BALL TURRET Gunner on COMBAT and BAILING OUT of a B-17 Bomber | Masters of the Air | Lester Schrenk

Lester Schrenk joined the U.S. Army Air Forces on his 19th birthday in November 1942. Even though he still sees perfectly today, he was told he could not become a pilot due to poor eyesight. So this Minnesota farm kid was assigned as a ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber crew, a real-life 'Master of the Air' flying with the 92nd Bomb Group of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. At 5'11", he was much bigger than most men tasked with squeezing into that very tiny space. Roughly a year later, he was deployed to Europe.

Schrenk tells us what the missions were like for a ball turret gunner and he describes a harrowing mission in which his damaged bomber barely made it back to England but not all the way back to base.

On his 10th mission - aboard the B-17 'Pot o' Gold', his bomber was badly damaged by a German JU-88 over Denmark. Bailing out, he was immediately captured and held prisoner at the Stalag Luft IV camp, surviving harsh conditions and interrogations.

Near war’s end, as the Russian Red Army approached from the east, Lester was forced on a death march west, until reaching the British Army and liberation. For decades, Les wondered why the German fighter who wounded his bomber did not finish them off. In 2012, he finally located the German pilot – Hans-Hermann Muller – who had spared the American bomber knowing that if it went down over water, the entire crew would drown. The former enemies would become friends.

Interview recorded on November 3, 2023

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Video Credits:
Interviewer - Greg Corombos
Director of Photography - Jon Hambacker
Editor - Daniel Taksas

[americanveteranscenter]

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[mikefontaine]

I worked in an establishment where Les lived, I would spend hours talking to him about his service. What he didn't mention in this story is that after over 50 years he was able to track down the German pilot who shot him down. They became good friends and Les was invited to Germany where he was Treated with the most respect. He also went to the field in Denmark where his plane had crashed. He found the planes serial number as well as the some parts from the ball turret. Les is almost 100 and is doing well. 4/3/2024 He truly is an amazing man and I'm proud to call him a friend!!! Update, as of 4/19/2024 Les has turned 100 and is doing great!! He will be going to Normandy for the landing event soon. He appreciates all the interest everyone has in his story!!

[lollar]

This man at roughly 100 years old has an incredibly vivid memory and speaks very well and coherently. What a life to lead!

[ctogg]

The wing of his burning B-17 just blew off and he describes his bailout as "routine." Badass.

[davidroberts]

"I pulled the cord and the chute didnt deploy, but it was no big deal. I just reached back in the covers and pulled the chute out and it opened up successfully."
Outstanding.

[AM-eliv]

I'm a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 and I can not even start to compare what I went through to what this WW2 hero had to endure. What an amazing man and story. And to make friends with the man who used to be his enemy and shot them down, that requires a level of maturity, and emotional intelligence very few can achieve. Truly the Greatest Generation.

[charlesdavis]

As a former Marine, we tend to focus on the bravery and suffering of the ground troops, which was immense. Thank you for showing me the bravery, suffering, dignity, and resilience of our brothers in the air, without which the war could have never been won.
Thank this channel for memorializing these stories.

[MBAmsler]

My grandfather was a ball turret gunner. He got shot down on his 23rd mission over germany. Luckily, my grandfather was a very small man, so he was able to wear his parachute inside the turret and was able to ball out from inside the turret. The standard procedure was to go from the turret back into the plane, get your parachute, and then bail out from the main doors. This is basically impossible when the plane goes into a spin. The pilot and copilot never got out. The navigator was killed when he landed in some power lines. The rest of the crew was shot when they hit the ground. My grandfather was the only survivor. He passed away in January of 2022.

[barryperdue]

I am nearly 73 yrs. old and had the great fortune of growing up beside these amazing men and being exposed to their integrity. God Bless them all.

[paulpringle]

This man is credit to his generation and his country.

[kristopherguilbault]

I've never wanted to thank someone for their service more in my entire life.... This is a living Hero....

[daviswall]

“So many people don’t realize what freedom is like until they actually lose it.” Well said sir. Very well said.

[themightyspoon]

Being from England we are forever grateful for all the Americans who came to fight with us, bravest of the brave.

[lizardinthelites]

My great uncle was a ball gunner on one of these planes too. He was also shot down and parachuted somewhere over the Alps I believe. This family in the rural town took him in for a few days and kept him hidden from the Germans who were looking for him. I don't remember how he got out or much else from the story. He died when I was maybe 15 years old. I was a dumb teenager and didn't fully appreciate the ability to talk to him about all that stuff, one big regret I have to this day.

[MastaT_]

Just think about how crazy it would be that as a GI they knew your personal information, family members names, locations, etc. during your interrogation. It’s not like you’re a high profile officer and they certainly couldn’t jump on the internet or a computer and look it up in a database. That’s down right creepy to think how they actually got that info and could get that info. I could just be naive but that is mind blowing to me. Those were real men. God bless each and every one of our vets, thank you for all you’ve done for us.

[bretyoung]

A True American Patriot !! You are amazing, thank you for your service and sacrifice !! 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[adamapodaca]

Defying physics by fitting himself into a 3ft diameter ball when clearly he had two bigger balls to fit in there with him, dudes a badass 🫡

[yankeegonesouth]

I was acquainted with a B-17 ball turret gunner years ago. I only knew him briefly, but he was a good man who raised a great family. Thank God for men and women like him.

[lynand]

I cant get over how he people these days get upset over something they read He just went thru Hell and kept going.... I Salute you Sir. Thankyou for your service.

[abdulfatah]

Full head of hair, sharp as a tack, and as tough as a human being gets. Long live this American hero.