I'm pretty sure in the first clip with the Luftwaffe pilot honing in on the B-17 and firing away, that the poor SOB in the ball turret didn't make it out alive. I saw at least 2 direct hits on the ball turret and that thing had no armor plating and was as thin as sheet metal.
Well This looks like bf-109 fireing It´s 30mm canon. I can not imagine what a single hit could do to the crew inside the bomber... I wouldn ´t be suprised if bomber crew didn´t even shoot back. And I also can not imagine the bravery of the German pilot - atacking heavy bomber from rear was really dangerous action...!
@orientgate: You're right. 'Kanone' fire punching big holes. It looks like the Lib's fuselage was thoroughly shredded, especially the aft gunner's position. Incredible, brutal footage.
honestly.. aside from being a gunner anywhere in a bomber weither it be axis or allies... imagine being the guy who had to clean out the gunners place when and if it got back??? like the first clip a few rounds go through the ball turret... that body in there must have been mangled beyond recognition and some poor bastard had to clean it out :( R.I.P. to ALL the men and women who died AND R.I.P. to everybody's mind who was damaged because of it
Apparently Luftwaffe and Wermacht did not hinder their abilities overall. The offspring, is called today "baby boomers" and is just comming into harvest. By the millions!
the rear gunner had no chance to survive these attacks, I fighter could easilly shot two of these birds down. I know that in call of duty you shot down 40 planes as rear gunner but reality was different
Note that Luftwaffe gun cameras didn't record in real time. Although the firing passes look as though they were firing on their prey for minutes, a firing pass was about two to three seconds in real time. Most gunners on our bombers had to swing a 150 lb single 50 cal. in a slip stream wind at immense resistance and fire, if their gun didn't jam or freeze up during the attack. Waist gunners were stumbling in piles of brass casings on their floor at -30 degrees..Daunting..
I'm amazed how they just stay stay behind them like that and fire away. I would imagine the gunners on the bombers would be firing like crazy at them, but then again they have probably been killed. Can't imagine what this must have been like. Hats off to those guys.
@jtkent28 i hate to say but i kno for sure that tail gunner and the ball turrent gunner were more than likely shot to shyt sittin in there poor guys they probably didnt even have a chance
@machvelocy They must've been killed by the 7.92mm machineguns. German fighters carry both the machine guns and 20mm cannons. they usually finish off the ball turrets and tail gunners with machineguns because the 7.92mm round has better ballistic then the 20mm round and a higher rate of fire. So it's more suitable to kill the crew , and then proceed to bring kill the bomber with 20mm cannon.
Those B-24's didn't have as good protection as the B-17'd did. They were vunerable from many angles. Flack was one thing, but when they were bounced by fighters, that must have been terrifying.
@jonesy97 - The B-24 tail gunner was in a turret with a much better range of movement than the tail gunner in a B-17. Both bombers had dorsal turrets and ventral ball turrets. So, if anything the B-24 was better protected. However, the B-17 was preferred in Europe because it could take much more damage than the B-24. In the Pacific where Japan had fewer fighters this was not such an issue and the B-24 was preferred for its longer range.
I'm pretty sure in the first clip with the Luftwaffe pilot honing in on the B-17 and firing away, that the poor SOB in the ball turret didn't make it out alive. I saw at least 2 direct hits on the ball turret and that thing had no armor plating and was as thin as sheet metal.
busarider29 1 day ago
Liberators of my ass
EuroPropaganda 2 weeks ago 3
Well This looks like bf-109 fireing It´s 30mm canon. I can not imagine what a single hit could do to the crew inside the bomber... I wouldn ´t be suprised if bomber crew didn´t even shoot back. And I also can not imagine the bravery of the German pilot - atacking heavy bomber from rear was really dangerous action...!
ondraceki 2 months ago
O:11 to 0:22 clear 30mm gun fire
orientgate 2 months ago
@orientgate: You're right. 'Kanone' fire punching big holes. It looks like the Lib's fuselage was thoroughly shredded, especially the aft gunner's position. Incredible, brutal footage.
raynus1 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Looks like a 30 mm at 0:11.
svobobo 4 months ago
Comment removed
svobobo 4 months ago
honestly.. aside from being a gunner anywhere in a bomber weither it be axis or allies... imagine being the guy who had to clean out the gunners place when and if it got back??? like the first clip a few rounds go through the ball turret... that body in there must have been mangled beyond recognition and some poor bastard had to clean it out :( R.I.P. to ALL the men and women who died AND R.I.P. to everybody's mind who was damaged because of it
Paintber4life 4 months ago 3
a few less yankee doodles went home to make babies....
anthonymaw 5 months ago
@anthonymaw
Apparently Luftwaffe and Wermacht did not hinder their abilities overall. The offspring, is called today "baby boomers" and is just comming into harvest. By the millions!
hetmanbasza 4 months ago
@anthonymaw - Did you escape from the mental institution, did you skip your medications, or both?
JohnQuincyAdams1 2 months ago
the rear gunner had no chance to survive these attacks, I fighter could easilly shot two of these birds down. I know that in call of duty you shot down 40 planes as rear gunner but reality was different
Leon1700 5 months ago
Those drooping guns tell the story alright :(
OutbackAL 5 months ago
00:08 That man in the ball gunner must have definitely been killed. Rest in peace soldier you did what your country wanted.
Fightingirishajf 5 months ago
Amazing how those bombers can take a hell of pounding yet they continue to fly straight and true.
canon21100 6 months ago
Note that Luftwaffe gun cameras didn't record in real time. Although the firing passes look as though they were firing on their prey for minutes, a firing pass was about two to three seconds in real time. Most gunners on our bombers had to swing a 150 lb single 50 cal. in a slip stream wind at immense resistance and fire, if their gun didn't jam or freeze up during the attack. Waist gunners were stumbling in piles of brass casings on their floor at -30 degrees..Daunting..
madcitymcflyer 7 months ago 4
I'm amazed how they just stay stay behind them like that and fire away. I would imagine the gunners on the bombers would be firing like crazy at them, but then again they have probably been killed. Can't imagine what this must have been like. Hats off to those guys.
jtkent28 9 months ago 27
@jtkent28 i hate to say but i kno for sure that tail gunner and the ball turrent gunner were more than likely shot to shyt sittin in there poor guys they probably didnt even have a chance
yungprince870 6 months ago
@yungprince870
They did have a chance: Twin 50's at their disposal. All depends if they even were manning the guns at the time of the attack.
hetmanbasza 4 months ago
@jtkent28 Classic German tactic. Slience the tailgunner and have at the "fat busses" as they called the B-17's.
FadeToGrayLLC 3 days ago
the fighter pilot calmly lined up the b-17 from the rear... that means he's confident that the tail and bottom turret gunners already being killed.
eerie.
machvelocy 11 months ago
@machvelocy They must've been killed by the 7.92mm machineguns. German fighters carry both the machine guns and 20mm cannons. they usually finish off the ball turrets and tail gunners with machineguns because the 7.92mm round has better ballistic then the 20mm round and a higher rate of fire. So it's more suitable to kill the crew , and then proceed to bring kill the bomber with 20mm cannon.
phadil 9 months ago
ouch ouch:/
xazoulini1 1 year ago
Pqp! O alemão aniquilou o posto do tail gunner do B24! Pedaços da carlinga do artilheiro da cauda voam à medida que as balas a atingem.
Fabioajato 1 year ago 2
Those B-24's didn't have as good protection as the B-17'd did. They were vunerable from many angles. Flack was one thing, but when they were bounced by fighters, that must have been terrifying.
jonesy97 2 years ago 13
@jonesy97 - The B-24 tail gunner was in a turret with a much better range of movement than the tail gunner in a B-17. Both bombers had dorsal turrets and ventral ball turrets. So, if anything the B-24 was better protected. However, the B-17 was preferred in Europe because it could take much more damage than the B-24. In the Pacific where Japan had fewer fighters this was not such an issue and the B-24 was preferred for its longer range.
DaveBC1 5 months ago