T/Sgt R.G. Scharch

303rd Bomb Group, 358th BS - VK

Missions from Molesworth, England  22 Jun 43 - 25 Feb 44

 

Photos

 

T/Sgt Scharch, ball turret gunner

 back home in Milwaukee - 1944.

 

 

  

 

The ball turret gunner sat inside and worked two 50 cal. machine guns.

 

Gunners clock

 

Section thru ball turret

  

Inside the B-17: Located below yellow oxygen tank, the Sperry

ball turret and gimbal apparatus swivels 360 degrees.

 

 

 

    
The Ball Turret Gunner

It hard to imagine a worse place to go to war in then the ball turret position of the B-17 Flying Fortress. Isolated from the rest of the ten-man crew, the ball turret was extremely cramped quarters and required a man with a slight build. In almost every case, there was not enough room for the ball turret gunner to wear a parachute. Ironically, post war analysis of B-17 crew fatality records revealed that the ball turret gunner had the safest job on the plane (with the pilot having the most dangerous).

Once inside the ball, the gunner sat all curled up in the fetal position, swiveling the entire turret as he aimed the two guns. The turret had a full 360 degrees of motion horizontally and 90 degrees of motion vertically. The gunner could be in any attitude from lying on his back to standing on his feet. The gunner sat between the guns with his feet in stirrups positioned on either side of the 13" diameter window in front.