Posted By Bill Toombs on October 01, 2007 at 12:30:23:
In Reply to: Gunners in B17E ETO posted by Ed on September 28, 2007 at 09:11:59:
: In his book America in the Air War Edward Jablonski mentiones that up to 1942 the crew in a B17E was 9 airmen and that one more gunner was added later on. When was that done ? With the arrival of the B17G or earlier ? Where was this additional crewmember seated ? I know that at least some missions carried 11 airmen in a B17. Why ? High brass going for a ride as observer ? Spare gunner ? Medic ? Secret Agent to be dropped over enemy territory ? Any knowledgeable answer to these questions would be very much appreciated.
: Ed
Hello Ed,
The question has been kicked around by several people so let me have a boot at it. When we were flying B-24's we had a 10 man crew then in Aug. '44 we changed over to B-17's. Our nose gunner moved to the waist displacing the regular waist gunner who was sent to another assignment on the ground(he was having problems flying). We flew with a 9 man crew from then on.The nose guns were handled by Bombardier or Navigator.Later on our Navigator(who was Danish) was sent to London and made propaganda recordings to be aired over the continent so we flew without a Nav.(This left us with a 8 man crew) for a few missions. During one of these missions without a Nav.we were shot up over Ludwigshaven,Gr.and we had to fall out of formation so the Pilot and Bombardier together navigated until we had to set the plane down in a turnip field outside Brussels,Bel. which had been liberated six days earlier. I don't if there were other crews that flew with just 8 men and flew through flack and fighters but this happened.
Bill Toombs (Old Flight Engineer 493rd BG)