He was considered a perfect fit for the B-17’s ball turret. I'll do some checking and if I find anything I'll definitely let you know. Most ball turret gunners were chosen because of their short height. The poet's author, Randall Jarrell, summed up the experience in only five lines, concluding “When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.”The poem has been widely reprinted and discussed in school curricula, and like many authors who … We are winning the War on Terror. It's not in the 388th BG history, or any of the post-war 8th AF year books either that I know of. John R. Russell (1758-1838); Pvt Joseph T. Cooley (1767-1826) Fort Hempstead Mil; Pvt Thomas Barron (1776-1863) 1812; Capt. Never talked about it. The Ball Turret Gunner from B17 42-31377 Pot O´Gold crashed on 22 FEB 1944, tells in BALL TURRET about his job. I don't know of any height or weight restriction for ball turret gunners. Sign up for a new account in our community. 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. Tell Obama that we need to keep jobs here in the U.S., NOT overseas! It's high time we pay tribute to the turret gunners from World War 2. At 86, Walter Kush is hale and healthy today, but he was just a teenager when he served in World War II. Now he is 87! The chutes were instead stowed outside the turret inside the aircraft. Here is a link to a YouTube video that a guy took when he was allowed to go up in a B-17 bomber and take video. Most ball turret gunners were chosen because of their short height. For both aircraft types, there was no room inside for a parachute, which was left in the cabin above the turret. You gotta respect that. To enter the turret, the turret was moved until the guns were pointed straight down. In Memoriam:Lieutenant J.Kostelec 1-3 First Special Service Force MIA/PD 4 March 1944 ItalyI HAVE SEEN THE ENEMY AND IT IS DAYLIGHTForget about the tips..We'll get hell to pay (AC/DC)"If you cant get out and run with the big dogs then sit on the porch and bark at the cars going by..". John Baumgardner (1787-1853) VA Mil; Pvt Joel Estep (1828-1864) Co B 5th KY Inf CSA & US; Pvt George B. Here's a pic of an extremely rare artifact...the data plate from an A-2 Lower Ball Turret made by Emerson Electric Mfg. I was 5' 8" -- a little tall for the turret, but I accepted the assignment, which some deemed as a suicide position," my dad points out. Small ammo boxes rested on the top of the turret and the remaining ammo belts were stowed in the already cramped turret by means of an elaborate feed chute system. Makes you want to be a spectator up in the sky when a flight of B-17's comes under attack by German Messerschmidt's, it sure would be one awe-inspiring aerial conflict. Have been researching for sometime now. âThe Death of the Ball Turret Gunnerâ by Randall Jarrell is a morbid poem about the brutality of war. A famous poem published in 1945, “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” highlights the isolation and hazards of serving as the gunner. save. The Sperry ball turret was very small in order to reduce drag, and was typically operated by the shortest man of the crew. Not long ago someone did post a photo of the planes pilot on the 388th veterans site. Jarrell, who served in the Army Air Forces, provided the following explanatory note: A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24, and inhabited by two .50 caliber machine guns and one man, a short small man. He is assigned to be a Ball Turret Gunner, which he knows the chances are he will end up like the former Ball Turret Gunner dead. On his enlistment record, his height is listed at 5 feet 5 inches, and his weight at 128 pounds. The Sperry ball turret was very small in order to reduce drag, and was typically operated by the shortest man of the crew. Ramey found the turret in a surplus shop many years ago. "There is no such thing as an expert, only students with different levels of education. The size of the turret meant that its occupants were usually between 5 ft 4 in and 5 ft 6 in (1.68 and 1.68 m) in height. Crackle! (Check out my blog on Ball Turret Gunners on this website.) On a B-17, a âbelly landing' with the ball turret in place tended to âbreak the airplane's back'. Nope...sorry. The Sperry ball turret, meant for ventral defense needs on aircraft, was used on both the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator as well as the United States Navy's Liberator, the PB4Y. It was not unusual for the temperature to drop to -50 degrees when the ball turret was lowered into the ⦠As he crawls into the turret gunner, the fur on his flight jacket freezes because of the altitude 6 miles high. On the B-17 the turret was close to the ground, but had enough clearance for takeoff and landing. Walter was a ball-turret gunner on a B-24 bomber (the Liberator). The size of the turret meant that its occupants were usually between 5 ft 4 in and 5 ft 6 in (1.68 and 1.68 m) in height. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. The gunner placed his feet in the heel rests and then crouched down into a fetal position. But if his frame was small, his personality was not. If you have any named items to a 77th Division Soldier please contact me!!! The Ball Turret Gunner is a 1700 scorestreak featured in Call of Duty: WWII.When activated, users can control a B-17G Gunship and decimate enemies with it ball turret. 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. From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. 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. The Model 13 was also the most compact turret in service, with the gunner crouched behind the sight, with his knees raised on each side, and possessing adequate fields of vision to his front and sides. I have been doing tons of research on ball turret gunners over the last few years and I'm interested in acquiring ANY items related to ball turret gunners during WWII, especially photos and I.D. A diagram depicting how a gunner sits inside a Sperry A2 ball turret. Will continue to look though. I love the shot of the one with the inscription! Interesting story and one that was quite common according to many of the ball turret gunners I've interviewed over the years. Trata sobre la muerte de un artillero dentro de la torreta esférica Sperry de un bombardero pesado estadounidense de … Those are some really neat photos. Bell (1833-1910) Co C 47th IL Inf US; Cpl Daniel H. Barron (1838-1910) Co B 19th TN Rgmt Inf CSA; Capt Richard K. Kaufman (1908-1946) 7th PRG/3rd AF CCU; T-5 Vernon L. Bell (1926-95) 1802nd Spec Rgmt; PO2 Murray J. Heichman (1932-2019) HQSB/MCRD; PFC Jess Long (1934-2017) US Army; PFC Donald W. Johnson (1931-) 43rd ID HQ; A1C Keith W. Bell (1931-2011) 314th TCW; A3C Michael S. Bell (1946-) 3346th CMS; A1C Sam W. Lee (1954-2017) 2d BW; AW3 Keith J. Ramey found the turret in a surplus shop many years ago. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner (La muerte del artillero de la torreta esférica, en español) es un poema de cinco renglones publicado por Randall Jarrell en 1945. The ball turret was mounted underneath the aircraft and was used to defend the bomber against aircraft attacking from below. Once training was complete, aerial gunners were sent out to operational bomber units as crewmen, serving as waist gunners, tail gunners, or most physically demanding, as ball turret gunners. Are any of the ball turret gunner photos named to an L.S. Just wanted to share some cool pics of ball turret gunners from the 388th Bomb Group. Do you know what unit he was assigned to? That last one doesn't look like he is old enough to shave! The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. From my motherâs sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. The ball turret was powered, and equipped with two 0.50-inch caliber machine guns. Ball Turret Gunner: Staff Sergeant William H. Cassiday, 32346219, New York – Killed in Action Radio Operator: Staff Sergeant Ralph J. Leffelman, 19112019, Washington – Killed in Action Waist Gunner: Staff Sergeant James D. Houtchens, 37483248, Nebraska – Killed in Action Pot O´Gold crashed on 22 FEB 1944, tells in ball turret a! Tended to ‘ break the airplane 's back ' ) VP-10 ; 1Lt Matthew Bell. Since your uncle was a ball turret gunner mother 's sleep I fell into the turret, positioned between. 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