B-17 Machine Guns IN DEPTH! - The Browning Legend

Take an in depth look at the legendary "Memphis Belle" Waist Gunners and learn about the equipment and role in which all B-17s flew to their target. Learn about the bloody war in the skies above Europe in M.A.C. B-17 series. Explore the B-17 waist guns in-depth inside the Memphis Belle in this video. Learn all about the WWII history and design of these iconic weapons.
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00:00 - 01:16 Waist Guns In Action
01:16 - 02:10 Waist Differences D Model To G Model
02:10 - 05:46 Equipment Features In Waist
05:46 - 06:54 The G Model Upgrade
06:54 - 11:18 The AnM2 Machine Gun
11:18 - 15:56 The Memphis Belle Field Modification
15:56 - 17:06 Waist Gunners Casualty Statistics

[@randalldunkley1042]

Both adapters have the grips on backwards. So much of this narration is wrong or inaccurate. Original film footage of the Memphis Belle at the waist area shows the flexible ammo feed chutes installed in the aircraft. The O-1 ammo can was not used in combat except at the ring mount in the radio room top hatch. I can guarantee that those ammo boxes mounted on those spindly angle iron supports would not last the G load of bouncing around in the waist position if filled with ammo belts. 100 rounds of .50 caliber with links is about 30 lbs. There is a special adapter that is required to fit the little O-1 box or ammo chute to the guns feed pawl bracket. Neither gun has these fittings. The E-12 adapters shown use an extended bracket so the O-1 box will clear the mount frame at the feed pawl bracket in either left- or right-hand feed. There is no adjustment to the rate of fire with the exception of the oil used in the buffer and the setting of the ports in the buffer itself. The lighter barrel of the AN-M2 gives it a higher rate of fire than the ground gun. All M2 Brownings produced were shipped as the AN-M2 basic aircraft model and the ground guns were converted later by ordnance centers for vehicle or Infantry use. Nearly 2 million receivers were built by many contractors. Over 10 billion rounds of ammo were manufactured during the war. The English Channel is literally covered on its seabed with dumped bombs and ammo belts and .50 caliber machine guns thrown out the waist positions, let alone the vast amounts of ships and aircraft there. Imagine all the spent cartridge cases ejected out over Europe during those air battles.

[@HH-COactual]

Ok Karen, we will get right on it. Did you not listen to what he is saying in the video? He literally mentions half of your corrections. This is a museum, creative liberty is given and full credit to the restoration crew, enjoy the plane and the work they have done instead of having a meltdown because someone missed a bracket to install.

[@GuidosDad]

☝🏻😆 THIS is what happens when you’re Awkward and Women won’t talk to you! Don’t forget to clean the Cat Box

[@GuidosDad]

Randall Dunkley ? 😳 Is this Same Randall Dunkley who would ingest boogers for a quarter back in grade school ??? How are you man? Last time I saw you you were stuffed in a locker with your underpants stretched over your head 🙏I hope there’s No hard feelings …are you still living down by the swamp ? ❤️ You

[@GuidosDad]

IM SAD THAT I LIVE IN A WORLD WITH RANDALL DUNKLEY IN IT 😢

[@randalldunkley1042]

@@HH-COactual The fact that it is a museum means you must be absolutely correct in the impression of how things were done 80 years ago. All the information I gave is available from many sources, no excuses for sloppy research.

[@kenibnanak5554]

I wish my Dad was still alive to see and comment for this video. Although technically a USAAF photographer assigned the 320th (North Africa, Sicily, Italy) B-26 planes, on most flights he served as a Waist Gunner coming and going to the place being bombed. I talked to him a little bit about his experiences when I was young, but regret I did not ask better questions due to my own lack of knowing what to ask about back then. I would love to hear his comment on the feed system on the Memphis Belle and to know what alternate ammo feed system (if any) the B-26 gunners had come up with. The AARs showed they sometimes got kind of busy and lost a few planes, so I would imagine the B-17 and B-24 guys weren't the only waist gunners doing some improvisation. About armored windows and plate on the B-26, he said it would stop the first bullet or two, but after awhile they just walked on through. Like many AAF crew and pilots his 1911 pistol had/has grips made from shot up Plexiglas windows of the plane.

[@spiffinz]

Thanks for sharing. I always wondered how they made those see thru grips with pictures in them

[@kenibnanak5554]

@@spiffinz It was kind of a USAAF badge of office. Pilots and air crew both did often have them. Infantry and Artillery soldiers (at least early on) didn't have ready access to shot out cockpits or observation windows). But after a few combat missions there was plenty of shattered plexiglas at an airbase. Yes, some kept photos of girl friends under them and those are called sweet heart grips. My Dad told me that he liked it because it let him see how many shots he had left. If he ever had some woman's picture under his grip panel, I am sure he removed it after the war before Mom saw it. I was told in the early days of Torch after they had secured the air field they had no missions until the planes arrived and the weather cleared, so they spent time patrolling the base perimeter and after a while they made a sort of game of it. Single file patrol. First man was first until he saw a rat or whatever the local rodents were dart across the trail. Fire a shot with your pistol at it, then go to the back of the line and the next guy would continue and try and so forth. He said after a month or two of that a few hours every day you got pretty good with a .45.

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

Thankyou for watching and supporting the channel. Im glad you found the series interesting.

[@GuidosDad]

FANTASTIC JOB !!!! This entire series has been Terrific. Thank you 🇺🇸

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

Thankyou for watching!

[@pjdava]

MILITARY ARMAMENTS COMPANY , I really enjoyed this video, so I hit the like button!

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

Thankyou for watching and supporting the channel!

[@GuidosDad]

Absolutely Fascinating! I just learned a great deal about the B-17 , in particular THE Memphis Belle

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@GuidosDad]

“ ITS QUITE A THING TO BE STANDING HERE” Well fukin Said / Done !!!!!!!!!!! 🇺🇸

[@tunafish3216]

This is a great series.

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

Glad your enjoying the series. Thankyou for supporting the channel.

[@christiancruz4533]

❤ great vid !!!!!

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

Glad you liked it!! Thanks for supporting the channel. Check out our other B-17 series if you haven't yet.

[@06colkurtz]

The ma'duce has selectable rate of fire. High and Low. I still have my headspace and timing gauge.

[@HH-COactual]

It does? Where do you select it?

[@carlthompson4687]

No M-2 variant had selectable fire rates. Variances could be obtained by meticulous adjustments of the timing nut to get the desired rate.

[@rogercreighton3950]

PLEASE TURN THE MUSIC OFF !

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

We have done that. People exit out of the video and don't continue watching it, the channel stops growing. Can't please everyone.

[@GuidosDad]

RIGHT ?!?? Personally - I - would have loved to have seen more flying Unicorns 🦄 and Tie Fighters in this video !!! I guess you can’t please everybody 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@HH-COactual]

The Music seems fine to me. I don't know why people get so distracted