The exact number is unknown, but it is estimated that around 18,000 B-17 tail gunners served during the war, and roughly 5,000 were killed or injured. In his diary, military chaplain Antti Rantamaa reported 259 confirmed kills made by rifle and an equal number of kills by submachine gun from the beginning of the war until 7 March 1940, one day after Hyh was severely wounded. As we rocked to a halt, the engines closed down creating an eerie silence. As he waited for us to settle down, this tall dark severe looking man glanced around the dim room with flashing eyes which seemed to convey encouragement and at the same time wishing that he was going on the operation. Apart from Wilson, William Wedgewood Benn is also recorded as the oldest operational pilot of WWII. 2023 BBC. The position was a challenging one, with the tail gunner having to remain seated for the entire mission, operating a machine gun while dealing with extreme cold and vibration. 50-inch machine guns mounted in pairs in remotely-controlled turrets. The navigator was responsible for keeping the aircraft on course at all times, reaching the target and then the home base. What is the best unit in age of mythology? What Is The Hottest ItS Been In Lancaster? Three gunners (top, front, and rear) also featured in a fully-operation crew in the AWW. And those who have served less than four years are interviewed and signposted to the various welfare entitlements and other support offered by the government, ex-services charities and the voluntary sector. His remarkable figure of 60 missions included being shot down twice into the Channel, the first time seeing him and his crew spending about four days in a dinghy. Cameron Campbell in 1945 at Skipton-on-Swale; 64 years later, his son Lloyd sits in the same seat at Lancaster Air Museum, Nanton, Alberta. Can You Still Join the Military With a DUI Conviction? How many photos did RAF Bomber Command have? Our research has found that the death rate of tail gunners varied depending on the type of aircraft they were flying, the theater of war, and the time period. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. I accepted with grateful thanks and we made our way to Intelligence Section. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". I alert the skipper to prepare to Corkscrew Starboard remembering Johnny Wymarks brief to be aggressive; I decide to open fire at 400 yards if he has not committed himself to a curve of pursuit attack. Unlike the British, who ordinarily flew at night, American bombers were told to carry out their runs in broad daylight, over heavily defended targets. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. As we entered the dining room a fair number of officers were exchanging accounts of their individual experiences and the chances for the crew we had lost that night. To Il-2 pilots, the aircraft was simply the diminutive Ilyusha. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. Your target is Pforzheim hit hard and good luck. small bombs and carry a rear machine gunner. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Each weapons bay is equipped with a rotary launcher and two bomb-rack assemblies. Everyone had to play their part to stay alive. What was the life expectancy of a tail gunner? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I try to give them confidence to carry on, rather than sit back and let it all happen.". Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. The Mid Upper gunner confirms the sighting and swings his turret to port just in case they are hunting as a pair. The gunner in these turrets had to be in a reclined, almost fetal position. Through the entire operation, the Rear Gunner knew that the Luftwaffe fighter pilots preferred to attack from the rear and under the belly of the bomber, so he was often 1st in line for elimination. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Over 20,000 RAF tail gunners lost their lives in WWII, 3. For the last three months of service they should train you as a plumber or electrician, something they can use in civilian life.". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. But eventually the canteen emptied leaving the dedicated staff of Salvation Army personnel who provided a welcome meeting place for aircrew and ground crews alike. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. due to machine gun fire and easily become prey to mustard gas Kneeling: Navigator F/Sgt C. Cassier RCAF; Bomb Aimer F/Sgt Bonny Clark RAF; Mid-Upper Gunner Sgt V. Walford RAF. However, being a B-17 tail gunner was not an easy job, and the danger they faced was very real. As always, he ended with a reminder to all rear gunners to set the correct wing span on the Giro Gun Sight, to be aggressive, and with final Good Luck! the briefing was completed. The English reported 835 killed and 1,990 wounded. According to some predictions, a tail gunner's life expectancy is only two weeks or fewer. Another potent weapon of the Il-2s was the PTAB shaped charge bomblets ( protivotankovaya aviabomba, anti-tank aviation bomb). I. Despite this alarming figure, aspiring fighter pilots continued to join the RAF throughout the conflict, supporting the efforts of ground troops and defending their country. It flashes through my mind that when fired on German pilots are discouraged and usually leave wide awake crews to search for less vigilant ones. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The life expectancy of a WW2 Rear-gunner varied but was never high, mostly about just 5-Sorties. It took more than two B-17s to carry a comparable load into Germany. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. 1730 Hrs:Our Night Flying Meal: bacon, sausage, egg, baked beans, chips, all washed down with a pint of milk. They also asked because the average lifespan of a British tail gunner in WWII was less than two weeks or, perhaps more optimistically, approximately 10 missions. During World War II, 21,452 fighter planes were shot down while 12,037 bombers were downed . How many tail gunners died in WW2? The bomb damage diagrams are aerial photographs of Berlin, Cologne and Dresden, overlaid with coloured areas indicating how much damage was caused by the strategic bombing campaign. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Most B-17 crews comprised of 4 5 airmen (gunners included). My boss Johnny Wymark stressed the danger of relaxing when joining the circuit on return the Luftwaffe were using JU88s in the intruder role, pouncing on unsuspecting victims coming in to land. 1400 Hrs:We loaded our eight Brownings onto a 15 cwt. He then told the rest of the squadron that there was only one photo from the whole of 115 Squadron and out of some 200 aircraft of Bomber Command there were only 9 photos of the target. It was his usual strong brew guaranteed to sustain body and soul against the penetrating chill of the North Lincolnshire weather. of ancient vintage, climbed aboard and set off along the peri-track to our aircrafts dispersal. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. As the only rear-facing crewmember, he was also responsible for passing along information about things behind the aircraft, such as enemy fighters or the condition of the flying formation, to the rest of the crew. A green from the caravan and our 66,000lb all up weight slowly gathers speed to free herself in her own wonderful way from Mother Earth. More than 1,220 crewmen aboard B-24 Liberators were shot down over the English Channel and North Sea. There was nothing easy about hitting a moving target at sea in the face of anti-aircraft fire or defending fighters. A B-52H bomber with its tail gun still installed. As we commence our bombing run, the 190 maintains his position and range and I begin to wonder if in fact he has spotted us. Obviously, if something happens to the captain, a plane must have another pilot who can step in. They just wont be called Navigators. Uniquely for a World War II attack aircraft, and similarly to the forward fuselage design of the World War I-era Imperial German Junkers J.I armored, all-metal biplane, the Il-2s armor was designed as a load-bearing part of the Ilyushins monocoque structure, thus saving considerable weight. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays. Mr Hall, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI in 1943, has also given presentations to group members who have served in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, the first Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. 1630 Hrs:The crew meet outside Squadron H.Q. Mr Hall, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI in 1943, has also given presentations to group members who have served in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, the first Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. Frank, a physical training instructor had been one of the famous five in Bolton Wanderers forward line that had promised to do great things in the English First Division 1939/40 season, alas they were together for just a few games when the war intervened. Sometimes it got 60 below, recalls one veteran. Later models had four turrets-one was added to the nose. But John Hall, 89, of Sunderland, is doing exactly the opposite - drawing on his time as a "tail-end Charlie" in missions over wartime Europe to mentor former members of the UK's armed forces who have recently left the military and are struggling to cope with civilian life. What was the life expectancy of a WW2 pilot? During World War II 20,000 air gunners were killed while serving with Bomber Command., Today, Irishman John, known as Paddy, is, in the saddest sense, alone again the only airman who fought in the Battle of Britain still alive. The square search is resumed, our bombing run continues, left, left, steady, steady, when out of the blue the Master Bomber seems to be in trouble, in a clear undramatic voice he transmits. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The heaviest bomber of World War II was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, which entered service in 1944 with a fully pressurized crew compartment (previously used only on experimental aircraft) and as many as 12 . It does not store any personal data. There were 5 gunners in the back of the plane, all enlisted men who were non-commissioned officers (NCOs) during their mission. His first logged flight in Canada was in July 1943 in an Anson flying as 1st Navigator for an hour and ten minutes. Average Life Span - Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001) - Battlefront.com Community. He starts to close the range without committing himself. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. From that point in time all telephone calls in and out of the station were restricted to operations only and I think that remained so until two hours after the last aircraft was airborne. A squadron at the start of WW2 generally had an establishment of twelve aircraft. What was the life expectancy of a tail gunner? The life expectancy of a Lancaster rear gunner in WWII was only a few flights This meant he had employment and therefore structure to return to once he was out of the regimented life of the. The images at left are provided courtesy of Tom Quinn at www.air-gunners.co.uk. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The median age of these fighters was pegged at 21 years during several stages of WWII. Then, take the Perisphere from the World's Fair, cut it into 4 pieces, push the end of the . Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Donnie, May 18, 2013. It is said that he was nick-named ' Tail End Charlie ' by his Crew and the name was rapidly adopted for all Rear-Gunners. Are there any Battle of Britain pilots left? "Shortly after we got back our commanding officer Guy Gibson told us to get into a Lancaster and go fly around for a couple of hours. As soon as I had finished drinking this we sat down at the table with Flying Officer Buster Brown, our debriefing officer. In this article, youll get ten (10) of the best statistics about tail gunners and their WWII activity. Back in May, it was announced on the morning of the 75th anniversary of VE Day that John Hemingway was now the last surviving of the nearly 3,000 airmen who flew in the Battle of Britain, following the death of 101-year-old air gunner Terry Clark. Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. 5 gunners They provided new and much improved reconnaissance capacities a result troops were issued gas masks that they kept with Those who served six years or more, and all those medically discharged regardless of how long they have served, are entitled to the full resettlement programme, to help re-adjust to civilian life; those who served between four and six years qualify for the employment support programme, a tailored job-finding service. It has been said the Pforzheim was the most perfectly marked target of Bomber Commands offensive. Army Reserve: 189,500 Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? The average life expectancy of a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain was just four weeks. Please provide a brief explanation of the bug: We really appreciate you taking the time to report this bug, we will look into it ASAP. John Hall is drawing on his own wartime past to mentor current ex-military service personnel on how to cope with civilian life, John Hall was shot down twice and landed in the Channel both times, The life expectancy of a Lancaster rear gunner in WWII was only a few flights. 1 What was the life expectancy of a WW2 tail gunner? Do you have pictures of Gracie Thompson from the movie Gracie's choice? The introduction of radar also helped to detect enemy aircraft early, giving tail gunners more time to react. He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial combat on 825 separate occasions. In total, there were 27 Gotha raids. Average age was 22 years and life expectancy was 2 Weeks Life expectancy of world war 1 aircrsft fighter? http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/24621-lancaster-bomber-parachute-query/, http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r_m_g.varley/Strategic_Air_Offensive.pdf, 26. The Rear-Turret Gunners were in the most vulnerable position on the Plane. Immediately the last report had been received the skipper initiated one of the many practice emergency drills. As a result of his own wartime heroics, Mr Hall's DFC medal was pinned on his chest by King George VI, who showed signs of his famous stammer. The gas literally made people throw their lungs up and as Typically, gunners made up half of a bomber crew, manning a top turret, ball turret, two waist guns, and a tail turret. Even in my 21st year I was still a growing boy, fit as a butchers dog and doing my utmost to remain so. We have completed half our task and are on the way home. "When a bloke's time is coming up he should be put on certain courses for retraining back into Civvy Street. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Which is correct poinsettia or poinsettia? 0020 Hrs: Suddenly I begin to feel a cold chill on my behind, the excitement of the encounter with the 190 and the bombing run is beginning to wear off, I have been without the heat of my suit for nearly two hours and I am starting to feel the effects. The life expectancy of a B17 ball turret gunner was less than that of the other aircrew for several reasons. Both men were part of the allied forces trying to escape France as it was [], International Bomber Command Centre, Canwick Avenue, Lincoln, LN4 2HQ, Tue - Sun 9.30am - 5.00pm What Is The Oldest Place In Pennsylvania? The force of 360 Lancasters destroyed 83% of the built up area of this unfortunate medieval town. "I talk to them and try and find out their story first, find out what's troubling them," he said. Later in his book, Rantamaa credited Hyh with a total of 542 kills. Arnold Talbot Wilson is the oldest tail gunner on record KIA in WWII, 10. Although the Il-2s RS-82 and RS-132 rockets could destroy armored vehicles with a single hit, they were so inaccurate that experienced Il-2 pilots mainly used the cannon. 2230 Hrs:Suddenly, I feel a burning sensation on my right foot and ankle, I quickly switch off the power supply to my electric suit, the pain subsides and I estimate I will be without the warmth of my flying suit for the next five hours. Their chance of survival was less than 50 percent. A Dauntless tail gunner. We made our way to the armoury to check the guns, give them a pull through with 4 x 2 to ensure dry barrels then much to the embarrassment of our little Geordie W.A.A.F. A man who survived 60 missions as a Lancaster rear gunner during World War II might be forgiven for trying to forget his wartime experiences. In 1941, at the age of 20, Ernest Kuhl, now 89, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces and trained in Panama City, Fla., to shoot a machine gun from a plane. On 103 Squadron each crew had their own set of eight .303 Brownings and each gunner was required to carry out mandatory checks to maintain the guns in sound working condition. and industrial centers. What was the life expectancy of a rear gunner in World War 2? (Image source: WikiMedia Commons) . The primary reason for having two pilots on every flight is safety. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It is an important day for me and although nothing had ever been said I think it was an important day for the crew as a whole. More than 3,800 8th Air force crewmen manning B-17 Flying Fortresses were shot down over the English Channel and surrounding areas. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A typical tour of duty for a B-17 tail gunner was 25 missions. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This feeling of apprehension was with me for the first and last 30 minutes of every operational flight. Except for rare days-Black Thursday, the Ploesti low level attack. I later learned that the life expectancy of a ball turret gunner was just a mere 37 seconds. This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. During World War II - 20,000 air gunners were killed while serving with Bomber Command." What kind of machine gun did tail gunners use? How did Hartmann get so good at dominating the skies over the Eastern Front? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. "He spoke to me afterwards and stammered a bit. The tail gunner was a crucial member of the crew in World War II aircraft, and their role was pivotal in ensuring the safety of the aircraft and the success of their missions. I cant believe he hasnt as we must stand out against all the glow of the target ahead. But you had to stick it out or else you were labelled a coward," he added. Tips For Efficiency: Worldly Repository of Knowledge, 1. We soon crossed over the continental coastline, and as we were in the third wave of the attacking force we were right at the end of the Bomber stream, I saw few of our aircraft throughout the whole flight. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. "I try to show them that they have got friends, that they're not alone. He became my great friend and gave me a tremendous amount of support and assistance in carrying out my ancillary duty as Station Football Officer. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This is King Cole I am handing over to King Cole 2; he is unable to continue and his deputy takes over the task. Many veterans will have suffered from PTSD, and when asked if he experienced this himself, Mr Hall says how his wartime missions left him "a bit flak happy" - he raises his hands and shakes them. The skipper announces over the intercom Target Dead Ahead. The RT is tuned to the Master Bomber frequency, and I hear his call sign `King Cole calmly instructing the Main Force to use particular coloured target indicators for their aiming points as if he were officiating at a fireworks display. The life expectancy of a WW2 Rear-gunner varied but was never high, mostly about just 5 Sorties. Can You Join the Military With Scoliosis? By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Who Gets The Money From The Duchy Of Cornwall? Stripping down to my shreddies I don a pair of my girl friends discarded silk stockings, then aircrew issue silk/wool long johns, pair of everyday socks followed by electric socks. I had known him from our first day in the Royal Air Force meeting him at Lords cricket ground where we had first reported as aircrew cadets. -The machine gun, forced trench warfare and contributed to But advancements in aircraft design added more gunners (and turrets) to aircraft, hence reducing a tail gunners duties. What was the factual life expectancy of a World War 2 tail. Who Was The First King From The House Of Lancaster Who Came To The Throne After Deposing Richard Ii In 1399? Most aircraft lasted about 5 op's maybe as little as 4 . How many minutes does it take to drive 23 miles? 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