What an AMAZING experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's one I'll tell my grandchildren about!
The cockpit is much smaller than I imagined. Everything was. The crews that flew those things must have been scrawny little runts!
I entered through the front, just behind the navigator's station, got a good look at the Bombardier's station,and crawled up between the cockpit and the top turret. That's where my trouble started. I'm a big guy. 6'5", and 400#.
From the cockpit/top turret area, the walk through proceded through the bomb bay via the cat walk. I couldn't squeeze through the bomb bay.
I had to go back out the way I entered, which wasn't easy, having to squeeze past a few people while going against the flow of "traffic".
Once I made it out, I walked around to the rear, and entered on the starboard side, aft of the waist gunners. This was the exit for the walk through, but my escapades in the forward area caused a break in the "traffic" so I could enter and go forward with no problems.
I got some real good shots of the ball. All I can say is the men that flew the ball had to be the bravest men in the world!!!
There was one old man there, who was a B-17 top turret gunner, and was shot down over france. He had a few stories to tell, and always had an audience around him. I was going to talk to him, but I could tell that he was getting tired. He said he was 84, and all the attention was taking it's toll on him.
I took 44 pictures. I'll post a few on my photobucket account, unless this site is capable of hosting them.