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Did the B-17 have a tail gunner?
On the B-17 was a 10 man crew plus room for passengers; 2 Pilots who had no weapon control, a Bombardier who operated the Norden Bomb Sight and also served as the Nose Gunner, a Navigator who operated the cheek guns in the nose of the plane, the Engineer who operated the Top Turret Gun, a Radio Operator, a Ball Turret …
How did B-29 Gunners aim?
In the remote system, the gunner aimed the sight directly and the turret was driven electrically to follow the sight-position signal. To establish proper calculations, a gunner would focus a series of dots from his gunsight onto an enemy target and follow it briefly.
What does a turret gunner do?
Armed with two 50-caliber machine guns and capable of rotating 360 degrees, the ball turret gunner was responsible for protecting the otherwise-exposed underbelly of the flying fortress.
What does a tail gunner do?
A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter or interceptor attacks from the rear, or “tail”, of the plane.
Does a B-52 have a tail gunner?
It did not involve a B-17 or a B-24 facing off against a Luftwaffe attack, or a B-29 defending itself in the Korean War—Turner was a tail gunner on an aircraft still flying but not usually associated with machine gun defense: the B-52. Today the B-52 is one of the most versatile and long-lived airframes in history.
Does the B 52 have a tail gunner?
The B-52 bomber is an iconic aircraft. Its first flights were in the 1950s, and it’s still seeing military service. The early B-52 models had a tail gunner position with cramped working conditions and those in the big plane’s far back seat, first underwent psychological testing.
Who was the tail gunner on a B-17?
In December 1943, Stevens joined his 10-man B-17 bomber crew. He was assigned to be the tail gunner and he took to it right away. Everyone else was close enough to other crewmen for conversation—at least over the interphone; the noise from the engines blotted out normal conversation. The tail gunner was all alone.
Where are the guns on a B-17 Flying Fortress?
In the E throu early G models, the guns where mounted on a simple pivot mount in a hole and covered with a canvas bag in the rear of the fusalage. Cables connected the guns to the pin and rectical sight that the gunner used to aim with.
What was it like to be a B-17 bomber gunner?
It is also good to note that being a B-17 gunner was very difficult from the standpoint of physiology. The unpressurized aircraft were extremely cold, drafty (especially earlier models) and the guns required great skill to aim and fire effectively.
Can a dome gunner accidentally shoot the tail off a plane?
While inside, I noticed the dome gunner seems to be in a position to accidentally shoot the tail off the plane! Are there any confirmed instances of this happening? Was there some way to prevent it – either be it training or some mechanism that stopped the guns while in this position?