Flying Forts On The Break!
Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:40 pm
Negative Ghostrider the pattern is full
Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:46 am
GD and KE both are missing the lower turrets and GD and VE appear to be Douglas built-none look like they have tail gunners in place (or even aboard).
Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:29 am
interesting.... i've never seen a wartime 17 without the ball turret.
Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:41 am
Someone pulled the "DO NOT PULL THIS LEVER" lever!
Either yanked for maintenance or prepping for radar units? It is odd that they are armed and yet missing something!!??
Either yanked for maintenance or prepping for radar units? It is odd that they are armed and yet missing something!!??
Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:00 am
Great pic as always, Jack! 
As Luftwaffe opposition diminished late in the war, many B-17s and -24s had the ball turrets removed to save wieght. Some -17s even had the chin turret removed as well.
I talked to a B-24 crewman once who'd been a ball turret gunner. He said that late in the war they removed the turret, and made him a bomb "togglier" (only the lead ship in the formation carried a bombardier and bombsight..everybody else would toggle their bombs at his signal.)
I've seen several color photos a formation of Forts from that same bomb group. I wonder if the pics were shot during a practice mission. That could explain the lack of tail gunners.
SN
As Luftwaffe opposition diminished late in the war, many B-17s and -24s had the ball turrets removed to save wieght. Some -17s even had the chin turret removed as well.
I talked to a B-24 crewman once who'd been a ball turret gunner. He said that late in the war they removed the turret, and made him a bomb "togglier" (only the lead ship in the formation carried a bombardier and bombsight..everybody else would toggle their bombs at his signal.)
I've seen several color photos a formation of Forts from that same bomb group. I wonder if the pics were shot during a practice mission. That could explain the lack of tail gunners.
SN
Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:04 am
The story behind that set of colored pics is that they were shot over England, just swanning about as a photo op, the USPS B-17 stamp came from these pics years later. Here is the story
http://www.381stbg.org/stamp4.htm
http://www.381stbg.org/stamp4.htm