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Interesting, I'd like to know more about it and see if a name and crew could be tied to the story.on History Channel's WWII in HD it should it in clear full colour, the turret was crushed and peeled back. very sobbering to see.
It can, but from I remember it had to be placed in a level position and one half of the turret fell away.I realize this sliightly off topic but was it not possible to jettison the ball turret?
I realize this sliightly off topic but was it not possible to jettison the ball turret?
That's questionable Tom. Many years ago I worked at a salvage company and we had 3 Sperry turrets. We made scaffolding for one and got it to work; it was complete minus the guns. It was a big heavy component. The components that supported the turret were only as strong as the structure built around it and if you managed to put 40K worth of stress on it seemed the supporting structure would fail before the turret. If I remember correctly the turret position was right next to an assembly mating bulkhead which meant if that area was subjected to any major force, the plane would come apart there.As sturdy as that turret may have been, it couldn't withstand the stress of a 40,000 +lb. aircraft using it as a landing skid.
in the ball the elevation clutch had to be disengaged to rotate the turret manualy...and it would normally be done by the right waist gunner, but, either waist gunner could disengage the manual clutch, to rotate the turret to the verical position for the ball gunner to exit the ball turret.....however, if the turret was damaged in such a way to preclude ANY movement of the ball turret, it would have been impossible for the ball gunner to survive, if he did not have his chute in the turret with him. theoretically a gunner could open his back rest/door and tumble out IF he could wear a parachute.As heart wrenching as these memories are, I have to wonder why they didn't use the manual wheel crank, or try shutting down other systems to coax back hydrolic power or something. Smash the damn turret with an extinguisher or aim a .50 at it.
I wonder how you tell a man he is about to die a violent death.
Manned it was supposed to weigh 1200 lbs, it was a sturdy piece of equipment. That's why they wanted it dropped if you had to bellyland.