Most Dangerous Position on a Bomber....?

[GermansRGeniuses]

hmmmmmm lets consider two things, one is that the B-17 flew at daytime making it prey for faster fighters that can actually SEE their target and not have to rely on (excellent) German radar (that you brits copied ), and two, it had 10 crew unlike the 5 of the lanc so half losses could be the same as the lanc but then again, it was a better plane so it didnt have to worry about hiding itslef in the nighttime...

Hmmmmm... I have to point something out: radar was invented by British, not German. 8)

That was one of the many reasons why Britain won the BoB.

(At least, that's what my teacher said in my "History of the 20th century" course in High School.)

i mean the Lichenstein radar that the Germans made and perfected for use in nightfighters. discovered by the brits when a Ju88 landed in Britain as a result of a compass failure

 

[Maestro]

Oh, right. Sorry, I made a mistake.

 

[cheddar cheese]

most dangerous position on a bomber? id say the missionary postion but who am i to judge

 

[ahanswurst]

My father who is 83 and still alive was a waist gunner on a B-17 stationed in England (Upper Ipswitch) with the 390th bomb wing. I asked him of all the gun positions on a b-17 which did he think was the safest. His reply was the waist position. He flew over 25 missions over Germany. I have his squadron book and a list of all of his missions that he flew over Germany. Of his airplane crew there are still 4 of the 10 crew members still alive. They still mail cards back and forth and they have done this since the war was over. So I vote for the waist position as being the safest. He agrees that the lower ball turret gunner was the worst position.

 

[bronzewhaler82]

My father who is 83 and still alive was a waist gunner on a B-17 stationed in England (Upper Ipswitch) with the 390th bomb wing. I asked him of all the gun positions on a b-17 which did he think was the safest. His reply was the waist position. He flew over 25 missions over Germany. I have his squadron book and a list of all of his missions that he flew over Germany. Of his airplane crew there are still 4 of the 10 crew members still alive. They still mail cards back and forth and they have done this since the war was over. So I vote for the waist position as being the safest. He agrees that the lower ball turret gunner was the worst position.

Just out of interest is the Ball-turret gunner one of the 4 that still lives?

 

[bronzewhaler82]

im sorry, i have to corect some things here 8)

ceiling on a lancaster is 24,000 feet
range is 2530 miles on a lanc
speed of a b-17 is also 287

8)

I checked my source of info and according to another book i've read it states the max height a Lanc could reach was 24,500ft....but even so its still considerably less than the B-17..

The B-17 was still faster at 323mph (i've checked several sources on this)
but you are right that the Lanc had a better range 8) ....still the Lanc doesn't seem as good as the B-17 in general

 

[brad]

hmmmmmm lets consider two things, one is that the B-17 flew at daytime making it prey for faster fighters that can actually SEE their target and not have to rely on (excellent) (that you brits copiedGerman radar ), and two, it had 10 crew unlike the 5 of the lanc so half losses could be the same as the lanc but then again, it was a better plane so it didnt have to worry about hiding itslef in the nighttime...

that you brits copiedGerman radar we inented radar

 

[cheddar cheese]

im sorry, i have to corect some things here 8)

ceiling on a lancaster is 24,000 feet
range is 2530 miles on a lanc
speed of a b-17 is also 287

8)

I checked my source of info and according to another book i've read it states the max height a Lanc could reach was 24,500ft....but even so its still considerably less than the B-17..

The B-17 was still faster at 323mph (i've checked several sources on this)
but you are right that the Lanc had a better range 8) ....still the Lanc doesn't seem as good as the B-17 in general

yes, ill agree with the ceiling, i wasnt sure whether it was 24,000 or 24,500ft, but im afraid im uncertain about the speed. im not convinced that it could do 323mph, though i am aware that it was faster than the lancaster now it wasnt by that much, it probbly could just "tickle" 300, but no way 323mph 8)

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

still the Lanc doesn't seem as good as the B-17 in general

that's 'cos it was better.................

 

[bronzewhaler82]

How was it better? 8)

 

[GermansRGeniuses]

hmmmmmm lets consider two things, one is that the B-17 flew at daytime making it prey for faster fighters that can actually SEE their target and not have to rely on (excellent) (that you brits copiedGerman radar ), and two, it had 10 crew unlike the 5 of the lanc so half losses could be the same as the lanc but then again, it was a better plane so it didnt have to worry about hiding itslef in the nighttime...

that you brits copiedGerman radar we inented radar

uruguay didnt invent radar, look at your flag! and i meant GERMAN radar made in GERMANY by the GERMANS in GERMANY

 

[brad]

no iam from britten

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

How was it better?

payload, manourerability, versitility, looks to name a few...............

 

[MP-Willow]

AHHAHAHAAH the fight over the B-17 or Lanc! Just take it as a given the B-24 was made to replace the B-17! The Liberator did just that, in the Pacific and CBI. The B-17 only survived because we needed it, and that in Europe it did have a purpose, letting more B-24s go to the 15th airforce and to the Pacific. I wounder if the B-17 or even the Lanc could have made the Polesti raids and done better then the Liberators!

 

[GermansRGeniuses]

no iam from britten

Britten? well if you mean what i think you mean (IT'S BRITAINFOR CHRIST'S SAKES!!!) j/k mate and if you are from BRITAIN, why dont you change your flag accordingly?[/u]

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

C.C.'s from Britain, he's gotthe russian flag but you don't make him change it, but then again he is the site communist, so whe'll let him off..............

 

[plan_D]

It's actually the Soviet Unions flag, not Russias.

 

[cheddar cheese]

whe'll

lanc, i realise you are usually in a hurry to make posts, but the spelling, REALLY 8)

 

[MP-Willow]

Question all, we were talking about worst gun positions to be in and I was wondering if any of you have info on ball turret gunners and there stories? I would like to hear from B-24 crews, but would settle for B-17. But it must have been bad, because they were phassed out of the B-24s in 1944, the B-24Ls had the sperries replace wish manual guns to save weight and the fighters were not that much of a worrie. But I am not shure I would have liked that. Any thoughts?

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

if you scan back through the pages of this topic, there's lots about ball turret accidents....................