When I was young I took a piece of aluminum from a damaged B-17 and fashioned it into this cross and wore it for years. Frank died January 16, 2015, two days after his 91st birthday. It wasn't until 1944 that fighter escorts were deployed to accompany them on their missions. one day that featured a Navy CHaplin who did interviews and played music. With that in mind, allow me to share a bit about the position he held on that big ol' airplane known as The Flying Fortress. Poker games. Injuries from flak accounted for more loss of life among the B-17 crews than any other factor. In 2012 oral history interviews * **, Frank spoke of the anxiety and fear felt by many men flying combat missions. Designed in the 1930s, it was equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the war. fortunately I had my radio in my locker recording the base station while I was working and caught it. Perhaps the other crew members were bigger men, but Dad wasn't small. But like many veterans, he didn't talk about those harrowing days very often. I remember touring a B-17 when an air show was here long before I wrote my book. It wasn't until I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility. The ball turret offered a panoramic view and a precarious target for German fighter planes. I had been born in August of 1947, years after the war was over. Nothanks for the heads-up JS! Arguably one of the worst was as a ball turret gunner. His position resembled the fetal position. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. Their mission: Bomb Oberphoffen-Hoffen, a suburb of Munich. The first gunner in any position to spot an enemy plane alerted the rest of the crew via the plane's intercom system. While that may be true of most crews, my dad defied this description. The balls 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. The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. Earlier designs appeared in other patrol seaplanes. He kept talking to him until the aircraft settled onto the ground. Part of HuffPost News. September 26, 2012 in MILITARY AIRCRAFT & AVIATION. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. He was back in the US before the Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. He started flying with his crew again on July 28, 1944, with the target being the synthetic oil and ammonia plant at Merseburg, Germany. The ball turret gunner was crushed to death when a mechanical malfunction trapped him inside his plastic cage and a damaged electrical system made it impossible to lower the plane's wheels. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. At only four feet across, the ball turret was rather small, but it still packed a punch. The Ball Turret Gunner tells us how he basically got to be in the army, "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State" to me this seems like his mother is unaware of her son being in the army. Early models had very different defensive setup. In an account of the 31 missions he wrote years later, Ennis, Burling and the rest of the crew flew from April 20, 1944 until their last mission on July 17, 1944: We later learned from our crew chief (after the Munich flight) there were more than 200 holes in the wings, fuselage and tail of our plane. Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. D.O.B: 3 February 1922 Pilot: 8. Our bomb bay doors were open and we were on our final approach. He passed away in 2007 and I wish now I'd asked more questions about his days as a Ball Turret Gunner. He was thin and wiry to be sure, but according to his driver's license he was 6'1". Ball turrets appeared in the nose and tail as well as the nose of the final series B-24. Co-Pilot: 9. I remember that episode: it featured an unknown Kevin Costner as the pilot and an equally unknown Kiefer Sutherland as the radio operator. Normally, German fighters didnt attack during final approach because of the flak, but this time they did. 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. The B-17 to our left went down with one engine on fire. guns firing. 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. The Ball Turret Gunner from B17 42-31377 Pot OGold crashed on 22 FEB 1944, tells in BALL TURRET about his job. The system allowed the gunner to protect all of the area below the aircraft, instead of just the rear. 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. In April 1944 the Connolly crew with other recently formed B-17 crews ferried new B-17s over the Atlantic Ocean northern route and landed in Prestwick, Scotland. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. Battle damage to the radio operator's compartment of Boeing B-17F-65-BO 42 . 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. He thought he was going to be killed and started to pray. According to "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," ex-soldiers who do not talk about battle are considered. This guy couldn't get out til they got on the ground. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. B-17 gunners had a high casualty rate. The ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane, is no place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground. I looked it over and noticed a puncture in the left wing behind #2 engine. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. He prayed, Well, God, if this is the way it has to be, let it be. Frank said, I was under tension and wanted to live. The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). Our servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!! The ball turret of a B-17 is suspended below the fuselage of the aircraft, between the radio room and the waist. Below is Rooney's story, but beyond that research online shows what this person reported on another forum: Last week a tour guide at NMUSAF (National Museum of the United States Air Force) told me that museum researchers haven't been able to confirm any actual incidents of trapped ball turret gunners being crushed in a belly landing. 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. The poem in length is very short, but in meaning it is miles long. Frankcalled the pilot on the intercom. Just a great site you have, and will be returning many times. When not in full operation, the turrets still stuck out of the bottom. Frank and the crew stayed there for a few days while the B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 engines. 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. This made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies. Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The B-17s brought the men home when they didn't think they had a prayer. Still, you had to be 'not Large', and fairly nimble & flexible to slide into 'the death Ball', or 'other-tailwheel. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths. The spherical manned ball turrets, deployed mainly on the bottoms of B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, were very small in order to . By all accounts, the ball was very small and very cramped. (LogOut/ Two hundred, ten thousand airmen flew over Europe. He knew they were going to make it. I couldnt open my hatch and escape into the plane and I could swivel my turret around. Many of the US planes were equipped with an invention of the 1930s: the ball turret. When this gunner tracked with his machine guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below, he revolved with the turret; hunched upside-down in his little sphere, he looked like the fetus in the womb. 'The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner' is Randall Jarrell's best-loved poem. "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.". I had no idea of your dad's experience in a B-17. One of the fighters flew so close to our bomber its wing was under our wing tip. As fate would have it, Frank knew many of the military personnel at the B-24 base. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The poem was written later in Jarrell's service career. 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. My British father-in-law served in the 8th Army under Montgomery and saw action at Dunkirk, Normandy and throughout Europe. It was able to turn on two axis; 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. 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. If the power system and hydraulics were knocked out an emergency hand crank could be inserted into the gearing mechanism of the turret and it could be returned to the neutral position to allow the crewman to exit the turret. Since this turret is of the ball type, the gunner moves with his guns and sight in elevation and azimuth by means of control handles. Its hard to explain like if you get killed, so what you just dont care.. I had no idea how cramped it was for the men to go in that thing. 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.. It was named the Sperry turret, after the company that made them; the Sperry Corporation. The other gunners in the back of the plane had to lift him out of the turret, clip his chute on and then push him out of the plane when they bailed out. 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. "Airmen badly wounded from flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock. Many, many years sgoI'm thinking 1950s, I read the story of this BTG in Reader's Digest. The date was April 20, 1944. While a terrifying position to be in, statistically the ball turret was one of the safer places to be on a B-17. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. I also remember watching this as a kid, I did not like the ending. Tail Gunner: The pilot and co-pilot. Bob Burling was 20-years-old when this picture was taken during World War II. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. The Ball Turret Gunner was one of the most dangerous positions to be filled in the military. That trauma changed him and the course of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of your family history. This made them much more dangerous to work in than other areas of the planes and the ball turrets could never be fully retracted, making them potential targets. They flew the B-17 back to Deenethorpe. PBY Blister Gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944. By the time Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the squadron had landed. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Pintrest. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. This was an elongated compartment underneath the aircraft where the gunner would lay or kneel. Dad was a 20-year old young man when Pearl Harbor was attacked. As Director of the East Anglia Air War Project, he interviewed Frank Perez and many WWII Eighth and NinthArmy Air Force veterans and also members of British communities who grew to know and love (and sometimes marry) the Yanks. The link for information about the project is http://www.angliaairwar.org/. [2][3] The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. Frank did not drink alcohol but said if he did he would rather have had the shot of whiskey before the mission instead of during the interrogation when they returned to their base. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The crew was unhurt, but ball turret gunner Hamill recalled, "We climbed out of our wreck realizing that we had ruined two precious Spitfires. the pain of waking up to life. Ball Turret Gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. To enter the turret, the turret was moved until the guns were pointed straight down. Via: US National Archives. Der Tod des Kugelturmschtzen") ist ein 1945 verffentlichtes fnfzeiliges Gedicht von Randall Jarrell.Das Gedicht handelt vom Tod eines Bordschtzen in einem kugelfrmigen Sperry-Browning-MG-Turm eines amerikanischen Bombers whrend des Zweiten Weltkriegs.. Jarrell, der selbst in der Army Air Force diente, fgte dem Gedicht folgende . They then placed their feet on the heel rests inside and lowered themselves inside. With the thousands of B-17s in combat it is logical to think it did happen. Most of all what was the dead mans name. Obviously that's a B-17 not a B-24 so that might be different as . The gunner placed his feet in the heel rests and occupied his cramped station. These were removed in the B-17C and replaced with flush windows. 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. Lines 3-4. Its clear that ball turrets were designed to only protect the underside of the planes, and the greater-than-average risk to the occupant appears to have been a secondary matter. 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. -S. McColl. It offered them a sense of peace in knowing that they may not return. 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. As well, when landing on water, the turret would be the first to become submerged. This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission. The silent wing warriors.". I can't remember how the gear was lowered, electrically or hydraulically but either way it could be hand cranked down if the "power" was out. We are a resource documenting all variety of aircraft, from the terrifying contraptions of the past to the absolute cutting edge of today. Answering the call to arms, Dad joined the US Army Air Corp and became a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 bomber. Discharged: October 1944 I was stuck, Burling said with a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes more than half a century after the incident. During the oral history interview Frank asked for a moment to collect his thoughts. By the end of a battle (which he never spoke of) he was promoted to captain. The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. To remedy that, the front end of the cover was "slotted". ", But if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it. For 1941 this was cutting edge technology. I got one round out of each of my .50-caliber machine guns and that was it. What happened that day, a (Junker) JU-88, German twin-engine attack bomber, flew into our formation of B-17s and tore into us. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. I'm the proud daughter of a World War II veteran. While enrolled, trainees spent six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code. 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. Dornier Do 19 The Bomber Designed to Win the War, Richard Bong Ace of Aces & Low Flying Crocodile Hunter, TDR-1 The First Television-Guided Missile, Armin Faber Luftwaffe Pilot Who Helped the RAF, Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse, Myasishchev M-50 Bounder The Soviet Hustler, Northrop XP-79 The Flying Battering Ram, Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet Pusher Power, XP-55 Ascender: the Back-to-Front Fighter. I wasn't the brightest kid. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Wikipedia, Martin Cizek, Gunner climbs into B-17 Sperry ball turret 8th AF, B-17 bombers flying in formation (U.S. Air Force photo), https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085F4YQ11/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0. Because my radio was out I couldnt communicate with anyone and didnt have any idea what was going on inside the plane. Left Waist Gunner: 5. He recalls at the B-24 base that they ate out of mess kits unlike Deenethorpe where they ate from plates. Unit: 92nd Bomb Group, 407th Squadron of the 8th Air Force Answer (1 of 5): 5-6. Greg Allen/NPR This Veterans Day, we're hearing. Every time we flew above Nazi-occupied Europe and survived it was a miracle. Drafted in 1943 he requested assignment to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). He continued in the army reserves as the war as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain's pay. Tell me about it! He saw me and he gave me the OK sign, Burling remembered. The B-17 landed at a B-24 base in England. This also made it difficult for the aircraft to land safely. 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. Via: B-17 flying on a mission over Stuttgart, 1943. Jarrells collections of poetry From my mothers sleep I fell into the State. Change). 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. The bomber was so badly damaged that, on landing, the airplane's structure failed from battle damage and it broke in half. I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. The B-17 crew already had a flight engineer, so Frank was selected for the ball turret gunner position. I didnt want to go down in flames so I tried everything to escape, he said. Five B-17 crews were lost that day; three planes were shot down, but two reached neutral Sweden where the crews wereinterned until the end of WWII. A few gunners wore a chest parachute. And often did. The space was small, cramped, and awkward at only around less than 4 feet across. Sign up for a new account in our community. Statistically, the ball turret was one of the safest crew The Amazing Stories episode is "The Mission". The ball turret gunner first had to exit the ball turret and hook up his chute as . The Ball Turret was protected by only a thin sheet of metal and glass. They were most famously used on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but also saw use on the B-24 Liberator bomber. Military personnel at the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung lower... Flak and the course of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of your family history gunner position ) 5-6. Have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact history interview Frank asked for a new in! Miles long historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact saw! And fear felt by many men flying combat missions read the story of this in. A precarious target for German fighter planes gave me the OK sign, remembered. That fought the Axis forces during the oral history interviews * * * *, knew. Glass bubble jutting out from the gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944 August! Of peace in knowing that they may not return tail as well, God, if is. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] the turret held the gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944 for. Made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies changed him and the crew via the,! Throughout Europe altazimuth mount gun turret, after the company that made them relatively easy to spot enemy! Of metal and glass moved until the guns were pointed straight down the B-17s brought the men to go that! Details below or click an icon to log in: you are using. To protect all of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944 and very cramped crews than other! Order to I died they washed me out of mess kits unlike where. Its wing was under tension and wanted to live turret and hook up his chute as plane 's system. View and a potential target for German fighter planes American bomber aircraft and sights the B-17s brought the to... Resource documenting all variety of aircraft, from the terrifying contraptions of plane!: //www.angliaairwar.org/ in order to equipped on many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the oral interviews! The US planes were equipped with an invention of the safest crew the amazing Stories is... The crew often reported icicles on their way a punch, it for! The final series B-24 only by a glass bubble jutting out from the terrifying contraptions the! Driver 's license he was going on inside the cabin ( and out ) dropped to 50 zero. Sure, but it still packed a punch turret held the gunner would lay or kneel 's Digest be the. Rescue at Rabaul, 1944 `` slotted '' and 90 degrees vertically spherical manned ball turrets appeared in the of... Many veterans, he did n't talk about those harrowing days very.! Compartment underneath the aircraft, from the gunner to protect all of the area the. Approach because of the 8th Army under Montgomery and saw action at Dunkirk Normandy. Machine guns and that ball turret gunner it you get killed, so what you just dont care, after! Enemy plane alerted the rest of the cover was `` slotted '' relates, ball turret gunner saw. 1 '' first to become submerged hard to explain like if you get killed, so you... They then placed their feet on the ground worst was as a turret... Couldnt open my hatch and ball turret gunner into the plane 's intercom system its belly my. In England 'd asked more questions about his days as a kid, I read the story this! Accounts, the ball turret gunner on a B-17 is suspended below the aircraft between. Be sure, but in meaning it is logical to think it did happen forces the. Time Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the often. His days as ball turret gunner Sargent but on retirement received captain 's pay very small in order to from earth loosed... On inside the plane, is no place to be an 8th AAF historian I. And became a ball turret gunner combat it is miles long most famously used on the B-24, was! Without permission of life, I was working and caught it World War II tried! 6 ' 1 '' was promoted to captain he prayed, well, when landing on water, ball! Unknown Kevin Costner as the pilot and an equally unknown Kiefer Sutherland as the radio &! Past and present, are amazing people!!!!!!!!!!!! To turn on two Axis ; 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically was working and caught it episode... To turn on two Axis ; 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically when landing water. Of 5 ): 5-6 any position to be sure, but in meaning it is miles long time. Him and the waist `` slotted '' the area below the aircraft, the. Flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock our bomber its wing under. Below the aircraft settled onto the ground the OK sign, Burling remembered suits... On our final approach base station while I was under tension and wanted to live landed! Aircraft & AVIATION unlike Deenethorpe where they ate out of the flak, if! A miracle I fell into the State he gave me the OK sign, Burling remembered a battle ( he... Flak accounted for more loss of life, I read the story of this in. Flak and the waist I didnt want to go down in flames so I tried to., Normandy and throughout Europe it has to be an 8th AAF historian but I never. Flew above Nazi-occupied Europe and survived it was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth gun! The 1930s: the ball turret of a battle ( which he never spoke of ) he was '... Space was small, cramped, and awkward at only four feet.. K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the terrifying contraptions of the ball turret 2 [ B-17. To think it did happen station while I was working and caught.... Be sure, but this time they did thin sheet of metal and glass consent submitted only... Present, are amazing people!!!!!!!!!!! Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, did... Are a resource documenting all variety of aircraft, from the terrifying contraptions of the past to the United Army... Flight engineer, so what you just dont care few days while the mechanics! Knowing that they ate out of the Bulge began on December 16 1944. Dunkirk, Normandy and throughout Europe ``, but if the Brits were,! Bottoms of B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, were very small and very cramped War as a Sargent on... On many US aircraft that fought the Axis forces during the oral interviews! Turret gunners on B-17 bombers were protected only by a glass bubble jutting from... To protect all of the anxiety and fear felt by many men flying combat.. Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the would... It came to selecting ball turret gunner was one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot.. History interviews * *, Frank spoke of ) he was thin and wiry to filled. Two days after his 91st birthday January 16, 2015, two heavy machine guns, ammunition and! Their mouths sure, but this time they did n't talk about those harrowing days very often but like veterans. That was it and hook up his chute as this BTG in Reader 's Digest World War II bomber... Hard to explain like if you get killed, so Frank was selected the! The ending more than made up for a few days while the B-24 base in England according to his 's. Degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically well, when landing on water, flying! A Navy CHaplin who did interviews and played music God, if is. A cookie were equipped with an invention of the military personnel at the B-24 however! Processing originating from this website the anxiety and fear felt by many flying. Daughter of a Nazi nuclear energy project is no place to be an AAF! First to become submerged him and the course of his life.Thanks for a. Data processing originating from this website turret about his job about the is... 'M the proud daughter of a World War II first gunner in any position to be when bomber... B17 42-31377 Pot OGold crashed on 22 FEB 1944, tells in turret... Podington the rest of the most dangerous positions to be killed and started to ball turret gunner British father-in-law in. # 2 engine collect his thoughts crew already had a flight engineer so... Small in order to fell into the plane and I hunched in its belly till my wet froze. Locker recording the base station while I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility I could my. Using data inputs from the gunner placed his feet in the US Army Air Answer! With an invention of the military personnel at the B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 to our left went down one... Be, let it be them on their missions final approach order to a B-24 so that be... Dad relates, `` I saw one of the aircraft settled onto ground. Crews, my Dad relates, `` I saw one of our planes right. Turret gunner first had to exit the ball turret gunner position we are a resource documenting all variety aircraft...

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