B-17 tail gunner
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress design emphasized high altitude flight, speed, and heavy defensive armament in order to survive enemy defenses. Advanced turbosupercharged engines allowed it to fly up to about 30,000 feet with a combat load, while powered turrets and flexible guns covered all areas around the aircraft.

The B-17 flew in every combat zone during World War II, but its most significant service was over Europe. Along with the B-24 Liberator, the B-17 formed the backbone of the USAAF strategic bombing force, and it helped win the war by crippling Germany’s war industry.

The B-17E, the first mass-produced model of the Flying Fortress, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. It was several tons heavier than the prototypes and bristled with armament.

According to B-17 Queen of the Skies website, the tail gunner was perhaps the most important gunner on the B-17E. He protected the rear quarter of the aircraft with twin .50 cal. machine guns. When enemy fighters first approached the E model B-17, they were met with a nasty surprise. Enemy pilots gained a healthy respect for the tail guns.

All the time in agony

Nevertheless, being a tail gunner was one of the worst jobs on the B-17

Pete Feigal, Former Pro Military Artist and Aviation Expert, explains on Quora;

‘Tail gunners:

‘Flak, German fighters shooting 30mm cannon shells at you, -62 below zero, bulky clothes, take off your gloves to clear a jam and you lose your fingertips, all the time in agony, kneeling on a sawed-off bicycle seat…

‘Danger from fatal training mishaps where aircraft learned to fly in formation-2,800 airmen-died just in those types of formation practice.

‘In the early years, there was a shortage of long-range fighters with drop tanks, so with no escorts, the B-17s had to defend themselves against the fighters closing at a combined 600 mph…or coming up behind at a 200 mph advantage.

‘The German 20 and 30mm HE “Minen” shells were incredibly deadly, hitting their aircraft and exploding like a combination hand grenade and giant shotgun shell, fort blowing a huge hole in the side of their aircraft, then shooting thousands of red-hot splinters, some quite big, thought the B-17, ripping holes in the aluminum skin, vital systems, men’s bodies…and at -60 below, it was almost impossible to tend to the wounded, although some survived when their wounds froze, stopping their bleeding to death, although not Snowden, if you read ‘Catch 22,’ in his B-25.

A horrible place to be, all around

‘As a tail gunner you sat on a sawed off bicycle seat to kneel on during combat, and if you were over 5′10″ you were in very cramped quarters, especially since the high cruising altitude required oxygen masks, electrically heated flight suits, goggles, flak vest and a helmet.

‘And when the bombing runs began, the German anti-aircraft fire, or “ak-ak,” was incredibly effective, much more dangerous than the fighters, and with the enemy planes attacking from the rear, the tail gunner was kept very busy, sometimes having to balancing his heavy twin .50s on his lap after they came loose from their mounts, as they often did as they were poorly designed.’

Feigal concludes;

A horrible place to be, all around.’

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and BrokenSphere Own Work via Wikipedia