The Dangerous Life of the Ball Turret Gunner; America's Celebrate Freedom Salute
The Columbian › August 23, 2005
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Summary
It could be a nine-hour flight to Berlin and back, and John Luke would spend most of it outside the airplane. He went to war by crawling through a hatch in the floor, then squirming into a fishbowl suspended from the belly of his B-17 bomber.
Luke was a ball turret gunner.See the full content of this document
Extract
The Dangerous Life of the Ball Turret Gunner; America's Celebrate Freedom Salute
"The ball turret is an awful spot to be in," said Luke, 82, a Vancouver resident.
For a lot of reasons ...It was a tight fit. At 5-foot-10 and 135 pounds, Luke was wiry enough to squeeze in. But he also was sheathed in thermal underwear, a flight suit, a flak suit, an inflatable life vest, a small parachute,...See the full content of this document
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