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. This however quickly flips when the aircraft is shot down, as the gunner has to turn to the turret to the exit position, climb out and put on his parachute, all while the aircraft is falling out the sky. After the war he became a Baptist missionary. I got one round out of each of my .50-caliber machine guns and that was it. The primary target was Oranienburg, Germany. As a child, he spent time in Los Angeles, where his grandparents lived, and he would later write movingly about the city in The Lost World, one of his best-known poems. 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. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. Thank you for sharing. Gunners protected, constantly twisting and turning -- checking for enemy fighter aircraft. I remember watching it when I was young. In the film, the turret is shot off entirely and the gunner rescued, so the issue of getting back out of the turret never comes up. I tried to ease it by having a photo taken next to the Liberty Belle turret in 2010. This was only possible to accomplish in daylight. So, many were tossed out in parachutes, in the hopes that German troops would give them emergency care before shipping them off to P.O.W. Linked to yours at mine. =). A nod to the poem can also be found in John Irving's 1978 novel The World According to Garp, in which the protagonist's father died from a "rather careless lobotomy" by enemy gunfire while serving as a ball-turret gunner in World War II. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. I didn't know what exactly it was because there was no person or printed material to explain anything. For 1941 this was cutting edge technology. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. B17 Flying Fortress Waist Gunners #1010 Crew Print WW2 WWII 4x6* $0.99 From this position a gunner could cover virtually the entire underside of the aircraft with his machine guns. I have spoken to Bob in the past. See much more from Sgt Lester Schrenk! Camps. But like many veterans, he didn't talk about those harrowing days very often. So they couldn't just drop the turret. Dornier Do 19 The Bomber Designed to Win the War, Richard Bong Ace of Aces & Low Flying Crocodile Hunter, TDR-1 The First Television-Guided Missile, Armin Faber Luftwaffe Pilot Who Helped the RAF, Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse, Myasishchev M-50 Bounder The Soviet Hustler, Northrop XP-79 The Flying Battering Ram, Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet Pusher Power, XP-55 Ascender: the Back-to-Front Fighter. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. They could be raised or lowered with hand cranks. During this time period, Jarrell wrote many poems and novels about the army and the war while he was a celestial training navigator (Pritchard). I could see Jess Stallworthy, one of our waist gunners, an American Indian. The ball turret was mounted underneath the aircraft and was used to defend the bomber against aircraft attacking from below. Lines 3-4. -S. McColl. The date was April 20, 1944. "[1] Most commentators agree, calling the poem a condemnation of the dehumanizing powers of "the State", which are most graphically exhibited by the violence of war. After all, he had trained with them in Biloxi, Mississippi. 1914-1965 Poet and critic Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a manned turret, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in use. Top Turret Gunner/Engineer: 10. In the case of the B-24, the Liberator's tricycle landing gear design mandated that its A-13 model Sperry ball turret have a vertically retractable mount, so that the turret would not strike the ground as the plane pitches up for takeoff or during the landing flare. The ball turret gunner was crushed to death when a mechanical malfunction trapped him inside his plastic cage and a damaged electrical system made it impossible to lower the plane's wheels. It was essentially a ball that stuck out of the bottom of a plane to protect its vulnerable underside. Earlier designs appeared in other patrol seaplanes. He is retired and lives in Grantville, MD. This made them relatively easy to spot and a potential target for enemies. He served in the 332nd armored division and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. The Sperry nose turret was tested and preferred, but its use was limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs. Graduates of the school became a B-24 Liberator Flight Engineer. Well I couldnt move so I just sat there. The Connolly crew then went to Sioux City Army Air Base in Iowa for advanced overseas crew training. Nothing was found to either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question. Hill Aerospace Museum's Boeing B-17G In an account of the 31 missions he wrote years later, Ennis, Burling and the rest of the crew flew from April 20, 1944 until their last mission on July 17, 1944: We later learned from our crew chief (after the Munich flight) there were more than 200 holes in the wings, fuselage and tail of our plane. 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. While anyone who flew on a B-17 bomber during World War II had a pretty dangerous job, the ball turret gunner was undoubtedly put in the most-precarious position. Part of HuffPost News. The Sperry ball turret was very small[clarification needed] in order to reduce drag, and was typically operated by the smallest man of the crew. "I was feeling pretty good by this time - like "three-martinis good" -- from lack of oxygen," my Dad reminisces. I had no idea of your dad's experience in a B-17. I just know that everything in the 8th AAF was so well documented I thought I would have read about it. The space was small, cramped, and awkward at only around less than 4 feet across. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. This copyrighted material may not be republished without permission. My hubby says his father rarely spoke of those long 6 yrs. And, if there was a water landing the ball turret gunner would be submerged first. The plane was flying at treetop level with only two of the four engines working. I am not claiming to be an 8th AAF historian but I have never seen any documentation to prove it as fact. One of the fighters flew so close to our bomber its wing was under our wing tip. Since Japanese coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the . Ramey found the turret in a surplus shop many years ago. Still, you had to be 'not Large', and fairly nimble & flexible to slide into 'the death Ball', or 'other-tailwheel. I wasn't the brightest kid. To aim the guns, the Sperry turrets were equipped with the advanced K-4 gun sight. Two hundred, ten thousand airmen flew over Europe. Jarrells collections of poetry From my mothers sleep I fell into the State. It is a truly monumental poem that in its simplicity there are so many hidden values. With this information, the sites reticule would automatically adjust to the lead required to hit the target. The turret mounted two Browning 50 caliber machine guns that would fire 750 to 850 bullets in a minute , that's about 14 bullets a second. After gunnery school at Laredo Army Air Field, Texas, and ten days leave, Sergeant Perez reported to Salt Lake City Army Air Field, Utah, where flight crews were being formed. If you look close enough to Jarrell's words and the way he states them, it shows that he has a very strong negative attitude toward war and what surrounds it. In April 1944 the Connolly crew with other recently formed B-17 crews ferried new B-17s over the Atlantic Ocean northern route and landed in Prestwick, Scotland. (LogOut/ The turret on the B-24, however was retractable, as it hung much lower down. In the photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the fuselage rather than being crushed. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. With all of the emergency landings that were madewhy not! A ball turret is a rotating housing for guns mounted on the body of an aircraft to allow the gunner to fire back at attacking planes. The waist blisters were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed airflow, and limited the gunners traverse. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. He felt a need to enlist in the Army and defend his country. Frank did not drink alcohol but said if he did he would rather have had the shot of whiskey before the mission instead of during the interrogation when they returned to their base. And I remember clearly having to circumnavigate around the huge turret in the middle of the floor. Sign up for a new account in our community. (A pretty impressive bit of aviation engineering!). Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. The turret was a small, cramped place to be, often operated by the smallest men available. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. The balls door was located directly behind the gunner, so with the guns at 0 degrees of elevation the turret could technically be entered from the outside while the B-17 was on the ground. I guess that didn't matter since your dad was over six feet. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Clickhereto view the War Tales fan page on FaceBook. By all accounts, the ball was very small and very cramped. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. Here's what he wrote: There was quite a dscussion about this story on the armyairforces forum. He always had a passion for life and considered every day a blessing. In fact, a literal reading of the line is downright confusing. It had black and yellow check designs on its engine cowling and tail. He continued in the army reserves as the war as a Sargent but on retirement received Captain's pay. He said the boy inside was not just killed, he was destroyed. Veering off course, heading for Sweden, I watched as it was blown up. Frank could not get out of the ball turret due to the centrifugal force created as the plane fell from the sky. Their mission: Bomb Oberphoffen-Hoffen, a suburb of Munich. 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. That trauma changed him and the course of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of your family history. 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. My Dad relates, "I saw one of our planes -- right next to me -- shot down. While that may be true of most crews, my dad defied this description. Later in the war the US Navy also used ball turrets on their PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers with less-dangerous positions on the plane at the side or the front below the cockpit. The city was the site of a Nazi nuclear energy project. The link to the story ishttps://www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/wwii-camp-shanks-new-york-and-a-visit-by-archbishop-spellman/. I didnt want to go down in flames so I tried everything to escape, he said. A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24 bomber. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. The space inside the turret was very small and cramped. separation from his new bride back home in England. Then he called anyone. No answer. Statistically, the ball turret was one of the safest crew Hot meals. From this sphere, a gunner, upside down, could track the enemy, revolving as he let fly with his machine guns. Frank sailed home to the United States (US) after completing his required combat missions. The poem, written in first person, gives the deceased turret gunner a 'live' voice. Because I hadnt transferred any fuel out of that tank there wasnt any oxygen in the tank to cause an explosion. April 19, 1944, Frankssecond combat mission, he rejoined the Connolly crew. 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. Finally, I looked up through a 4-inch glass port that allowed me to see into the bomber. Every time we flew above Nazi-occupied Europe and survived it was a miracle. I researched that aircraft to death for Rose Harbor as that's what my heroine flew with WASP. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In 2012 oral history interviews * **, Frank spoke of the anxiety and fear felt by many men flying combat missions. The legendary stamina of this incredible aircraft became a well documented fact. Entered Service: 21 November 1942 There was no room inside for a parachute, which was left in the cabin above the turret. He flew with the Lt Albert L. Hanson crew. [2][3] The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. The gunner in these turrets had to be in a reclined, almost fetal position. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. The Brits however weren't totally enamored with the boys from the U.S.A. As they said, "The Yanks were overpaid, oversexed and over here. Seems very possible. I have a question for the forum members to ponder. It offered them a sense of peace in knowing that they may not return. I did find this, which isn't of a belly landed B17 but does support the idea of a crewman in the ball turret having to ride it down since the crew could not get him out while still in the air. Pintrest. They had talked to him. I'll keep digging for an actual bellied in incident. They say your life flashes in front of you when youre about to die. Bobgee. Transported from Scotland to England the Connolly crew was assigned to the 401st Bomb Group (BG), 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe. The utilization of rhythm, use of imagery, and sequencing of events profoundly impact the development of the theme which conveys . There was no room inside the ball turret for a parachute. And once very 30 days, a three or four day pass to London (and the British pubs). 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. Small, tight, difficult to escape from and with minimal visibility, the ball turret was a sphere of danger. There is an episode of Amazing Stories about a ball turret gunner trapped in his turret and the plane has no more landing gear. ", But if the Brits were ambivalent, the Dutch more than made up for it. My dad was never in the war because of his health history and being 4F. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. Hometown: Dayton, Ohio The Ball Turret was protected by only a thin sheet of metal and glass. I hope someone can post a source other than Andy Rooney. Michelle, In 1942 my father was classified as 4F due to a heart defect. As fate would have it, Frank knew many of the military personnel at the B-24 base. All rights reserved. Two of the engines of the B-17 were stopped, about 3,000 pounds of dead weight hanging from the wings. When we got over the target the flak was so heavy you could almost land on it. If you like this article, then please follow us onFacebookandInstagram, Another Article From Us:Dornier Do 335 Pfeil The Piston Powerhouse. The K-4 sight worked by using data inputs from the gunner to calculate the required deflection (lead). The poem's speaker suggests that he slips from the protection of his mother's womb into "the State," where he finds himself in a ball turret (the round compartment on a bomber plane from which a gunner shoots). Access was severely restricted by the guns' location in the small turret. After that: three hours of circling the airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect themselves against German counter attack. Growing up near an aircraft manufacturing plant, he became interested in airplanes. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" written by Randall Jarrell is a poem that introduces three major ideas in only five lines. The base was about two miles east of Corby, Northampshire, England. Kuhl was a ball turret gunner. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths. After doing some research this fact about the ball turret was pointed out. :pinch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxG-3SiMObs;feature=fvwrel. Drafted in 1943 he requested assignment to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). the pain of waking up to life. He never lost his childhood love for flight. Commendations: Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, campaign ribbons with three battle stars representing the Normandy Invasion, Northern France, European, African and Middle Eastern Theatre and the Air Offensive in Europe. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. Greg Allen/NPR This Veterans Day, we're hearing. 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. From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Location of the Ball Turret in a B-17. Stepping away from her academic career, Samantha previously worked as a Heritage Researcher and now writes content for multiple sites covering an array of historical topics. The Sperry Corporation designed ventral versions that became the most common version; thus, the term "ball turret" generally indicates these versions.[4]. The ball turret, hanging down beneath the plane, is no place to be when the bomber is moving along the ground. Co-Pilot: 9. Once in, the door was closed shut, and he placed his feet into stirrups in front of him, holding the triggers above his head. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The plane was losing altitude fast and. This guy couldn't get out til they got on the ground. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. Ball Turret Gunner B17 Flying Fortress Print WW2 WWII #1009 5x7. The other gunners in the back of the plane had to lift him out of the turret, clip his chute on and then push him out of the plane when they bailed out. Frank and the crew stayed there for a few days while the B-24 mechanics repaired the B-17 engines. Gunner Bombardier of B17 Bomber Wabash Cannon Ball WW2 WWII Re-Print 4x6 #od. After testing in mid-1943, the ERCO ball turret became the preferred bow installation in the US Navy's Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bombers although other types continued to be installed. The cocking handles were located too close to the gunner to be operated easily, so a cable was attached to the handle through pulleys to a handle near the front of the turret. While enrolled, trainees spent six weeks learning about range estimation, ballistics, aircraft recognition and Morse code. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. But when Lowell first met the pilot of Take It Easy, he knew what the officer was thinking. He was back in the US before the Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. Ball turret gunners were courageous warriors. Our servicemen, past and present, are amazing people!!! I lost everything but my oxygen. Left Waist Gunner: 5. They were most famously used on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but also saw use on the B-24 Liberator bomber. Another problem with ball turrets was they never fully retracted into the plane. Kush is at the left end of the front row. Lines 1-2. I grew up believing the tale my father told me -- that I had spent World War II being toted around on his back. And my father wasn't traipsing around Europe on foot in the Infantry, anyway -- he was a ball turret gunner in The 8th Army Air Corp, operating in a confined space. Unfortunately, this was not a very good place for the parachute, as the gunner needed to open the turret door, enter the fuselage and strap themselves in all before the plane crashed. The turret held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition, and sights. This was an elongated compartment underneath the aircraft where the gunner would lay or kneel. At only four feet across, the ball turret was rather small, but it still packed a punch. In "Why Soldiers Won't Talk," Steinbeck uses the imagery of a body waking up from anesthesia to describe. Thank you to Josie Navarro, Franks niece, for her help in researching this story, sharing family memories, and for permission to post the photographs. I've never known about this, another of those things I don't think to ask about. Former Staff Sgt. PBY Blister Gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944. Normally, the gunner accessed the firing chamber by releasing a latch and raising the cover to a position perpendicular to the gun but this was not possible in the ball turret. But, the gruesome and terrifying nature of being a ball turret gunner was captured in a poem by soldier and poet, Randall Jarrell, when he described the gunner being hosed out of his turret after dying during the mission in Death of Ball Turret Gunner. guns firing. D.O.B: 3 February 1922 Did you intend this? After the Connolly crew June 6, 1944, D-Day mission to Caen, France, Frank was hospitalized with pneumonia. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. Liberator. Should the ball turret gunner have to bail out of the aircraft, he would likely bail out through the waist door. The ball's door was located directly behind the gunner, so with the guns at 0 degrees of elevation the turret could technically be entered from the outside while the B-17 was on the ground. Obviously that's a B-17 not a B-24 so that might be different as . Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, Each turret contained 2 .50-caliber machine guns which could be moved to hone in on enemy targets. He knew what they had to do. I wasn't the brightest kid. The target that day was Kassel, Germany. As with all roles in the B-17, the ball turret gunner needed to be fearless. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. It's become a movie clichejust think of the climax of "The Memphis Belle" movie! The pilot was First Lieutenant Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21, flying the 25thand lastmission of his tour. I had been born in August of 1947, years after the war was over. Andy Rooney is supposed to have told about seeing it happen. A good friend of mine was a flight engineer on B-17s. Eventually, the ball turret was abandoned in future plane designs, leaving the immense dangers it posed behind. Every person involved in fighting or caring for the wounded in World War II had a risk to their life. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. The poem is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft. A ball turret comes back to life! Jarrell is able to accomplish a lot in this short poem by using diction and syntax such as metaphor and figurative language. Thank you for sharing your dad's story. 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. Fan page on FaceBook since your dad 's experience in a B-17 City was the site of gunner. Also in use with them in Biloxi, Mississippi grew up believing the tale my father told me that... Airfield to get in formation -- an absolute necessity to protect its vulnerable underside in 2012 oral history *... Photos it looked like the ball turret got pushed up into the plane no idea of your dad experience! Hand cranks only a thin sheet of metal and glass have a question for the wounded World... Surplus shop many years ago it hung much lower down, Northampshire, England a parachute or kneel did... Only be used for data processing originating from this website in these turrets had to in! Lowell first met the pilot was first Lieutenant Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21, flying 25thand... That they may not be republished without permission: http: //www.youtube.com/watch ball turret gunner v=CxG-3SiMObs ; feature=fvwrel my says! To black flak and the plane while it was essentially a ball stuck! Either confirm or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question have about... V=Cxg-3Simobs ; feature=fvwrel in his turret and the crew stayed there for parachute... This sphere, a suburb of Munich bellied in incident in these turrets to... Many veterans, he became interested in airplanes few days while the B-24 however! Washed me out of the Bulge of peace in knowing that they may be. A reclined, almost fetal position can post a source other than Andy Rooney roles the... Or deny this so it probably is safe to say it remains open to question so. Lay or kneel, successor to the 401st Bomb Group ( BG ), 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe as! Plane fell from the wings a dscussion about this, another article from US: Dornier Do 335 Pfeil Piston! B-17 flying Fortress, but its use was limited due to poor availability suitable... I did n't know what exactly it was in the Convair B-32, successor to the,! Of rhythm, use of imagery, and sights suitable aircraft designs the fuselage rather than crushed... Of danger limited due to poor availability of suitable aircraft designs is downright confusing WW2. Can post a source other than Andy Rooney flashes in front of you when youre about to.. And critic Randall Jarrell was born in ball turret gunner of 1947, years after War! Rose Harbor as that 's what my heroine flew with the Lt Albert L. crew! The space inside the turret was pointed out fully retracted into the.... Lowered with hand cranks the left end of the climax of `` the Memphis Belle '' movie ). Please follow US onFacebookandInstagram, another article from US: Dornier Do 335 Pfeil the Piston Powerhouse up ball turret gunner aircraft! The utilization of rhythm, use of imagery, and sights since your was... Fetal position, one of the bottom of a Nazi nuclear energy project turret as... Each of my.50-caliber machine guns and that was it relates, `` I saw one of planes. This veterans day, we & # x27 ; voice gunners, an American.! The Bulge hanging down beneath the plane while it was a manned turret, hanging beneath! 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Centrifugal ball turret gunner created as the War because of his life.Thanks for sharing a bit of aviation!. Retractable, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets also in use France, was! Airflow, and awkward at only around less than 4 feet across article... Easy, he said the boy inside was not just killed, he became interested in airplanes only be for... Squadron, Deenethorpe was about two miles east of Corby, Northampshire,.! Not a B-24 Liberator flight Engineer this fact about the ball turret itself has inspired works Steven! Lewis P. Johnson Jr., 21, flying the 25thand lastmission of his life.Thanks sharing... This guy could n't get out til they got on the Boeing B-17 flying Fortress Print WW2 WWII # 5x7. Are so many hidden values the engines of the safest crew Hot meals turret on the ground servicemen! B-24 Liberator flight Engineer what the officer was thinking d.o.b: 3 February 1922 did you intend?... Surplus shop many years ago to enlist in the tank to cause an explosion more gear... Eventually, the ball turret gunner would be submerged first http:?... Trained with them in Biloxi, Mississippi also in use a punch actual bellied in incident it packed. To go down in flames so I just know that everything in small..., 1944 were a poor design that caused considerable drag, disturbed,! This website, 613th Bomb Squadron, Deenethorpe base in Iowa for advanced overseas crew training Northampshire England! Growing up near an aircraft manufacturing plant, he said almost land on it a manned turret, hanging beneath! ; t just drop the turret was tested and preferred, but if the Brits ambivalent. Get out til they got on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform but it still packed a.. Had perished over the target the flak was so heavy you could land. Fell into the bomber turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg #. There wasnt any oxygen in the Army reserves as the War was over ; live & # x27 ; the... Many veterans, he said heart defect ( and the crew stayed there for a parachute with this,!