Hi All.....

[billrunnels]

Being new to this Forum I have limited my posts, for the most part, to funny things that I experienced during my time in the Air Force and I will continue to do so. However, I am in no way attempting to avoid the combat side of the story so feel free to ask questions about bombing or mission related activity if you wish........Bill Runnels - B-17 Bombardier

 

[pbehn]

Hi Bill, some questions.
Who did the nose art?
What sight do you remember best?
What did you hate most and best about flying?

 

[Gnomey]

Welcome Bill!

 

[billrunnels]

Hi Bill, some questions.
Who did the nose art?
What sight do you remember best?
What did you hate most and best about flying?

The nose art was generally done by a talented member of the ground support team. Our squadron commander would allow only water base paint that could be removed after the shoot. Oil base paint was used earlier in the war.

If by sight you mean Base, I would choose Butler University because of the good chow.

The best part of flying was the great view I had from the nose (green house) of the B-17. The most challenging was the cold temperature at altitude and lengthy use of oxygen mask.

 

[pbehn]

The nose art was generally done by a talented member of the ground support team. Our squadron commander would allow only water base paint that could be removed after the shoot. Oil base paint was used earlier in the war.

If by sight you mean Base, I would choose Butler University because of the good chow.

The best part of flying was the great view I had from the nose (green house) of the B-17. The most challenging was the cold temperature at altitude and lengthy use of oxygen mask.

I meant what you enjoyed seeing the most or made the biggest impression on you. I have flown many times from Northern England skirting East Anglia to Amsterdam Hamburg and Hanover, my uncle was in Bomber Command in the RAF I often thought about him on those flights.

 

[billrunnels]

I meant what you enjoyed seeing the most or made the biggest impression on you. I have flown many times from Northern England skirting East Anglia to Amsterdam Hamburg and Hanover, my uncle was in Bomber Command in the RAF I often thought about him on those flights.

The White Cliffs of Dover looked awfully good when returning from a mission.

 

[Bad-Karma]

Welcome to the forum Bill! I am very happy to see you posting here. I can't stress how important it is for younger generations to hear what you have to say and learn first hand what your experiences were like during the war. My grandfather was a crew chief with the 34th BG and I could listen to his stories 24/7. Sadly he passed away when I was 13 so I couldn't fully appreciate all of his stories with the awareness I now have as an adult. What I would do just to hear one of his stories again. Reading your posts invoke a similar feeling and for that I am grateful.

I have a question that I'm hoping you might be able to answer: My grandfather's discharge papers say he was discharged from the 96th BG 339th BS but all the information and pictures I have found clearly indicate he was with the 34th BG 4th BS. Any idea why his discharge papers might point to the 96th? Possible he was transferred to another unit right before discharge?

 

[billrunnels]

Welcome to the forum Bill! I am very happy to see you posting here. I can't stress how important it is for younger generations to hear what you have to say and learn first hand what your experiences were like during the war. My grandfather was a crew chief with the 34th BG and I could listen to his stories 24/7. Sadly he passed away when I was 13 so I couldn't fully appreciate all of his stories with the awareness I now have as an adult. What I would do just to hear one of his stories again. Reading your posts invoke a similar feeling and for that I am grateful.

I have a question that I'm hoping you might be able to answer: My grandfather's discharge papers say he was discharged from the 96th BG 339th BS but all the information and pictures I have found clearly indicate he was with the 34th BG 4th BS. Any idea why his discharge papers might point to the 96th? Possible he was transferred to another unit right before discharge?

My guess is he was transferred to the 34th BG. That happened to me. My time was with the 303rd BG, 360th BS until after the end of the war. Was transferred to the 358th BG, 548th BS and was on the first crew that brought a B-17 home. Never was told why the transfer but I have always thought my Squadron Bombardier did me a big favor.

 

[ARTESH]

Being new to this Forum I have limited my posts, for the most part, to funny things that I experienced during my time in the Air Force and I will continue to do so. However, I am in no way attempting to avoid the combat side of the story so feel free to ask questions about bombing or mission related activity if you wish........Bill Runnels - B-17 Bombardier

Greetings Sir.

Welcome to forum.

May i know what do you think of "Flying Computer" a. k. a. Tomcat ?

 

[billrunnels]

Greetings Sir.

Welcome to forum.

May i know what do you think of "Flying Computer" a. k. a. Tomcat ?

Sorry but I have no knowledge of the "Flying Computer".

 

[Tim Moore]

Bill,
I can think of many questions I would love to ask. One in particular has to do with the shift from each bombardier using his own bombsight to the later practice of dropping on the lead bombardier. Since you were there at the end of the war, was that the practice with your group? If so, how was that done? I know the Norden bombsight has an arming lever with a manual release, but to send an electrical signal, the indicators must touch. The only way I could see to use the Norden bombsight to manually drop bombs would be to rotate either the search knob or displacement knob until you got the indicators to meet. Just curious has to what it was really like to be the man out front.

 

[billrunnels]

Welcome to the forum Bill! I am very happy to see you posting here. I can't stress how important it is for younger generations to hear what you have to say and learn first hand what your experiences were like during the war. My grandfather was a crew chief with the 34th BG and I could listen to his stories 24/7. Sadly he passed away when I was 13 so I couldn't fully appreciate all of his stories with the awareness I now have as an adult. What I would do just to hear one of his stories again. Reading your posts invoke a similar feeling and for that I am grateful.

I have a question that I'm hoping you might be able to answer: My grandfather's discharge papers say he was discharged from the 96th BG 339th BS but all the information and pictures I have found clearly indicate he was with the 34th BG 4th BS. Any idea why his discharge papers might point to the 96th? Possible he was transferred to another unit right before discharge?

Bill,
I can think of many questions I would love to ask. One in particular has to do with the shift from each bombardier using his own bombsight to the later practice of dropping on the lead bombardier. Since you were there at the end of the war, was that the practice with your group? If so, how was that done? I know the Norden bombsight has an arming lever with a manual release, but to send an electrical signal, the indicators must touch. The only way I could see to use the Norden bombsight to manually drop bombs would be to rotate either the search knob or displacement knob until you got the indicators to meet. Just curious has to what it was really like to be the man out front.

Bill,
I can think of many questions I would love to ask. One in particular has to do with the shift from each bombardier using his own bombsight to the later practice of dropping on the lead bombardier. Since you were there at the end of the war, was that the practice with your group? If so, how was that done? I know the Norden bombsight has an arming lever with a manual release, but to send an electrical signal, the indicators must touch. The only way I could see to use the Norden bombsight to manually drop bombs would be to rotate either the search knob or displacement knob until you got the indicators to meet. Just curious has to what it was really like to be the man out front.

Hi Tim.....This gets a little complicated but I will give it my best shot. Our Squadron generally operated with a ten aircraft formation. Of the ten, three were designated Lead Crew status ( Lead, 1st Deputy Lead and 2nd Deputy Lead). The squadron drop was on the Lead unless he had a problem then the 1st Deputy Lead took over etc.

The bombs were released electrically in Train as follows: When the bombsight Indices met an electrical impulse was sent to the Intervalometer which in turn sent impulses to the bomb release unites in the order the bombs were set to leave the bombay, The release units activated the bomb shackels which in turn released the bombs. The Intervalometer setting controlled bomb spacing impact on the ground from 7 to 750 feet.

This is capsule report .Should you have more questions feel free to ask.

 

[Zipper730]

If you served in WWII you'd probably be like 90+ years old...

 

[pbehn]

If you served in WWII you'd probably be like 90+ years old...

Hi Bill, meet Zipper he is our maths expert, no question too difficult.
Hi Zipper meet Bill who has already posted that he is 92. there is no question of "if".

 

[billrunnels]

If you served in WWII you'd probably be like 90+ years old...

92 wonderful years. I should add and married to a beautiful gal for 70 years.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I love talking to WW2 Vets!

What aircraft did you train on?

 

[billrunnels]

I love talking to WW2 Vets!

What aircraft did you train on?

While in the Cadet Program I had 10 hours in the J-3. In Bombardier School 100 hours in the AT-11. Then about 400 hours ( 110 hours combat) in the B-17

 

[rochie]

If you served in WWII you'd probably be like 90+ years old...

A Tad rude Zipper

 

[Zipper730]

Hi Tim.....This gets a little complicated but I will give it my best shot. Our Squadron generally operated with a ten aircraft formation. Of the ten, three were designated Lead Crew status ( Lead, 1st Deputy Lead and 2nd Deputy Lead). The squadron drop was on the Lead unless he had a problem then the 1st Deputy Lead took over etc.

The bombs were released electrically in Train as follows: When the bombsight Indices met an electrical impulse was sent to the Intervalometer which in turn sent impulses to the bomb release unites in the order the bombs were set to leave the bombay, The release units activated the bomb shackels which in turn released the bombs. The Intervalometer setting controlled bomb spacing impact on the ground from 7 to 750 feet

I actually had expressed a curiosity about the bomb spacing (it had to do with the minimum potential spacing for aircraft of higher speed -- i.e. would it even be possible for a supersonic plane releasing bombs to not produce a ten mile bomb train )

92 wonderful years

Impressive, I knew a guy who was a radioman on B-26's (he went to the same gym I went to): He would become a lawyer after his time in the USAAF (I'm not sure exactly when) but he was practicing into his late 70's or early 80's.

Hi Bill, meet Zipper he is our maths expert, no question too difficult.
Hi Zipper meet Bill who has already posted that he is 92. there is no question of "if".

I wouldn't consider myself a mathematics expert... I often do tend to pay attention to things that stand out.

A Tad rude Zipper

I meant nothing negative: I actually was just surprised to see a WWII veteran on the forum. My grandparents raised me most of the time (mom & dad divorced, mom worked): I don't have a negative view towards the elderly -- in fact I think most people from the past had a greater sense of civic duty, and better attention to detail (the devil's always in the details )

 

[Greg Boeser]

The intervalometer had a minimum 1/20 second sequence. The circuits closed in order so the bombs above wouldn't fall before the ones below were released. (Usually)