Sabrejet Posted February 26, 2013 Share #1 Posted February 26, 2013 The sting in the tail! An Army Air Forces dramatized-documentary from 1943 showing how its Aerial Gunners gained their wings. The movie actually features a very young Ronald Reagan as a pilot and stars Burgess Meredith as "the rear gunner". It's obviously very much of its time, but extremely interesting nevertheless, particularly the scenes featuring the then state-of-the-art hardware! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKdLbEQ6Dv8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share #2 Posted February 26, 2013 Cutaways of aircraft turrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted February 26, 2013 How to keep your guns from freezing at altitude! (original cartoon from 8th AF magazine) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 26, 2013 Share #4 Posted February 26, 2013 C'mon boys! You too can join military aviation, expose your gun to enemy .50 cal fire and 300 mph shrapnel at 3,000 feet altitude while freezing half to death for hours inside a tiny aluminum capsule! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share #5 Posted February 26, 2013 Who'd be a ball-turret gunner?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h2ZzYs7_V0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 26, 2013 Share #6 Posted February 26, 2013 Who'd be a ball-turret gunner?! Fearless little guys with a sense of humour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted February 26, 2013 A special breed, without doubt! Claustrophobics need not apply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 26, 2013 Share #8 Posted February 26, 2013 A special breed, without doubt! Claustrophobics need not apply! Amen to that... The guys who did this simply defy any sense of self-preservation known to humanity. When first I actually got to see and touch on of those turrets, it humbled me so much, to imagine those men not only entering that thing, but fighting from it at altitude... and often not coming home or in pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted February 26, 2013 For sure Blue'. Here's the worst case scenario....that, and being trapped in one during a belly landing! At least it was retractable in a B-24. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 26, 2013 Share #10 Posted February 26, 2013 For sure Blue'. Here's the worst case scenario....that, and being trapped in one during a belly landing! At least it was retractable in a B-24. The anguish of the pilots involved, too... at such a moment. Anyone who has ever flown in a military aircraft will know what this situation means... the shear horror, the desperation, struggling with aerodynamics on touch down, knowing, knowing, knowing... hoping, praying, rushing out to see... Triumph, or tragedy - equally heart wrenching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2relichunter Posted February 26, 2013 Share #11 Posted February 26, 2013 Great video i watched the whole thing army airforce movies always remind me of my grandfather service as a navigator and 50 cal machine gunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1ashooter Posted February 27, 2013 Share #12 Posted February 27, 2013 Ian thank you for finding these great videos. I had the pleasure to work with SAC bomber crews and the last bomber built by Mr. Boeing the B52h. One of the pilots I knew flew the D model BUFF, where the gunner flew in the tail position. He said it was know for the gunner to fall asleep and if they didn't check in on crew checks they would jink the nose up and down. By the time the movement was felt in the tail it was more then a jink more like a slam. It never failed to wake the sleep gunner up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hueytaxi Posted February 27, 2013 Share #13 Posted February 27, 2013 Fantastic video! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share #14 Posted February 27, 2013 Glad you enjoyed them. The old training films and documentaries from the 40s contain a wealth of interesting material. If you do some "deep searches" on YouTube you'll find quite a few of them here and there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted February 27, 2013 Share #15 Posted February 27, 2013 A B-17 ball turret gunner I met a few years ago while flying in Nine-O Nine. Never got his name , I wish I did...His face says it all !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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