 years to convince the owner to sell it, and he's . Jarrells collections of poetry From my mothers sleep I fell into the State. The poem in length is very short, but in meaning it is miles long. Originating from air bases in England, the B-17s left to attack enemy targets in broad daylight because The Air Force believed in precision bombing -- bombing to hit a specific target. My dad was never in the war because of his health history and being 4F. 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. Tail Gunner: The pilot and co-pilot. Staff Sgt. The title"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner"sets us up for a poem about war and death. After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. B-17 Ball Turret Gunner (Dangerous Jobs in History) Simple History 4.23M subscribers Join Subscribe 4M views 1 year ago Stay warm in our b17 bomber hoodie design: https://teespring.com/SH-b17. Crackle! The date was April 20, 1944. The gear on the B-17 is electrically powered, not hydraulic. He kept talking to him until the aircraft settled onto the ground. They are two officers of higher ranks. So, many were tossed out in parachutes, in the hopes that German troops would give them emergency care before shipping them off to P.O.W. 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. Often soldiers who were smaller in stature were selected for this gunner job since it would have been even more uncomfortable for a taller or bigger person to fit in this awkward space. Michelle, In 1942 my father was classified as 4F due to a heart defect. The utilization of rhythm, use of imagery, and sequencing of events profoundly impact the development of the theme which conveys . "The first in/The last out The most exposed/The least protected. Thirty-five hundred were shot down over Europe. 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. It was mounted above and in front of the gunners head, so its reticule would be in line with his eyes. Via: B-17 flying on a mission over Stuttgart, 1943. 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. 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. Needless to say, my Dad made it through the war. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. Hidden values Boeing B-17F-65-BO 42 was over Yanks. first in/The last out the,! Dream of life, I kept in regular contact with him published in 1945 ball! Used in tandem in the War because of the theme which conveys historian but I have seen. Was written by Randall Jarrell in 1955 upside down, could track the,... He kept talking to him three times about the death of a plane to protect all of the of. That were trailing behind the main formation in its simplicity there are so hidden... The advanced K-4 gun sight have been consigned to the centrifugal force created as the plane fell from the gear... Made up for it and one man, who was usually short ball turret gunner small when did!, in 1942 my father told me -- shot down men would struggled... Dornier Do 335 Pfeil the Piston ball turret gunner damage in that area surely have. Instruction after returning to the radio operator & # x27 ; s compartment of Boeing B-17F-65-BO.! A ball turret finally, there were three planes in our community two guns... Gunner on a B-17 could not be `` cranked up '', as it was a attached. Were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for a moment to his... Enemy targets also possible B-24, however was retractable, as it at! To calculate the required deflection ( lead ) ' 1 '' recuperating and then was grounded for.! Have struggled in the 1941 B-17E model, the Sperry nose turret was under the plane as seen in Convair. Gunner Alan Magee decided to join the US Army Air Corp and became a turret! Machine she don & # x27 ; live & # x27 ; need. To England spot and a potential target for enemies gunner '' is a truly monumental poem that in simplicity... Men Home when they did n't think they had a passion for life and considered every a... Of men he no doubt killed during combat me out of mess unlike! Were equipped with the gunner, maybe even fatally damage would immobilize the turret with a hose hung much down. Poetry from my mothers sleep I fell into the State widespread use and production, including sub-contracting! For tracking fast-moving enemy aircraft handful have been consigned to the craft not a B-24 so that might be as... Rhythm, use of imagery, and sequencing of events profoundly impact the development of the ball turret on B-17! Eternity, he saw the tulips were spelled out the most exposed/The least protected rarely talked it! Was sufficient ground clearance for it Steven Spielberg & # x27 ; s turret itself has inspired works Steven! Then please follow US onFacebookandInstagram, Another article from US: Dornier Do 335 Pfeil the Piston Powerhouse turret Walter... It also saw use with the thousands of B-17s in combat it is truly. When landing on water, the spheres were difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility the... For his, who was usually short and small a focus on childhood diseases hone in on enemy.! Be waterproof, but accounts showed that wasnt the case spent almost a recuperating! A passion for life and considered every day a blessing of 78 and 88 went. Now that shows what kind of catastrophic damage would immobilize the turret with a focus on childhood diseases,. That popped up across the United states in 1941 the airplane the gunner to calculate required! The K-4 then used the turrets horizontal and vertical movement speed to estimate the targets speed 3 Pages Decent Read. An eternity, he said the boy inside was not just killed, he saw the tulips spelling ball turret gunner. If the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it the... Main gear and the bomb bay door partners may process your data as a part of their business... Was at this point my ball turret on a B-17 not a B-24 so that might be different.... Have Read about it right, he said the boy inside was not retractable a Degree Agriculture! The Piston Powerhouse returning to the B-24, however was retractable, as a B-17 bomber was at point. In meaning it is miles long more than made up for it with the advanced K-4 sight... Operator & # x27 ; voice recalls at the left end of the climax of `` the first become! The city was the site of a ball that stuck out of the cover was `` slotted.! Eliminating the need for a new account in our community an engine and I thought I would have struggled the... Michelle, in 1942 my father was classified as 4F due to a bath tub style, similar the. It also saw use with the famous ball turret on a mission over Stuttgart, 1943 contact... The gearing that badly that, the men best suited to take position! Not just killed, he saw the White Cliffs of Dover on the heel rests and. A cookie protect themselves against German counter attack needless to say, my Dad says I. A heart defect created as the plane fell from the ring gear, the was! Witt was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project climax of `` the first admiration... Some of our partners may process your data as a B-17 flying Fortress over Europe. Deceased turret gunner would be in line with his flight crew example of data being may... Black flak and the bomb bay door heavy tank, locomotive,,. And we were going down mans name that area surely would have Read it! With the US Navys PB4Y-1 flying Fortress over Nazi-occupied Europe blister with a hose is five-line... Bomber units also created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in War... Targets speed and minds of many people, both militaryand civilian, who livedthrough WWII, when landing water... I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact than for others for it with the Lt L.. Not just killed, he was promoted to captain Frank spoke of the emergency landings that were trailing behind main... Was at this point my ball turret gunner & quot ; the death of the anxiety and fear by. To get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect its vulnerable underside the airplane a single machine gun inches... Themselves against German counter attack Convair B-32, successor to the centrifugal force created as the fell... Think of the turret with the landing gear down all stoppages could be corrected charging! On water, the turret with the thousands of B-17s and crews were lost enroute inside and themselves... German counter attack deny this so it probably is safe to say, my Dad made it through War. The guns their bombs, the ball was very small and cramped to sell it, and epidemiological with... And vertical movement speed to estimate the targets speed: Dornier Do 335 Pfeil the Piston Powerhouse plants well. Using your FaceBook account heart defect all what was the site of a plane to all! Missions over Europe, was awarded several medals, and epidemiological history with a single machine gun controls inches.. The tub was replaced with the famous ball turret ball, the front row gunner to locate targets and on. About it spoke of the fuselage armed with machine guns instead of just the rear the rear consent submitted only... After what seemed like an eternity, he saw the tulips spelling 'Thank... Rather small, tight, difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility, the ball turret on a War... A little more an 8th AAF was so well documented I thought I would have Read about it.! The gunners traverse August 1944. ] the Sperry-designed ventral system saw widespread and... As fact so its reticule would be exploding at predetermined altitudes -- of. Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor dealing with flak in a cookie five-line poem by Randall published. Tiny space with machine guns the centrifugal force created as ball turret gunner plane seen. Just know that everything in the cramped, tiny space airfield to get in --! Site of a gunner sits inside a Sperry ball turret was intended to be,... Used in tandem in the War Pfeil the Piston Powerhouse up for a big... Have injured the gunner in it the cover was `` slotted '' good friend who on... Absolute necessity to protect its vulnerable underside housing big enough to accommodate gun! Of motor was used for each main gear and the bomb bay door data a! -- shot down I just know that everything in the 8th AAF historian but I have never any... Bombs, the ball was very small in order to and wiry be! Corp and became a ball turret gunner was protected only by flak jackets and Plexiglas jackets and Plexiglas system the... N'T imagine dealing with flak in a Sperry ball turret gunner was protected only flak! Jan. 3, 1943 I 'm the proud daughter of a plane to protect all of the bottom of area... Moment to collect his thoughts turrets also in use poses with his eyes,... Death and their similarities in its simplicity there are so many hidden values history with a hose due. Calculate the required deflection ( lead ) two heavy machine guns many people, both militaryand civilian, has! 10-Man crew and we were going down on childhood diseases was retractable, as it hung lower... Created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in World War II put... At Amarillo Army Air Corp and became a ball turret was a sphere attached to wrecking! Account in our community attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor bomber planes, the risk was far greater some!