B-17 Bomber Ball Turret Introduction, Survivability, and Station Armor

The intent of the Part 1 video is to provide an introduction to the Sperry Ball Turret adopted by the B-17 bombers in WWII. Discussion topics include location of turret, crew gear, turret armor, survivability, bailing out and belly landings.
Library of B-17 Gunstations and Gunsights:
B-17 Tail Gunner Survivability (part 1): • B-17 Bomber Crew Tail ...
B-17 Tail Gunner Combat Effectiveness (part 2): • B-17 Crew Tour of Duty...
B-17 Ball Turret (part 1) Crew Survivability: • B-17 Bomber Ball Turre...
B-17 Ball Turret (part 2) External Features: • B-17 Bomber Ball Turre...
B-17 Ball Turret (Part 3) Combat Effectiveness: • B-17 Ball Turret, Comb...
B-17 vs. B-29 Gunsights: • WWII B-17 vs. B-29 Bom...
B-17 Gunsights for Ranging: • B-17 Bomber, Using Rin...
B-17 Gunsights for Tracking: • B-17 Bomber Tracking a...
B-17 Browning .50 Cal Machine Guns: • B-17 Bomber's Browning...

[@Holland41]

I always thought that the tail gunner's seat in a British heavy bomber like the Lancaster would be the most awful place to be in combat, but this ball turret takes the prize. Imagine flying into battle in this position. Hats off to them.

[@ScoutSniper3124]

It's not that bad, as long as you have "Balls of Steel", because Turret Gunners were DEFINITELY "BALLS OUT!".

[@crimony3054]

The tail gunner position had the highest casualty rate. Apparently it is a less fortified target and more easily sighted target. Tail position provides a silhouette from almost every angle.

[@lenrichardson7349]

A lot of attacks would come from the behind and so the tail would be the high risk area as well as critical defence.

[@christophermattern4547]

Tail attacks were frequent at first but became less common later as Luftwaffe pilots started to realize that tail approaches to the B-17 exposed the attacker to the heaviest defensive fire.

[@alexhurlbut]

They didn't have to be in the ball turret all the time. But man when that thing get jammed? and the hatch isn't in the right position? Imagine the feeling being in it knowing the possible outcome you have coming.

[@lep32456]

There is a book called “Dead Engine Kids” that was written by a B-17 turret gunner. I read it years ago and enjoyed it. It gives you a perspective on what the gunner went through.

[@xeutoniumnyborg1192]

My uncle was a ball turret gunner on an 8th Air Force B-17, and managed to survive and get back home. He took part in both the raids on the Schweinfurt ball bearing plants. They barely made it back from the first raid, and his plane ended up being scrapped. Three crewmen on his plane died in the battle going to and from Schweinfurt.

[@Redhand1949]

What group was he in?

[@oceanic8424]

[08/18/22] Do you know what the bomb damage assessment reports on Schweinfurt plants reported? How effective were the bombing raids on crippling, and handicapping the Nazi industrial machine, and their supply chains? Without a reliable, or steady supply of ball bearings, any rotating machinery fabrication would be brought to a halt. I am wondering how much hurt was applied to the Nazi war machine due to this constant bombing pressure.

[@Redhand1949]

@@oceanic8424 I have studied this myself for a book I wrote about a bomber crew that went on both Schweinfurt missions. If memory serves, the plants at Schweinfurt lost about 2/3s of production capacity in the immediate aftermath of 10/14/1943. However, the inability to follow up immediately with more raids allowed the Germans to diversify production sites, and ball bearings also weren't the Achilles heel the USAAF thought. The Germans were able to use "roller bearings" as a substitute for a number of applications. So the missions hurt the Germans but were not a killer strategic blow. The bombing campaign vastly increased in tempo and size of raids in 1944-45, and I think Speer is right in calling it a "second front" before D-Day. But 1943 was really tough for the 8AF. The statistic that always hits me is that no branch of the U.S. military in WWII suffered a greater percentage of casualties than the aircrews of the Eighth Air Force.

[@karlp8484]

The B-17 was an amazingly tough aeroplane. In contrast, the B-24 Liberator would often burst into flames with only a few hits.

[@Crazcosmopwnu]

My grandfather was a ball turret gunner on a B24 "Maxwell House" for 20+ missions. On the last mission the plane flew, they were hit by flak which blew the windows of the turret out, bent one of the guns over his boot, and severed the lines for the turret retraction controls. After being cranked up into the bomber he was able to get out and even got his boot back after having to take it off to get out. The turret was beat to hell but it had done it's job and protected him.Shortly after, the "Bail out" order was given from the pilot and the crew jumped and the pilot managed to belly-land the plane in a field able to walk away. All crew members survived except the nose gunner who had sadly taken a piece of flak.

[@stevenbreach2561]

There was no "cushy"position on the B17,but this was the stuff of nightmares.My total respect for the crews,but especially the ball gunners

[@sking3492]

Would have to agree Steve. 100pcent

[@jt7250]

Anything about the belly gun reminds me of the Amazing Stories episode of the mid 80s. The landing gear wont lower and the hatch to the ball turret wont open. The guy stuck in the turret is an artist, and frantically draws a plane with working landing gear. Miraculously, cartoon landing gear deploys on the damaged plane, and it lands safely. the gunner from the turret is in a trance like state, and is removed from the turret from outside the plane. When he comes to, the cartoon landing gear disappear, the plane falls and crushes the ball turret.

[@christophermattern4547]

The history of the ball turret is kind of interesting. Turrets were introduced in the B-17E in September of 1941; earlier models had only had flexible gun mounts. In the first Es, there was actually a remote-controlled belly turret that a gunner controlled with a rather complicated setup of mirrors. However, it quickly became apparent that this remote turret couldn't hit a damn thing, so it was replaced with the ball turret.

[@TheMoodyLoners]

Thanks! This presentation was full of detail I hadn't seen before. My dad was a ball turret gunner in a B17 in the 34th Heavy Bombardment group and what astounds me is the extremely cramped confines of the turret. Dad was 5'11" and around 170 lbs at that time so I can't imagine how uncomfortable it was for him to be curled up like that for hours at a time.

[@chrisgibson5267]

Selar Sabu ( Sabu the Elephant Boy) served as a tail and ball-turret gunner on B-24 Liberators, flying several dozen missions in the Pacific theatre, and winning the DFC.

[@BrianBattles]

Fascinating!

[@flyingfortressrc1794]

That was some great information. Unfortunately my Dad's Ball turret gunner got killed in action. I've sat in a ball turret and I couldn't imagine being in there for several hours.

[@kikupub71]

Extreme courage to strap oneself on the ball turret and fly the gauntlet of fighters and flak. Great video amazing technology for 1943. I heard that the all electric B-17 had serious issues but they did the job with distinction!

[@Dacman767]

Dude, I love your work so much. I really hope you can do other bombers like the B24 etc. Great selection of charts, I often find I have to pause the video just to really appreciate the amount of information in them. Thanks and well done.

[@slartibartfast1712]

Absolutely brilliant work, well done

[@conrad4667]

I did not even have to watch one second of your videos to subscribe. The titles alone sold me.

[@ctrainugly6444]

I can't believe those guys managed to fit in there... especially when you take into consideration the size of the balls needed to do that job in the first place!

[@mjbull5156]

And sitting in there for the mission

[@brucepickess8097]

And you certainly needed a pair of balls to occupy that position.

[@MattKearneyFan1]

Well the height limit was below 6 feet

[@billyponsonby]

I like this channel. I also enjoy the in-depth technical explanations in Greg’s Aircraft and Automobiles.

[@atomicshadowman9143]

Greg's inability to say "NACA" properly is hair pulling.

[@paigetomkinson1137]

I've wanted to know about this for a very long time, so thank you! Like most people in the comments, I can't imagine doing this job, not at all. Of course, my fear of flying would have gotten in the way with any position in a B-17, and I'd probably have gone into the Navy, anyway. That doesn't curtail my awe for any of the flyers, especially the ball gunners. I hope we learn just what they had to do with the peddles to turn that thing in the next video. Great stuff!

[@TonyFleetwood]

Can't wait for part 2!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Well done, great video.

[@bubblehead78]

Interesting video, well presented. Subscribed.

[@KermitFrazierdotcom]

ALL B-17, ALL THE TIME!!! Subscribed & gonna watch & like EVERY ONE!

[@mindbomb9341]

Amazing the shit we can discover these days from the comfort of our own home. I would have never believed it if you had told me as a teen in the 1980s. Thanks for your service!

[@dahlbergt]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

[@oceanic8424]

[08/18/22] The statistical inaccuracies, and incompleteness brought about by survivor bias cannot be underestimated. Huge amounts of valuable information could obviously not be included from the aircraft, and crews that did not return. Being a member of a bomber crew was a hell of a job!!

[@maxstr]

We gotta emergency land sir!! "OK, gimme 40 minutes to dismantle the ball turret"

[@MrLemonbaby]

Yeah, I enjoyed this vid. Look forward to more,

[@FeralPatrick]

My uncle was a ball turret gunner. Flew 35 missions, never hurt. Caught a piece of German flak in the sole of his boot, though. He actually had to bail out of one of his planes over France. The resistance helped him return to England 2 weeks later to fight again. His main plane was Li'l Audrey (42-32008) which flew at least 111 missions and survived the war. Zero casualties in her career. Thought (at the time) to be one of only a handful of B-17s to make 100 missions.

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

I get panic feelings just seeing the images.

[@snapringchronicles3020]

Wow fascinating stuff. Thank you much for sharing 👍

[@Bobshouse]

A really good friend of mine, George Main, was a B17 pilot with the 8th Air Force (RIP George). The stories he used to tell were unbelievable.

[@user-zn7tj3xc7k]

very interesting. i didnt know that there was so much design in a ball turret. specially the armored parts, i didnt know about it. thanks

[@brucepickess8097]

Indeed some of the crews stories about being placed in this position were sometimes a load of bull.😏😏

[@user-zn7tj3xc7k]

@@brucepickess8097 yes, sorry for the typo, english is not my native language

[@brucepickess8097]

@@user-zn7tj3xc7k Ok, English is my native language and I've made worse mistookz, sorry mistakes.😏😏

[@Defender78]

Prior to the sperry ball turret I think in the early models of the 17 and 24 were a window in which a gunner knelt in a large plexiglass plate window,. That was the 1st attempt at a downward facing gun, I can't find much material on this but early versions of bombers had a floor window with a swiveling gun but this was a deemed to be impractical so the ball Turret was invented. If anyone has any resources or links to the precursor to the ball turret please post it

[@olegmackogonov9318]

Шикарный материал, спасибо

[@billk8579]

Very informative video.

[@jimnotter6046]

I worked with a guy who was a ball turret gunner. He was a replacement gunner until he got assigned to a plane as a regular crew member. The way he said he got his job was that a B-17 came back missing it's ball turret gunner. While he said they didn't know exactly what happened, they thought he got sick in is mask, took it off to clean it out, got disorientated, rotated the ball incorrectly, and thinking he was climbing back into the plane, fell out. I don't know enough about the mechanics of the ball turret to know if this was even possible, but it was his story.

[@damegaKing]

nice Video, no BS, straight to the point. ty

[@WWIIUSBombers]

Thanks!

[@richardschaffer5588]

Excellent video! Some of your viewers don’t seem to get it that the ‘by the book’ bail out procedure can’t always be followed if the damage is catastrophic. The B17 was pretty well designed from the emergency exit point of view. My dad(an half the two crews) survived a mid air collision. He was the radioman he said he never would have made it in a B24. May suggest you slow down a bit especially when you show charts, graphs etc. I had to pause the video 3 times.

[@williamromine5715]

And, yet, the crew survivor rate for B-24s was higher than the B17s.

[@ellobo1326]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@RobotLegJim]

A good friend of mine restores these, and one day when he had one on the test stand (no, the guns were not operational), he asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin. Uhm, YES!!! When that hatch was closed, and the gyros spun up, I had nothing but respect for those boys that were on their missions. You can’t help but feel a sense of dread when that hatch get locked into place.

[@johnbradshaw7525]

I saw a video about a B-17 raid on Germany in 1944. One B-17 was really badly damaged. The ball turret gunner was trapped in the turret as it couldn't be retracted & he couldn't bale out. Also the landing gear couldn't be lowered. So whatever happened to the plane on the return journey, the ball gunner was going to die. That must have been horrendous for everyone involved knowing that the ball turret gunner was going to die whatever they did.

[@budyeddi5814]

The turret on the B17 doesn't retract, but it does have to be rotated to enter/egress so it's definitely possible to get stuck. B24 has a retractable turret IIRC. Definitely a horrible way to go out

[@jonathanallard2128]

A god damn nightmare scenario.

[@jonathanallard2128]

Like, what is the respectable thing to do, as the rest of the crew, knowing that the ball gunner will die upon landing (in what could've been hours ahead) Do you hide the situation from him so his final hours aren't spent in the worst panic inducing dread I can imagine? Do you tell him and ask him to dictate his final wishes and words to his family/wife despite the possible panic and obvious horror that him knowing his upcoming fate would bring? I'd say the latter, but I'm not sure which is more ethical. I can't imagine how traumatic it must be for the surviving crew as well. Hello PTSD. These guys have my deepest respect, just to risk this shit happening to them. I'd probably need several pair of underwear every single flight.

[@sking3492]

Read 'death of ball gunner', a poem of a B17 ball gunner. Frightening.

[@AlexDahlseid2002]

In the first B-17E’s they used a remote control bendix belly turret controlled by set of mirrors and this was same type of turret used on B-25B/C/D and early B-25G’s eventually from the 112th aircraft on they used the ball turret which would carry on to B17F and B17G.

[@williamfairfaxmasonprescot9334]

#WWIIUSbombers outstanding #educational video!

[@shaider1982]

Reminds me immmediately of the world according to Garp.

[@04u2cY]

@ 1:54 I searched the dictionary for days to try and find the right words so I would not insult how tuff the B-17 was and came to the conclusion no words can ever be invented to describe its tuffness.

[@briank677]

Flying swiss cheese

[@petethebastard]

It's odd the "Procedures recommend" ... LOL! When I was in the Army, Cavalry... Bail-Out Drills said to collect Codes, remove bolts from weapons, disable crypto-equipment, grab the first aid kit, your webbing, assist other crew members.... and exit the vehicle in a rapid and calm manner... and look out for the people shooting at you! Yeah! I'd be removing the sight... As a plane is plunging toward the ground... and I didn't have my parachute on yet!

[@sking3492]

Hahahahaha 🤣😂🤣😂you wouldn't be the only one, pete😂😂l would be pinning my ears back, and.... Run forest run!! 😜

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

Contrary to popular belief, the ball turret owed its name to the fact that most of the inside was occupied by the gunner's massive balls - which also provided him with all the armor he could ever need, as said balls were usually made of solid high quality steel.

[@Neubs_Fishing]

My grandfather was a Ball Gunner in WWII. He didn’t talk about the war much. I know he had a couple close calls though.

[@karlp8484]

I think the genius of the ball turret is that it isn't only for defending against attacks from below. The ball turret can also defend against beam and frontal attacks because the guns can elevate slightly upward too.

[@vanishingfolklore]

Death of a ball turret gunner is a powerful poem

[@wm.tomlinson1434]

My dad was flight engineer on a B-17. Shot down over France ... made it home.

[@jimdavenport8020]

Hoped you would have addressed the legend of the Ball Turret Gunner trapped in his turret and the aircraft having to belly land.

[@MrM1729]

As I recall, the B17 grew legs and safely landed. At least that’s how Steven Spielberg presented it ;)

[@raymondyee2008]

Reminds me of Rascal from “Memphis Belle” the movie.

[@mrkeogh]

1:37 must be where the inspiration for the Mojave Rangers came from in _New Vegas_

[@nickteoh5089]

I will never complain about my cramped office space ever again

[@ADRAPER1303]

Sounds like a great job..where do I sign?

[@johjoh978]

how often did they actually salvage the gun sights?

[@ronjon7942]

The bolt holding the top swivel must look really small from the turret. How long did it take to ingress/egress, and was he on station the entire duration of the mission?

[@manemperorofmankind8119]

Imagine being in there for HOURS!!!

[@salvagedb2470]

Am 6'5 , I could never imagine what the diminutive Operators felt like being in that Ball , you just have to give respect not just to them but the other crew members..

[@jordancoleman2402]

God i can only imagine the pure hell it was going down while trapped in the ball😞

[@sking3492]

I'd be shitting myself...

[@canaldoadelton6614]

Lembrei do filme Heavy Metal, episódio B-17

[@JonatasAdoM]

F-1 "Blue Bunny" also doubles as a Fallout Shelter Vault jumpsuit.

[@davidhayes7596]

Imagine getting leg cramps in that thing. God bless our patriotic servicemen.

[@haakonsteinsvaag]

My thoughts exactly. That and having to piss or take a shit, but that goes for all crew members.

[@sking3492]

I hear you. And no, Davy, you couldn't call in sick too.😜😜😜

[@sking3492]

@@haakonsteinsvaag Worse if you had a severe case of 'the trots' 😳😳😳. Speaking of cramp... it is bad enough getting it under both feet on land, let alone in the ball turret. I cant think of a more hideous and unnatural position on the bomber....

[@victorydaydeepstate]

I am subscriber 997!

[@brucepickess8097]

Well good for you, and ????????🤔

[@victorydaydeepstate]

@@brucepickess8097 Thank you! I'm happy you're happy for me.

[@ThatTallBrendan]

OH [CRAP], *WE'RE GOING DOWN!* Here let me just: Rotate my turret downwards, egress into the cabin, rotate my turret rearwards for the safety of the navigational crew, _and now_ attach my parachute.. so that _I may follow_ the waist gunners out of the escape hatch. But not before taking twenty minutes to salvage my turret's gunsight, of course!

[@sking3492]

Gunsight.... WOULD BE THE LAST BLOODY THING ON MY MIND! WHERE'S MY PARACHUTE???!!! ARGGGHHH!!!! 😜😜

[@LMTDDS]

He didn't mentions that on occasion the ball turret would be shot up and jammed and the gunner would not be able to exit the ball. If it was a wheels up belly landing with a jammed ball you can imagine what terror went thru the gunner's mind knowing what was going to happen.

[@sking3492]

HELLLLLLL YES!!

[@asafgl4281]

What happened if b17 lost control goes to spin , upside-down or hard dive how can any crew member can help him out , why i never heard about ball gunner traverse full up , open the hatch by his own and go straight out of turret to the sky with a chest pack parachute??? Instead go through all procedure whene any second between life and death is count??

[@truthseeker9163]

Ball turret gunner was the safest position on a B-17.

[@HCLSalt]

Not necessarily, as he stated in the clip those numbers don’t account for survivor bias, which means you can have a larger number of dead but lower numbers of wounded.

[@truthseeker9163]

@@HCLSalt Ball turret gunner was the only crewman protected by armor plate. And, enemy planes rarely aimed at him.

[@HCLSalt]

@@truthseeker9163 nice. Even knowing that I’m not sure if mentally I would feel any better being crammed in there. But I guess they probably got used to it, amazing what people can get accustomed to.

[@SoloPilot6]

Dumping the ball turret before a belly landing was intended to keep the plane from being broken over it, which could result in the plane rolling up into a big metal ball.

[@sking3492]

With or without the gunner???!!!😳😳😳

[@SoloPilot6]

@@sking3492 "Skipper, we took a vote and it was a tie, so now it's up to you!"

[@QuizmasterLaw]

i wonder how many ball turret gunners got jetissoned

[@kristopherbell7158]

How did they not fog up, condense bad with a warm person in a heated suit and the cold air hitting the turret?

[@billbright1755]

Imagine getting a leg cramp in that confined space.

[@jaxxmadine]

You forgot the remote electric turrets that they used in the earlier models.

[@stephenwalton9646]

The B-17 served in the Pacific against the Japanese as well as the European Theater.

[@donf3877]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I cut and pasted my comment for the video: I really do wish you would stop ONLY mentioning "Germany" in your B-17 videos. Referring to the stats are from the bombers over Germany yes... but you give the impression B-17's served ONLY over Germany. My father was a B-17 ball turret gunner, stationed on Iwo Jima. I have never been able to determine what the targets were for the B-17's from there. He did manage to live through it, or I wouldn't be here. And, B-17's were used in almost all theaters.

[@bigbob1699]

How did they get the gunners into the turret with those big brass balls?

[@garydurandt4260]

Fortunately they are not magnetic!

[@elultimo102]

@@garydurandt4260 One account said the ball-turret was abandoned on later planes, because the men couldn't fit their big balls in such a small space.

[@paoloviti6156]

Very interesting video but I always understood that the turret gunner needed a crew member to open the hatch because the gunner himself couldn't unlock the hatch behind him. Urgh what a way to get stuck....

[@WWIIUSBombers]

The gunner can extract himself, just reach behind his shoulder and articulate the latches inside the turret. There are a couple videos on youtube showing this.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@WWIIUSBombers thanks for replying, so it wasn't true? I know that he will have to grab his parachute usually putted nearby, put on and bail out as fast as possible! Much appreciated for the info.....

[@sking3492]

I thought so too. And yes it would be hideous if it got stuck..

[@TRUMP_WAS_RIGHT_ABOUT_EVRYTHNG]

holy moly slow down with the pictures lol you dont give any time to look or read what you wrote. had to slow down play speed lol . dont worry about long videos, we like them :)

[@ZackChannel]

Metric system?

[@mobeyond]

you can feel backache by just looking at that drawing ......

[@sking3492]

Not to mention cramp, cold fingrrs, and a numbed mind...

[@disturbingdevelopment4308]

Let's see: hours in a fetal position with turret temperatures around -50C and a requirement for fed oxygen. No parachute immediately available, so if the plane goes into a spin, you're toast. Bugger that. Sign me up for latrine duty instead.

[@sking3492]

Latrine duty would be a shitty job😜😜😂. Mailman, or milkman would be better 😝😝

[@ProfessorPesca]

So were they in that turret for the duration of the mission or did they just get in there when over enemy territory? It looks a bloody awful job, unbelievable that men could do that indefinitely. Also it’s incredible how small the bomb bay on a B-17 is compared to what I expected.

[@barryhoward7284]

I have the movie "Memphis Bell" on DVD, it's a story about a B-17 mission very loosely based on the REAL Memphis Bell B-17, and in the movie the ball turret gunner does not enter his turret until they get close to enemy territory and is able to exit the turret after leaving enemy airspace.

[@luigismushrooms5701]

Just a cool 40m disassembly of the ball... No big deal lol

[@BigboiiTone]

How long would it take to impact the ground once the plane was "shot down?" Like once the plane has taken critical damage and the captain gives the order to bail out, how much time would they have? I doubt 40 minutes. I guess the Army wouldn't be getting many of their sights back

[@richardmillhousenixon]

Dropping the turret and/or removing the sight was only done if you needed to do a belly landing (i.e. you can not deploy your landing gear for whatever reason, but your plane is still controllable). If you have to bail, then your plane is so badly damaged that you can not even fly it to a controlled crash landing, and the sight is too bulky to carry out with one of the crew as they bailed.

[@BigboiiTone]

@@richardmillhousenixon Thanks

[@taggartlawfirm]

Up to 35,000 feet… but the gunner didn’t climb into the turret until the bomber neared hostile territory.

[@jiyushugi1085]

And then there was the shot-up fort that had to belly land but the ball turret was jammed and the gunner couldn't get out......true story.

[@mattdawg83686]

You had to have balls as big as church bells to ride on those turrets.

[@Ricardo-cl3vs]

I'm a dwarf so that would have been my job for sure..

[@richardmillhousenixon]

Same

[@newmoon54]

GREAT INFORMATION ...... OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO THE AVERAGE PERSON HERE ON KZbin~!~ SO ..........THANKS A MILLION~!~

[@jimmorrison5493]

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner BY RANDALL JARRELL From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

[@sking3492]

Very sad.

[@michaeljack6277]

Death trap.

[@peterlyons8793]

My father, Thomas J. Lyons was a top turret gunner/engineer in a B-17G named "No Comment Needes" from 8/44 to 11/44. He was shot down over Bremen, Germany on November 6, 1944 and spent the remaining 6 months as a POW until liberated by the Canadians in May 1945. I remember him saying the B-17 was a "flying coffin."

[@SeRgA123456789]

I hope they would let the gunner out before ejecting the turret.

[@richardmillhousenixon]

sacrifices must be made to the god of war

[@JonatasAdoM]

Getting cramps inside that must have been awful.

[@loverofnaturalbeauty]

I would in no way consider yards of belted 50cal rounds above my head any form of protection. Have you ever seen what happens when a round hits the ammo boxes in the wings of a fighter?!?

[@user-co4rs7ob1t]

Нижняя стрелковая турель...мечта садомазохиста!!Ее видемо мазохист придумал...

[@rbilleaud]

Yeah, like you got 20 minutes to unbolt a ball turret. Even if the pilot manages to keep the plane in the air, I'm sure you have other more pressing concerns.

[@richardmillhousenixon]

You don't drop the turret if you need to bail, only if you have to make a belly landing back at base.

[@rbilleaud]

@@richardmillhousenixon yeah, but you know, you're also probably fighting off pursuing fighters, taking care of wounded fellow crew members, maybe even tending to your own wounds, putting out fires. Dropping the ball turret seems like kind of a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. Sure, provided none of that other stuff is going on, which seems kind of unlikely, go ahead and get rid of it. Once I found out that was possible, here's a moral dilemma question. Let's say you're coming back from a raid and you can't get the gear down but your crew mate is stuck in the turret, can't get the hatch open. You know if you belly land, he's a goner Do you detach the turret and let him fall to his almost certain death or let him get squashed in a belly landing. Gruesome it's true, but those are the kinds of decisions you sometimes face in war.

[@sking3492]

Yes, like living!!

[@sking3492]

@@rbilleaud exactly, Robbie.

[@okim8807]

I know Han Solo and Luke were in it.

[@HeedTheLorax]

Ummm only works vs Germans ?

[@kevinwilson3773]

no wonder my navigator is so bad in Bomber Crew he was siting at the wrong seat all time

[@williewonka6694]

Survivor bias. I wonder how many ball turret gunners never had the opportunity to get out of the ball when it was time to bail out. They had a lot to do when seconds counted.

[@georgebuller1914]

WTF! So the poor sod in the ball turret has to rotate the turret down, climb out of its top, locate AND secure his parachute and then join the 'queue' to bail out - all this whilst the aeroplane is probably rolling/spinning around and all kinds of sh*t is going on! THEN - if possible they must 'save' the gunsight! Yeah, sure - "Hey Skipper, have we got 20 minutes to unscrew this thing?" I'm amazed the aeroplanes ever got off the ground carrying so many big bras balls!.....

[@sking3492]

Lol.

[@atomizerx8903]

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