Unbelievable

[billrunnels]

I am glad to. I wish my dad told more of those stories before he passed. It is nice to hear them first hand from you.

Thank you. Sharing my experience with interested forum members is an honor and pleasure.

 

[Kaibutsu]

Thank you. Sharing my experience with interested forum members is an honor and pleasure.

Hi Bill,

It sure is nice of you to share your stories with us.

Thank you very much!
Andrew Gaitan

 

[billrunnels]

Hi Bill,

It sure is nice of you to share your stories with us.

Thank you very much!
Andrew Gaitan

Thank you Andrew. My brief association with WW2aircraft.net has been a pleasure.

 

[billrunnels]

Hi Bill,

It sure is nice of you to share your stories with us.

Thank you very much!
Andrew Gaitan

You are welcome. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them

 

[Zipper730]

A number of years ago I served as the bombardier on a public forum featuring the Air Force. The panel included a pilot, navigator, bombardier and a tail gunner. Each of us had 10 to 15 minutes to share our duties on a heavy bomber crew. All went as planned until we got to the tail gunner and he stole the show. In his early comments he said he was credited with one half mission. His B-17 was involved in a mid-air accident on his first mission and the tail section was severed from the main frame of the aircraft. He snapped on his parachute and attempted to exit the escape hatch but it was jammed. The next thing he remembered was waking up in an enemy hospital. He rode the tail section to the ground and survived. I don't remember his name but I think his story made Ripley's "Believe It Or Not".

I think I know this story!

BTW: Your first operational sortie was 2/15/45 right?

I remember my dad ( 11th AAF WW2) telling me of a crewman falling out of a B-24 ball turret at 10,000 feet into the ocean with no parachute and surviving.

That's more likely than land as your body reaches terminal speed at around 500 feet of fall... the issue is impacting in straight with both arms crossed to avoid a shoulder dislocation (and having enough lung to fight the way up to the buoyancy point, then the rest of the way up to the surface -- holy shit that sounds terrifying)

 

[pbehn]

That's more likely than land as your body reaches terminal speed at around 500 feet of fall... the issue is impacting in straight with both arms crossed to avoid a shoulder dislocation (and having enough lung to fight the way up to the buoyancy point, then the rest of the way up to the surface -- holy shit that sounds terrifying)

You only survive when you live through the whole thing. Whatever the improved chances are of landing in water are your chances of being uninjured and in a condition to swim AND being close enough to help to be rescued make the differences pretty academic.