WWII-The Deadliest Job of being a B 17 Ball Turret Gunner

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What was it like being a ball turret gunner on B17 flying fortress? Veteran explains

What was it like being a Tail Gunner on B17 Flying Fortress? Veteran explains

The Flying Fortress
The B 17 Flying Fortress was one of the most formidable aircraft of World War Two. This mighty strategic bomber largely contributed to crippling the German war industry by delivering more than a third of all bombs dropped on German soil during the war. Besides its great bombing potential B 17 was equipped with so many defensive machine gun emplacements that really looked like a flying fortress. However, the fortress did not provide enough protection for the crew inside. Flying a B 17 was a very risky job since they were huge, slow and therefore easy targets for enemy aircraft and the anti-aircraft defenses, Who always mark them as primary targets. If the plane was hit, there was little chance that all the 10 man crew could bail out. This was primarily the reason for the high casualty rates of bomber crews during the war.
Underbelly ball turret gunner.
Out of the entire crew. The most endangered were the machine gunners housed and overexposed and placements. One in placement in particular carried the greatest risk, the position of the underbelly ball turret gunner.
Ball turrets were originally not part of the B 17 defense system. In the beginning, the bottom of the bomber was protected by remote controlled version, which was quite a complex and troublesome system. Only from the 100 and 13th aircraft onwards did Boeing engineers begin to install the much better speary ball turret. The speery ball turret was a remarkably good practical design. It was a spherical chamber made of aluminum and Plexiglas attached to the fuselage of the app section.

Manned and electrically operated, the turret moved very quickly, it can revolve a full 360 degrees and pitch down to a 90 degree angle. With such features. It covered the entire area below the aircraft. It was attached to the fuselage by a shaft with a hydraulic pump that allowed it to attract into the aircraft. This was done in case of an emergency landing without using the landing gear. The B 17 ball turret was armed with 250 caliber A&M two Browning machine guns firing 700 to 850 rounds per minute. Each machine gun was belt fed from two ammo boxes placed inside the fuselage.
Claustrophobic
The turret may have been well designed but was claustrophobic and only four feet in diameter. Inside there were two hand controls for turning and pitching both with electrical firing buttons. There was also a seat, a computing K for gunsight and a set of ancillary equipment, the dimensions of the turret required a gunner of very small stature. Even then, the only way to fit inside was to curl up in the fetal position. The gunner was in such a position that he had to aim through the site between his knees. In this highly uncomfortable position. The gunner use both his hands to control the movement of the turret and feet to adjust the site. Spending hours in this position at very low temperatures was difficult as it was on top of the task of swiveling around in combat and focusing on shooting enemy aircraft.
It took a lot of guts to enter the turret and face the enemy in the skies. Entering the weapon system was conducted from inside the aircraft. The entry hatch was positioned opposite the machine guns in order to open it. The gunner had to manually turn the turret until the hatch was positioned inside the aircraft.

[uradragon]

My father was a ball turret gunner over Europe, he and his crew were given extra missions. Miraculously they all survived. While the old man was bombing Europe my Norwegian mother and her family were living in Bergen Norway during the Nazi occupation. In 1951 they met in Spokane WA got married and had three boys. I've often felt lucky to be born.

[scottstuart]

My grand uncle, Staff Sergeant Ernest C Stuart was a ball gunner in the 8th air corps 351st bomb group, with the 511th squadron. Stationed at polebrook England. During his service his crew were shot down twice, the first time everyone survived and they were able to make it out of Germany before touching down. The second time down was over Germany far behind enemy lines, the other planes in his Squadron did not visually see any parachutes deployed and it was reported that he was a casualty, however Ernie survived with his service pistol a colt 1911 and a few extra mags of ammo he took from the bodies of his fallen crew. He somehow fought his way out of Germany and made it back. After a short medical visit and a good meal he went right back to polebrook and crawled once again into the ball turret of a B-17 and continued to fight. He often told my father that his "pony" saved his life many times during this. That pony was his colt 1911. Ernie survived the war and came home to his wife and son a he lived a full life. Ernie passed away back in 1995.

Like so many others of his generation Ernie was a war hero in my eyes. If anyone reading this has a story of their own please tag me and share it.

Gone but never forgotten

[dbn]

My Mother's first husband died in a ball turret.The crew couldn't get him out . Andrew "Bud" Peterson died 25th of June 1943. God bless him.

[SScott-kplc]

I was attending a course in the Army and a ball gunner came and spoke to us. Said he never had his parachute on until one mission. Said he slipped one arm or leg (I can’t remember) in the through straps. He said later in the mission he was blown out of the turret and fought to buckle the chute as he fell. He spent the rest of the war as a POW.

[stephenpowell]

Just brave anyone operating as a Ball Turret Gunner, Can't get over how claustrophobic this is, Wow Respect to these brave heroes of The greatest Generation 🇺🇲 We will remember them 🙏🥀💐🙏🥀🥺💔

[thelastjohnwayne]

I remember when I was in Junior High in the 70s I had an English teacher who had us read and then read us "The Ball Turret Gunner" By Randall Jarrell. I never forgot it. I have been a WW2 history buff my entire life.

[humid-rbrt]

The bravest men to have served. Period! Thank you boys!!

[Showsnmercy]

My grandfather had Alzheimer’s so bad he had forgotten his children’s names, late wife, etc… he never forgot shooting down a German plane as a ball turret gunner in a bombing regiment. These men had balls of steel.

[browntree]

Though perhaps not in the early versions, the later ball turrets were armored and actually provided more protection than almost any other gunner's position, especially the waist gunners who had only their flak jackets and helmets for protection. So said the short (5'7"), silver-haired gentleman at the museum in Tucson, who once occupied that seat during WWII. There was no shortage of courage in the airmen who flew in those planes back then. Hats off to the Greatest Generation!

[smokeebeefpv]

The men who went in those turrets are way braver than I. No f-ing way.

[Imnotyourdoormat]

Boeing's factory flight manual lists 6'2" as the height limit for its non-retractable "Sperry Ball Turret." It was Consolidated's B-24 Liberator that had the retractable "Belly-Turret" not Boeing's B-17 Flying Fortress.

[babyboomer]

My boss in the late 70s was a ball turret gunner in South Pacific. He was short but very savvy….and godly. He hired the best most capable people I’ve ever worked with. Wife of Robert Hoey, flight test director X15. Two daughters of Fred Stolicker, head of all aeronautical engineers at Edwards Air Force Base. Daughter of McDonald Douglas aeronautical engineer worked on stealth fighter. Wife of rocket engineer at rocket site at Edwards Air Force base. Associate Director under my boss, graduated number one in his class from university of Southern California.

[Nitestalker]

Ball turret, and tunnel rat. The most courageous of all our military. I salute you all!!!!

[BradleyMull-hmdi]

@BradleyMull-hm9di
0 seconds ago
My grandfather was the BTG on M’lle Zig Zig when it was shot down. If you have been watching Masters of the Air, that was the plane flown by Egan (Bucky) and Brady. My mom and Uncle and Aunt, as well as the rest of the family, have been excited to see this series. A big thank you to Niall O’Mara for playing the part. My grandfather was shot in the leg during the mission to Munster, his entire crew had to bail. One casualty. All, including my grandfather were taken prisoner. My grandfather, Sgt Roland Gangwer was treated in a German hospital, right next to a high ranking German officer, and was treated well. They saved his life and his leg. After coming home, he was told that is was a good thing the German Dr saved his leg because they would have cut it off. After my papa was back to good health, after the war, he re enlisted. We are proud of our very own American hero as well as all who served and are serving to protect this great country. God bless.

[wingmanjim]

In referring to the B17, the ball turret was NOT retractable, it was permanently "suspended" under the fuselage. Only the B24 featured a retractable ball turret.
The gunner generally did NOT spend many hours in the turret. He entered the turret only when fighter attack was imminent. They frequently left the turret during the actual bomb run when the German flak endangered their own attacking fighters and prevented the fighters from continuing their attacks on the bombers.
Very early in the bombing campaign, the German fighters changed tactics and in fact preferred frontal attacks due to the effective defensive fire from the massed bombers, particularly the ball turrets.
Recent analysis has found that there were NO recorded instances of a ball turret gunner being killed in a wheels up landing. Andy Rooneys' famous newscast was, in fact, journalistic fiction. Statistics indicate that in fact the ball turret was roughly tied as the safest position in the bomber.
None of this is in any way meant to detract from the bravery and dedication of these aircrewmen, but let's at least convey accurate information.

[minnesotajack]

It blows my mind that these guys showed such bravery… and then came home and became the mailman.

As a Gen Xer, I knew many of these guys as feeble old men. I always told myself to look beyond their age and frailty knowing what they’d done for me

[mattthomas]

these guys had some of the biggest balls of anyone in the war

[patrickscribner]

My dad was a WWII vet - crew chief on a P-39 & P-40 Tug. He always told me, be glad you weren't born when I was son, you would have been a belly gunner. I'm only 5'4 and about 140 lbs in my 20's.

[stephensmith]

I read of a Lancaster bomber rear gunner who urinated on the tail wheel for luck before every mission. ‘Courage’ doesn’t really cover it. Must have been frightened every sortie… all the way out and back.

[bourboncowboy]

Nothing but absolute respect for these brave souls. There is no way in hell i could ever do that. Heroes in every sense of the word.