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02-20-2005, 10:29 PM
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#991 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 13,065
Country:  | I wasn't sure at first, but the numbers tell the story. Still, I sure wouldn't want to be in the ball turret! The waist gunner is the safest, but it has to also be the coldest position.
__________________  http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | 
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02-21-2005, 01:49 PM
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#992 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,956
Country:  | in the lanc it was cirtainly the tail.............
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"Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." | |
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02-21-2005, 03:24 PM
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#993 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NL
Posts: 134
| true,.. and so it was in many other aircraft..
ow, and the tail was shurely the loneliest postition to be.
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02-21-2005, 03:26 PM
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#994 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
Posts: 2,995
Country: | I'd have thought the pilot would be the most dangerous place because you would be the last person out because only you could keep the plane straight and level for everybody else
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When you realise that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually an oncoming train, you know it's time to run for your life | |
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02-21-2005, 03:31 PM
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#995 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 13,065
Country: | Statistically for the Americans, they were the highest rate. It would depend on the situation for straight and level flight. If the aircraft could, you could set the autopilot to hold it straight and level, but sometimes not.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | |
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02-21-2005, 04:22 PM
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#996 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Saco, MAINE!!!!
Posts: 894
Country: | Even, that info is just for the 303rd yes? When we look at it what type of missions and what aircraft were they flying? I am sirprised that the tail was not more. I have seen a lot of pictures of German attacks on B-24s at the tail. 
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Seaplanes Are so nice | |
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02-21-2005, 05:01 PM
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#997 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 13,065
Country: | From what I have seen, those numbers were pretty consistent across the board for B-17s. The post-war survey done by the AAF stated that the pilot/co-pilots had the highest KIA rate.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | |
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02-22-2005, 11:22 AM
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#998 | | Member
Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Jaxsonville FL
Posts: 43
| allright im back
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I only regret that i only have one life to lose for my country "Nathan Hale" | |
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02-22-2005, 03:34 PM
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#999 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Saco, MAINE!!!!
Posts: 894
Country: | Even, that is interesting. I wounder why they had the heigh rate?
I could think that rounds fired at the tail or beam, could travel through the aircrft and stop at the pilots. That is a thought, but I would like to hear from the rest of you
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Seaplanes Are so nice | |
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02-22-2005, 03:39 PM
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#1000 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 13,065
Country: | I can only speculate why, but I would think in a front on attack, a fighter pilot would be prone to aim at the cockpit. Once you have killed the pilot and co-pilot, it's done.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | |
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02-22-2005, 05:03 PM
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#1001 | | Konfused with a 'K'
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Turin, Italy
Posts: 20,408
Country:  | That makes sense.
__________________  with my one last gaping breath id apologise for bleeding on your shirt... | |
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02-23-2005, 02:11 AM
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#1002 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NL
Posts: 134
| ok, but you have only a few seconds to hit such an attack.. from behind you have a much bigger canse of bringing it down cuz you have more time, once you killed the rear gunner, all you need to do is take out 2 engines on one wing.
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02-23-2005, 07:05 AM
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#1003 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 13,065
Country: | That is true archangel. An attack from the rear has many advantages, especially with time to shoot. Like I said, I can only speculate.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | |
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02-23-2005, 07:33 AM
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#1004 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
Posts: 2,995
Country: | But in a box formation as the 8th airforce did, you'd be looking at the wrong end of about 20 machine guns
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When you realise that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually an oncoming train, you know it's time to run for your life | |
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02-23-2005, 07:41 AM
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#1005 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 13,065
Country: | In any box formation, you would be looking at alot of guns facing you. You had the top turret (or ball turret, depending on your angle) and front guns from a frontal attack. The rear you had the 2 x .50s from the tail gunner, plus possible the ball or top turret. From other bombers you could have waist position gunners as well. All in all, not a place that I would want to be.
They said the tighter your box formation, the safer you would be. It is partly because if you kept a tight formation, the fighters couldn't fly through the middle of your formation and break it up. Robert Morgan talks about that in his autobiography. He attributed that as one of the reasons that the Memphis Belle made it through 25 missions. That and luck.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | |
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