Inside the B-17 Ball Turret

[1srelluc]

Remember the Amazing Stories tale of the B-17? The cast was amazing.

"Amazing Stories" The Mission (TV Episode 1985) ⭐ 7.7 | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

46m | PG

www.imdb.com

 

[odanny]

Never even heard of Amazing Stories from Spielberg, guess this is when he started doing television again. Speilberg was the busiest man in Hollywood in 1985 with all he was cranking out. He started out on television 14 years earlier with his first film.

 

[1srelluc]

Never even heard of Amazing Stories from Spielberg, guess this is when he started doing television again. Speilberg was the busiest man in Hollywood in 1985 with all he was cranking out. He started out on television 14 years earlier with his first film.

I never saw one of the two seasons of Amazing Stories that wasn't a good watch.

I think they have it on Amazon Prime but I don't do Bezos so.....Oh well.

 

[MarathonMike]

Our local air museum has a B-17 on display and the ball turret is mind boggling to see. I was amazed how small it is and how vulnerable a soldier would be inside it.

 

[bdtex]

Not much chance for a ball turret gunner to get out if the plane was hit and the crew ordered to bail out.

 

[MarathonMike]

Not much chance for a ball turret gunner to get out if the plane was hit and the crew ordered to bail out.

Not quickly that's for sure. It's such a small space you'd have to be a contortionist and no more than 5' 6" to even fit in there.

 

[bdtex]

Not quickly that's for sure. It's such a small space you'd have to be a contortionist and no more than 5' 6" to even fit in there.

When you watch old footage of B-17s in raids getting hit and crew bailing out, it's not ball turret gunners getting out. It's usually waist and tail gunners and radio men getting out.

 

[jwoodie]

The ball turret was too small to store a parachute, so the gunner first had to rotate it to the right position, squeeze out, and then put on the parachute before bailing out. If the turret mechanism was damaged, he was a dead duck.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Not much chance for a ball turret gunner to get out if the plane was hit and the crew ordered to bail out.

Wrong. The ball turret gunner had the easiest exit route as long as the turret had power. All he had to do was to rotate the turret so that the hatch was pointed downwards and release the locks. He then would fall out. All the other crew had to get to either a door, hatch or the bomb bay IF the doors were open. In an emergency, the B-24 ball turret gunner had an advantage the B-17 ball turret gunner didn't. The ball turret on the B-24 was retractable in flight, so a wounded gunner could get aid where the B-17 turret had to be pointed in the correct angle to open the door.

 

[AZrailwhale]

The ball turret was too small to store a parachute, so the gunner first had to rotate it to the right position, squeeze out, and then put on the parachute before bailing out. If the turret mechanism was damaged, he was a dead duck.

If I remember correctly, the ball turret gunner's parachute was his back cushion.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Wrong. The ball turret gunner had the easiest exit route as long as the turret had power. All he had to do was to rotate the turret so that the hatch was pointed downwards and release the locks. He then would fall out. All the other crew had to get to either a door, hatch or the bomb bay IF the doors were open. In an emergency, the B-24 ball turret gunner had an advantage the B-17 ball turret gunner didn't. The ball turret on the B-24 was retractable in flight, so a wounded gunner could get aid where the B-17 turret had to be pointed in the correct angle to open the door.

Oops, I just watched the video, I was wrong about the chute.

 

[1srelluc]

Not quickly that's for sure. It's such a small space you'd have to be a contortionist and no more than 5' 6" to even fit in there.

There was a Speaker of the House (I don't recall his name) who was a ball turret gunner in WW-2...He was 5'-6".

 

[jwoodie]

The first USAAC Medal of Honor recipient was a B-17 ball turret gunner. Too bad he was otherwise such a jerk.

 

[whitehall]

Hopefully he would have had time to get out if they had to make a pancake landing without landing gear.

 

[Deadstick]

Remember the Amazing Stories tale of the B-17? The cast was amazing.

"Amazing Stories" The Mission (TV Episode 1985) ⭐ 7.7 | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

46m | PG

www.imdb.com

Inside that ball is the last place i would have wanted to be, a clear target for the German fighters like the ME 109, brave men indeed.

 

[progressive hunter]

Never even heard of Amazing Stories from Spielberg, guess this is when he started doing television again. Speilberg was the busiest man in Hollywood in 1985 with all he was cranking out. He started out on television 14 years earlier with his first film.

I loved that movie,,
I didnt know he did it or amazing stories

 

[AZrailwhale]

Inside that ball is the last place i would have wanted to be, a clear target for the German fighters like the ME 109, brave men indeed.

Tail gunners were more often a target since with them killed a fighter could camp on the tail off the bomber and methodically cut it to pieces.

 

[log cabin republican]

Cool. I haven't seen some old planes and parts in awhile. I like WW I planes because I've always like the rudimentary part and beginnings of things. There's a summer festival in upstate NY that flies the old biplanes. I want to check into that, and forgot about it lately.