The rear gunner ...

[Mark Allen M]

... or radio gunner, or back seat gunner or ... lots of great and harrowing stories of these brave fellows during WW2. See if I can post a few.

Part 1


AT6 Gunner


30 cal machine guns installed in the rear cockpit of an American bomber Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless


Loading a 30 cal weapon in the cockpit of an SBD Dauntless dive bomber


Loading a 30 cal weapon in the cockpit of an SBD Dauntless dive bomber


Siting a weapon in the cockpit of an SBD Dauntless dive bomber


Cleaning a weapon in the cockpit of an SBD Dauntless dive bomber


Cleaning a weapon in the cockpit of an SBD Dauntless dive bomber


Gunner at his 30 cal


A formation of three SBD-5s of Composite Squadron 24 (VC-24) off USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) pictured in formation near Guadalcanal


Formation of SBD's


Formation of SBD's


Gunners view


Gunners view


Gunners view

[Mark Allen M]

Douglas SBD Dauntless gunner makes final preparations to his rear mounted 30cal MGs.


Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) Brooklyn, New York, showing a gunner, 13 January 1943


Grumman TBF Avenger is canibalized, 1944


Right side view of gunner's cockpit of TBD-1. This photograph was taken at NAS Anacostia, D.C-2


Right side view of gunner's cockpit of TBD-1. This photograph was taken at NAS Anacostia, D.C.


Close-up view of the aft fuselage section and tail of SBD-2 Dauntless Bureau Number 2106 after its return to Midway Atoll following an attack


SBD-2 Dauntless Bureau Number 2106 after its return to Midway Atoll following an attack


Close-up view of the battle damaged gunner and radioman positions on the TBF-1 Avenger of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 8 6-5-1942


Kenneth Bratton, a TBM Avenger gunner, who was the subject of famous photograph showing him wounded and being pulled from his aircraft after a raid on Rabaul


SB2C-4E of Bombing Squadron 85 VB-85 flies low over the water with ships of Task Force 38 arrayed in the background


SB2C-4E of Bombing Squadron 85 VB-85 pictured in flight over the Pacific

[Mark Allen M]

Part 3


SBD-6 of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron Two Hundred Thirty-One (VMSB-231) in flight over the Pacific-2


SB2C-3 of Bombing Squadron Nineteen (VB-19) pictured on the flight deck of USS Lexington (CV-16) moments after returning from a combat mission in the Pacific


SBD Dauntless dive bomber at Marine Corps Bombardier and Air Gunners School at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Centro, Californa


TBF Avenger flown by Cliff Largess after crash landing on the carrier Enterprise plane was damaged over Hollandia, New Guinea, in a friendly fire incident with an F6F Hellcat


TBF Avenger flown by Cliff Largess after crash landing on the carrier Enterprise plane was damaged over Hollandia, New Guinea, in a friendly fire incident with an F6F Hellcat


Lt Barrett Gallagher in rear seat of SB2C that has just landed on a carrier. He holds a K-25 camera


Student in a cockpit familiarization trainer


SB2C

[Mark Allen M]

Rear gunner's position-SBD-5 Dauntless


Rear gunner's position-SB2C Helldiver

[Malo83]

Outstanding Mark! great to see the gunners
Would love to see more gunners and their turrets.

[Pat Carry]

most excellant as usual Mark.

[wendovertom]

What is up with that first Helldiver (tail code Z-82)? It looks like they have removed the tail fairing for some reason.

Great photos Mark! It was quite the experience to ride in the TBM turret when I got the chance! First time riding truly backwards for the whole flight - a little unsettling at first but a great view as well.

Tom P.

[Mark Allen M]

Part 4


Arming an SBD


Ckecking the 30cal MG on a Douglas SBD Dauntless on the USS Ranger (Ranger (CV-4) in 1943.


Mission complete


SBD Formation


VT-75 SBW-4E


SBW-4E Taxi CVB-42 1946


VT-75 12 SBW-4E in formation


VB-75 18 SB2c-5s in flight























SBD Gunner


SBD Gunner


Wounded gunner Alva Parker is helped out of the cockpit of SBD Dauntless bomber from Squadron VB-12 after landing on an aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3).

[Mark Allen M]

CAF SB2C Helldiver (Lynn Willis photo)

[Mark Allen M]

A few good Gunner stories ...

http://donmooreswartales.com/2012/01/16/robert-martin/

http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhist ... ers-midway

.. and a clip never to be forgotten. God bless his soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMWz10jaK0g

[Eldrock]

Moved to my old username.
Chris

Last edited by Eldrock on Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Pat Carry]

Col. Robert Morgan pilot of the Memphis Belle told me once, "if you lost your tail gunner, you were done for"

[dogsbodymk1]

Here's a Canadian. No. 418 Sq. RCAF.






Chris

[Chris Brame]

What is up with that first Helldiver (tail code Z-82)? It looks like they have removed the tail fairing for some reason.

It's still there - the sides fold inward and the top drops down flat. Pretty clever!
I always wondered how the Helldiver's stability was affected with that part folded?

[Randy Wilson]

Having flown the CAF SB2C-5 for some years, I can tell you that with the gunner's canopy open and the back turtle-deck dropped it was a lot of drag! No other real problems as I remember but we were not in combat! It had a simple manual hydraulic pump and valve to lower or raise the turtle-deck, as we called it, operated by the gunner.

Randy