 | What is the most dangerous position on a bomber? (cont.)| Aviation Discuss What is the most dangerous position on a bomber? (cont.) in the World War II - Aviation forums; I shall be saving that pic due to the name of the Stang... |
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02-27-2005, 03:45 PM
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#1 | | Konfused with a 'K'
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Turin, Italy
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Country:  | What is the most dangerous position on a bomber? (cont.)
I shall be saving that pic due to the name of the Stang 
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02-27-2005, 03:46 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
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Country:  | Yep, that or a Beau
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04-16-2006, 07:57 PM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colorado, USA
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Country:  | huh?
I wouldn't like to be stuck in the tail. But of course you are farther awa from the exploding engines so.... | |
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04-16-2006, 08:48 PM
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#4 | | Minister of Whoopass
Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Island Native in Mississippi
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Country: | A Moderator, CC, broke this thread off from a larger thread... Look at the dates sbw... 2005....
Anyways, the tail gunner was the most dangerous posistion.... German pilots are quoted as going after the tail gunners posistion on purpose...
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04-16-2006, 08:54 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
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Country:  | i think over the target would be a little dicey
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04-17-2006, 02:59 AM
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#6 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,959
Country: | i don't think they mean it quite like that pb 
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04-17-2006, 10:17 AM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Winnipeg
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Country: | I would have to agree with Les on this one. I have read so many times the tail gunner coming home dead or shot to crap. Can you imagine being a lone duck out there in a bomber. Lets say even if you make it home. You are sitting in tail gunner spot and fighter after fighter making passes on you. You are gunned and cannot move or dodge just sit there and pray and fire back. Yikes
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04-17-2006, 05:55 PM
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#8 | | Minister of Whoopass
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Country: | Also, alot of times, the tail gunner never got out of the aircraft when an abandon ship call went out...
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04-17-2006, 10:10 PM
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#9 | | IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA
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Country: | Wasn't it posted that statistically the waist gunners had the highest causalities?
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04-17-2006, 10:14 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
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| Flyboy may be correct. The wast gunners were standing upright with no protection.
The tail gunner had some armor plate and the MG's to protect him.
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04-17-2006, 10:19 PM
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#11 | | IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA
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Country: | Quote: |
Originally Posted by syscom3 Flyboy may be correct. The wast gunners were standing upright with no protection.
The tail gunner had some armor plate and the MG's to protect him. | Waist gunners also risked frostbite and hypoxia - from what I seen in the B-17 their O2 set-up was less than primitive...
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04-18-2006, 05:49 AM
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#12 | | Minister of Whoopass
Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Island Native in Mississippi
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Country: | Im not sure Joe, but, from an air to air combat injury standpoint, more tail gunners were wounded than waist gunners, and although waist gunners were more exposed, hypothermia/frost bite and hypoxia was a problem for the whole crew, not just the waist gunners...
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04-18-2006, 07:58 AM
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#13 | | Your ad here. ;)
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
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Country: | I spoke with a B-17 tail gunner and he said he liked it best because it was warm back there. Of course, I am sure warm is kind of subjective when you are at altitude.
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04-18-2006, 08:49 AM
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#14 | | Senior Member
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Country: | True, ideally I wouldn't want to be in the tail or the waist. The nose I think wouldn't be too bad, but ideally I wouldn't want to be in one at all...
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04-18-2006, 10:22 AM
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#15 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,959
Country: | statistics show that in lancs the safest crew position was the bomb aimer, primarily because he sat on the main escape hatch, the hatch the entire crew should use in the event of a bail out, although in some cases the tail gunners had a very novel escape routine, i know some of you should know it, can anyone guess?
also interestingly, whilst the cold was a problem for most crew members, interestingly radio operators always complained of being too hot and even sweating through heat on missions, whilst other crew members were more concerned about the cold.........
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