B-24 Ball Turret in Action

[XXFortressCraftedXX]

Now what are the chances of that thing falling cuz my dad and i just bought a b17 and i wanna go in the ball turret but im affraid it will fall

[TheGalwayFarmer]

@XXFortressCraftedXX you and your dad just bought a B17? as one does...

[XXFortressCraftedXX]

@TheGalwayFarmer Yes we did why is that so wierd?

[TheGalwayFarmer]

@XXFortressCraftedXX because they are fairly rare and a tad expensive. I would love one myself but I have nowhere to keep it.

[b24lib1]

R.I.P. papa (rear gunner)

[RJF1966]

i had a uncle that was a top gunner in one of these things...

[TheSlugstoppa]

I would'nt step into that damn thing unless I was drunk as a skunk !!

[Viniagrette]

Can anyone describe the turret's electrical controls to me? I.e., were they foot operated, or mounted on the gun controls?

[airmanc81]

@Viniagrette There were both hand controls as well as foot controls. The hand controls controlled the actual movement of the turret: up, down, left, right. These controls had a handle on either side with triggers (they resemble a video game controller, like the Xbox, for lack of any better comparison). The foot controls were pedals that controlled the sight and allowed the crewman to adjust for range and other variables.

[Viniagrette]

@airmanc81 awesome thank you!

[grandmasterj5]

Wouldn't want to be sitting in that thing. Were they faster than that, or was that it?

[airmanc81]

@grandmasterj5 Yes, they were much faster. During this flight, we did not have the electrics hooked up to the motor, so it was being rotated via hand cranks inside the ball itself. So it could only move as fast as the person inside can crank. If the electric motors had power, it could have turned much faster, fast enough to track an enemy fighter.

[RFKFANTS67]

Ball turett would be my last choice { Memphis Belle Movie B-17}...say no more..but a hearty thanks to all vets for your stories of history, no matter what side you were on, and the allies and the supreme sacrafice:}

[wreckdiver001]

Very good job on this video. I have spent a bit of time in this machine.

[Ludo757]

That must be an amazing feeling!!!

[Squarerig]

Hence "being on the ball"!

[unitedstatesdale]

Do NOT allow Obama to give away all the freedom these brave souls lost their life for.

[anzac2404]

@snorlaxx1337911, I could say something but whats the point....you've already proved what an idiot you are!

[cptcosmo]

My grandfather was a B-24 belly turret gunnery sgt. in WWII. He served his full rotation and survived - I have his air medal with a silver oakleaf cluster that was awards for your full rotation (he said he was on 31 missions). The told me many stories about the air combat - how planes in his sights would vaporize when he'd hit the trigger. He even had an armor piercing round and penetrated his turret and when whizzing around him until it finally stopped. He found it when they landed.

[jonsm114]

I flew in this plane last weekend and we also deployed the ball turret...what a rush!

Jon

[tim22ism]

Oh God how I pity those poor airmen!

[Acepilot235]

Neo the ball turret isn't as safe as u think trust me u got flack enemy cannon fire from the planes and what happens when the turret jams and u can't get out!!! LoL I would be screaming "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"

[hogiesanKenobi]

@Acepilot235 There is a Sperry ball turret on display in the war museum Darwin Australia.It is B-24.I looked it over and couldn,t figure out how to get in AND then it dawned on me.I got into it,knees in eye sockets and a sight inches from face and no other room at all ,can,t even move arms. You need to be a contortionist. I got out, b4 i cramped. Maybe you are not meant to do that,but hey ,I'm an Aussie.

[Eirik36]

u have to have balls of steel to b in one of those in WWII

[spikesonthebrain]

haha balls of steel get it

[Eirik36]

yes, lol

[Dealit707]

More like "Brass Balls".

[ApocalypticSniper]

how

[Eirik36]

u r in a small tiny ass metal ball, totally exposed. If you look down u c nothing but the ground below you. If your ball turret gets fucked up (loss of communication, movement failure) your fucked. And b/c they were so damn small you weren't able to wear your parachute, so if you get shot up and fall out, your fucked. and i know there is more

[neomuttley]

@Eirik36,

Hi. Actually, the ball turret proved to be the safest post on the plane. They were armor plated. The waist gunners tended to get the worst of it, statistically. Most guys felt like you do during the war, though.

[RonocSnuorc]

@Eirik36 Then my Gran father has balls of steel

R.I.P. Willam Horrace Wallace

[Eirik36]

@RonocSnuorc badass lol, 8th or 15th AF?

[metallicastarwarsfan]

I wonder why they don't do that regularly. There are obviously safety risks but if everything is working properly,why not?

[airmanc81]

Well this was done on a flight between tour stops when there were no passengers on board, only crew. It wasn't on a regular ride. Should they try to do it on a regular ride, you would barely have time for a single person since it takes time to prep the turret, climb in, lower it, enjoy the experience, crank it back up, get out, and stow the turret, etc. Add to all this the liability issues, and I don't think they'll ever do it on a normal ride since they only last 25 minutes or so.

[NVanWendy]

Man, that is noisy up there.. I SAID IT'S NOISY!!!

[TheBlackSpider82]

Those ball turret gunners must have either been insane or have balls of steel (probably both)!! Can't imagine what that must've been like...knowing that people were trying to shoot your plane out of the sky, and you're locked in this small tin-can...

[neptunisregis11]

I know a ball turret gunner who told me that the ball turret gunners had fewer casualties because they presented a samller target since they were in a fetal position.

[sd906238]

I've heard that the ball turrets were so small that the gunner couldn't wear a parachute.

[scythelord]

It wouldn't really do much good if you could wear a parachute. They were literally locked in if the ball wasn't oriented the right way so getting out in a crash wasn't an option.

[ironhorzmn]

Legend was that they carried a .45 into the turret 'just in case'.

[anzac2404]

Interesting vid, always thought that's how they worked. The bravery of the men in those aircraft went way beyond anything we could compare to; so to all the men & women of WW2....THANK YOU....we are free because of you!

[rickbar123]

To all the brave men that flew these things-

THANK YOU FOR MY FREEDOM

[dzanicjasmin]

Close the window its too loud!

[bigev32]

I'd be claustrophobic if I could even fit in that thing.

[alincrys]

lol it's controled from the inside of the plane

[bigev32]

My fat ass couldn't fit in that thing. Thank Goodness for skinny little guys. I heard that they took most of the fatal hits. Brave!

[jetdog95]

uhh no the ball turret gunner had pedals to rotate it and a stick to fire and aim

[terminator363]

how di they move the thing?

[airmanc81]

A combination of foot pedals and hand controls. The foot pedals handled things like range and the hand controls handled the actual movement of the turret. Should the controls break or be damaged during a mission there were manual cranks that could be used to move it. We used the manual cranks in this video to move this turret.

[mecallahan1]

I got to tour the restoration facility at the AF museum in Dayton, Oh. the other day. Our guide was the guy in charge of restoring the gun turrets on the Memphis Bell. He had finished the top turret and was almost done with the ball. Both had their own hydralic system, independent of the plane system. The cool part was that both of them work when hooked to electrical power. He said that the ball drew about 90 amps at idle. 90 amps at 24 V dc. Thats 2.16 Kw! What is that in HP?

[5687678]

It would suck if the rod breaks.

[grodspc]

my grandpa was in a b-17 ball turrent, said all it took was one cannon shot and you would fall right out the plane --cool vid

[elli782]

Why did I find Thousands of B-17 Ride videos but only 20 B-24 ride videos?

[airmanc81]

There are several B-17s that give rides, but only one B-24. If you ever have the chance, by all means you should see the Collings Foundation when it comes to an airport near you. Maybe you can make it 21 B-24 ride videos.

[elli782]

That sucks there is only one, any way what is the B-24's name?

[airmanc81]

It's currently painted as "Witchcraft." It's owned and operated by the Collings Foundation. They travel all over the country with it and 3 other warbirds and do about 130 stops a year nationwide. Chances are, they'll stop by an airport near you at some point. Google them and go to their website; their schedule is there.

[elli782]

appresiate it.

[13thLiberator]

I'm also considering flying aboard this plane this fall with my grandad. I saved the money for the two of us.

[13thLiberator]

My grandad has some experience in the ball and the tail of a B-24J.

[reginaldJmitchell]

Very brave boys the 8th Air force. I've always been interested in the "real" world war 2 stores and and reading about the 8th and their time in the UK. Just like the RAF bomber command, they suffered appalling losses until decent fighter escorts were available.

[smokingws6]

Nobody is forcing you, more room for me.

[agentolshki]

is that made by sperry also and/or diff model to that in the b17?

[airmanc81]

Yeah, it's a Sperry. As for whether or not they were different models of the turret, I don't think so. I've never actually heard of Sperry producing different models of the turret used in the belly. There was a 'ball turret' of a different design used in the nose of PB4Ys, but it isn't very similar to the belly turret here. So as far as I know, the ball turret in the B-17 was identical to the ball turret in the B-24.

[zerstorer335]

The main difference was that the ball turret on the B-24 could be retracted into the hull (handy for belly-landings in a battle damaged bird) while the B-17's turret was fixed.

[maifiakidcp]

what did u volunteer in

[airmanc81]

I volunteer for the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour. I join them several weeks each summer and go on the road with the aircraft. It's one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities imaginable.

[franner2002]

Damn, if you dont than Id be so honored to go there, it would be fun

[nburrows1990]

My Grandpa was a Ball Turret gunner on a B-24 for the 459th Bomb Group, I flew on Witchcraft with my Uncle back in 06 in Davenport, IA. And had a great time flying on it. One of the volunteers told me to stick my head out the waist gun widow so i did.

[MvComeaudoc]

Neat shot...would have loved to actually see someone get in and out of that thing!

[skyshyb24]

Great video!

Is that the "Collins Foundation" B-24?

I did'nt know you could fly in the "ball"

The vets called it doing the "Messerschmidt Twist!

[airmanc81]

Yeah, it's the Collings Foundation's B-24. But passengers actually can't fly in the ball turret. I volunteer during summers with them and go on the road with the tour, and every once in a while we'll hop into the B-24's ball turret or the B-17's. It's yet another of the hundreds of perks that makes volunteering with them so absolutely worth-while.

[ssgtforce]

My father was a ball turret gunner on a B-24. 15th AAF 455th 741st Sqdn. God holds a very special place for them in heaven.

[scoobrojess]

I have always wanted to try that.

[airmanc81]

It's cramped (but not as bad as I thought it would be) and very unsettling at first. The thought that only a few bolts are holding you up certainly makes you uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that to situate it to look towards the horizon, you're in a position lying on your back with your shoulders resting on the hatch...well, it gives you an appreciation of what the veterans went through.