Thank you for sharing. Discharged: October 1944 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. Since Japanese coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the . Your turn. Answer (1 of 5): 5-6. See much more from Sgt Lester Schrenk! The landing gear was stuck also, and being after a mission the aircraft probably low on fuel. The poem was written later in Jarrell's service career. The title"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner"sets us up for a poem about war and death. As you get in, take these steps carefully and in proper order. A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24 bomber. Greg Allen/NPR This Veterans Day, we're hearing. Crews on a B-17, fondly referred to as "The Flying Fortress," flew enemy raids against Nazi Germany from 1942 to 1945. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. Its movement was controlled by a self-contained, electrically-powered hydraulic system, and could rotate at high speeds important for tracking fast-moving enemy aircraft. fortunately I had my radio in my locker recording the base station while I was working and caught it. Deviating from the course and getting out of formation was sure suicide because German fighter planes were always lurking in the clouds, ready to pick off a random plane. I have a question for the forum members to ponder. I remember touring a B-17 when an air show was here long before I wrote my book. ", My Dad says "I saw the tulips spelling out 'Thank You, Yanks.' Then he called anyone. No answer. He continued in the army reserves as the war as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain's pay. It was published in 1945 and based on his own unforgettable experiences in World War II. Modern aircraft usually employ remote weapons systems, eliminating the need for a housing big enough to accommodate a gun and . I have seen photos of B-17's that belly-landed with the ball turret in place. Top Turret Gunner/Engineer: 10. The Sperry nose turret was tested and preferred, but its use was limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs. I would like to know the Bomb Group, the Bomb Squadron. A trunnion system provided vertical movement. Sponsored. Nothing my father had related to us over the years prepared us for the terrifying reality of his position. He was posted to the 360th Bomb Squadron and the 303rd Bomb Group as a Ball Turret Gunner on a Boeing B-17 Bomber known as "Snap! Two enemy fighters stayed right with us. Wake up to the day's most important news. He would put on a safety strap and close and lock the turret door. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Randall Jarrell - 1914-1965 From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. There was no room inside the ball turret for a parachute. He knew they were going to make it. The gunner placed his feet in the heel rests and occupied his cramped station. However, since there was only 40 cm between the ball and the runway, gunners would wait until the aircraft was in flight before entering. John ww2vault Member 1,231 Location: North Carolina, USA #11 $0.99 + $1.09 shipping. By =). These ideas are birth, death, and war. After the stark clarity of the title, though, line 1 is a little more cryptic. 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. There was no room inside for a parachute, which was left in the cabin above the turret. $5.39. I didnt want to go down in flames so I tried everything to escape, he said. The waist blisters were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed airflow, and limited the gunners traverse. Ball turret gunners were courageous warriors. The gunner in these turrets had to be in a reclined, almost fetal position. ", Through the years, my dad spoke haltingly about his wartime experiences. Because of this surprise attacks from 12 oclock were not uncommon. And, if there was a water landing the ball turret gunner would be submerged first. guns firing. Small ammunition boxes rested on the top of the turret and additional ammunition belts fed the turret by means of a chute system. Bobgee. The turret was stuck so the gunner couldn't get out, and ball turrets were too tight for most gunners to wear a parachute. They say your life flashes in front of you when youre about to die. It wasn't until I was about 9-years-old that I realized the impossibility. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In order to fit inside the turret, the gunner had to assume a fetal-like position, with their knees bent close to their body. They then placed their feet on the heel rests inside and lowered themselves inside. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Powered by Invision Community. A bombers ball turret position is often looked at with fear in ones eyes, being suspended underneath a bomber with 30,000 ft between you and the ground. 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. The B-17 crew already had a flight engineer, so Frank was selected for the ball turret gunner position. And I remember clearly having to circumnavigate around the huge turret in the middle of the floor. B-24's, which had a 'retractable' ball-turret, sometimes had such an operator. The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II. Continue with Recommended Cookies. After the war he became a Baptist missionary. I looked it over and noticed a puncture in the left wing behind #2 engine. Some gunners had to maintain this position on missions of up to 10 hours. Due to scheduling and additional training received by some members of Frank's crew, he flew his first combat mission as a ball turret gunner with the Lt Dow C. Pruitt crew on April 18, 1944. Nothing was found to either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question. It's become a movie clichejust think of the climax of "The Memphis Belle" movie! At only four feet across, the ball turret was rather small, but it still packed a punch. separation from his new bride back home in England. Another story on this web site, WWII Camp Shanks, New York: And a Visit by Archbishop Spellman, addresses the comfort that faith in God provided the men and women who fought and died in the war. The ball turret was the most accurate and deadly turret on the B-17 & B-24 mostly due to it's advanced computing gunsight which was state of the art at that time. Aerial gunners were trained in Air Corps schools that popped up across the United States in 1941. With the thousands of B-17s in combat it is logical to think it did happen. The first is admiration: Jim Shepard, who has been much praised for his . The bomber is flying at a very high altitude and the speaker's life before war (even life itself), left far below, feels like an illusion. The target that day was Kassel, Germany. The Sperry-designed ventral system saw widespread use and production, including much sub-contracting. As with all roles in the B-17, the ball turret gunner needed to be fearless. Entered Service: 21 November 1942 He flew 31 combat missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress over Nazi-occupied Europe. He did not endure the cramped cold that your father did. It would take equal damage on both sides to jam the gear. Right Waist Gunner: 4. It was named the Sperry turret, after the company that made them; the Sperry Corporation. Answering the call to arms, Dad joined the US Army Air Corp and became a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 bomber. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. Expecting to be assigned to a B-24 crew but due to the needs of the service, Frank was assigned to the Lieutenant (Lt) John J. Connolly crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress. Foot pedals on the floor controlled the gunsight between their legs and ran the intercom that served as the only form of communication between them and the rest of the crew. Frankwas very active in his church and his community. It was the job of the ball turret gunner, armed with a pair of .50-caliber machine guns, to defend the aircraft from attacks below. The gunner would use his left foot to adjust a frame in the sight to match the size of the targets wings this would provide the targets range to the computer. Its hard to explain like if you get killed, so what you just dont care.. Nothanks for the heads-up JS! They include "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner," not his best but certainly. A few are still flying today. Did anyone in your family serve in WWII? The Sperry Ball Turret was under the plane as seen in the photo. It was able to turn on two axis; 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Being the ball turret gunner in a B-17 was no man's first choice of assignment. Ball turrets appeared in the nose and tail as well as the nose of the final series B-24. Arguably one of the worst was as a ball turret gunner. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. There were plenty of positions during World War II that put a servicemans life at risk. The 10 day affair wrapped up in the village church. By the time Berlin Special made it back to its base at Podington the rest of the squadron had landed. Links are encouraged. It was essentially a ball that stuck out of the bottom of a plane to protect its vulnerable underside. I have spoken to Bob in the past. Ball turret gunner's tale It was their second mission in "Berlin Special," a B-17 "Flying Fortress." Their four-engine bomber was part of the 92nd Bomb Group, 407th Squadron of the 8th Air Force flying out of an airbase near Podington, a tiny farm village some 40-miles northwest of London during World War II. The system allowed the gunner to protect all of the area below the aircraft, instead of just the rear. I was stuck, Burling said with a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes more than half a century after the incident. I've read of incidents in a couple different books but for the life of me couldn't find them yet despite spending much of last evening trudging through a large portion of my books looking. The date was April 20, 1944. The turret was intended to be waterproof, but accounts showed that wasnt the case. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. The Ball Turret Gunner from B17 42-31377 Pot OGold crashed on 22 FEB 1944, tells in BALL TURRET about his job. The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. A 5-7 person could fit, but was 'uncomfortable' in the rather confined space. On the show World War 2 in HD The Air War Andy Rooney tells the story of a B-17 ball turret gunner traped in the turret and crushed to death when the plane was forced to make a wheels up landing. The pilot and the co-pilot must be able to start and to land the machine well and safe. The compact size of the gunner surrounded by thick glass, aluminium and armour plating, combined with being underneath the aircraft, meant the gunner was relatively safe. Finally, there were three planes in our formation that were trailing behind the main formation. ball turret 2 [ ] B-17 2008 The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. Made of Plexiglas and about four feet in diameter, the ball turret was a sphere attached to the bottom of B-17s. He understood. A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. And War as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain 's pay the photo eliminating! Up to the bottom of a plane to protect its vulnerable underside they include & quot ; the of... The rear joined the us army Air Corp and became a ball turret about his experiences. 21 November 1942 he flew 31 combat missions as a ball turret was and... 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