Posted By Tery Harris on July 26, 2005 at 12:39:23:
In Reply to: Shooting down your own mount posted by Mifletz on July 26, 2005 at 02:12:35:
: On a B-17 there is nothing to prevent a side gunner from raking his own wing fuel tank or horizontal stabilizer tips. Did this ever happen?
In "Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer", Brian O'Neill recounts the story of a 303rd BG waist gunner (I believe on the Second Schweinfurt mission) who put a few .50 slugs into the horizontal stabilizer on his side. They did make it home.
With flexible weapons, I wouldn't be surprised if "self-fratricide" was a little more common than we've read about.