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It’s 1943, you’ve been assigned to the 8th Air Force…
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:41 pm
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:41 pm
… as an enlisted machine gunner on a B-17. Being enlisted, you can’t be a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, or bombardier. Here’s your choices:
Radio operator /top turret gunner
1. Waist gunner
Ball turret gunner
Tail gunner
Which position would you want? For anyone saying ball turret gunner, I hope you’re no more than 5’4” tall.
Personally, I’d chose radio operator or waist gunner as they had the best chance of being able to bail out when the bomber starts going down.
Radio operator /top turret gunner
1. Waist gunner
Ball turret gunner
Tail gunner
Which position would you want? For anyone saying ball turret gunner, I hope you’re no more than 5’4” tall.
Personally, I’d chose radio operator or waist gunner as they had the best chance of being able to bail out when the bomber starts going down.
67
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:44 pm to Darth_Vader
Quite obviously the radio operator. The rest as I recall had a higher mortality rate especially the ball turret.
The amount of guys that died doing these runs is staggering however. That’s an absolutely frick no job
The amount of guys that died doing these runs is staggering however. That’s an absolutely frick no job
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:45 pm to Darth_Vader
Radio operator and top turret. To hell with the ball turret .
This post was edited on 3/19/25 at 8:46 pm
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:45 pm to Darth_Vader
Bombardiers were all officers?
I did not know that. Is it because they "took the controls" when on the bombing run?
I did not know that. Is it because they "took the controls" when on the bombing run?
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:45 pm to Darth_Vader
I wanna throw fastballs from the tail gunner seat
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:46 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:Second that. That’s what I remember from the book Masters of the Air.
I’d chose radio operator or waist gunner as they had the best chance of being able to bail out when the bomber starts going down
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:47 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
The conventional landing gear of the B-17 allowed for a non-retractable mount, but if the plane was required to do a belly landing (such as in the case of landing gear system failure), the ball turret would likely be destroyed due to the lack of clearance, meaning anyone occupying the turret would be in a precarious position if unable to escape.
ill pass on that one
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:48 pm to Darth_Vader
Waist gunner
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:51 pm to Darth_Vader
Not the turret gunner…. That’s a tight fit.
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:51 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
The amount of guys that died doing these runs is staggering however. That’s an absolutely frick no job
Little know fact, the 8th Air Force had a higher casualty rate than all Army or Marine Corps infantry divisions during WWII.
This post was edited on 3/19/25 at 9:31 pm
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:52 pm to HeadSlash
Would not matter to me. I’m there to defend my country and kicks JAP arse.
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:53 pm to Darth_Vader
One of the best Americans ever Charles Bronson did that. He was a real hero unlike John Wayne.
This post was edited on 3/19/25 at 9:03 pm
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:54 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
higher castrate
I’m filing for a medical exemption
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:55 pm to Darth_Vader
Check out the casualty rate in British Lancaster number crews. Staggering
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:55 pm to Darth_Vader
:focal(2695x1413:2696x1414)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/4f/21/4f21ff67-d9c8-439b-9057-d492c9224f95/05c_dj2015_si-80-20353_live-cr.jpg)
Ball turret had estimated 60% mortality rate!
This post was edited on 3/19/25 at 8:56 pm
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:56 pm to IAmNERD
quote:
Bombardiers were all officers? I did not know that. Is it because they "took the controls" when on the bombing run?
That’s my understanding. Also, they had to have a very high security clearance because they had to know every detail about the Norden bombsight.
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:56 pm to Darth_Vader
Have you read Masters of the Air by Donald L Miller? He focuses on the 8th. Those studs helped win the war but at an extreme cost. God bless our airmen.
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:59 pm to Darth_Vader
My great grandfather chose radio operator. I believe I would choose the same
Posted on 3/19/25 at 8:59 pm to Darth_Vader
Hollywood made a stunning film about these men.
That film was Twelve O'Clock High.
That film was Twelve O'Clock High.
Posted on 3/19/25 at 9:01 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:My Uncle Don was a radio operator on A B-17 flying out of Italy. His plane was shot down over Germany but he survived and lived out the rest of the war as a POW. He never talked about it, though.
Quite obviously the radio operator.
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