Cornfest--- a visit to a Fortress.
Sunday, 31. August 2008, 19:48:29
I'm a little late-- by at least a week-- with this one. A week ago, they had Cornfest over in De Kalb, Illinois. It's an annual event with a fair, some shopping and a handful of attractions of some interest. This year, they had a Flying Fortress on display. I had a chance to take the five-dollar tour of the old war-bird so I took them up on the offer. This particular bird never saw combat, having been built just as the war in Europe was winding down. She was used in search and rescue missions instead. The folks who presently maintain and fly her have her set up as a fully equipped heavy bomber, complete with all the gun positions and dummy bombs in the bay. It looks as though she's about to take off on yet another mission with the Eighth Air Force over Germany again.
For a little bit, I wondered to myself how they landed, and then expected to take off again, in a four-engine bomber from De Kalb-Taylor Municipal Airport. Then something occurred to me. These birds used to take off, fully loaded, and sometimes in war-weary condition from grass strips in England for their missions over enemy territory. It would be easy, therefore, for a relatively empty bomber in first-class condition to take off from the tarmac at De Kalb-Taylor.
One position on the plane, more than any other possibly in the entire war, seems worthy of special respect. This is the ball-turret position. It took a small man to climb into that thing, once in he was cut off from the other nine men of the crew. He sat through the entire time he was in the ball turret with his knees up against his chest, steering the thing with his feet on foot-petals, and hoping that an enemy bullet didn't jam the gearing so that he couldn't get out again. If it did, he was in a world of hurt depending on the rest of the crew not to rub him against the ground upon landing. His was also the position least likely to be able to get out if they had to abandon the craft in mid-air. The tail-gunner was also unlikely to escape a stricken B-17, but at least he could see his fellow crewmates in flight which is more than the ball-turret gunner could do.
I walked off of the plane with somewhat better knowledge of what men of my dad's generation did during WW2, and maybe a bit more respect for the people who did it. None of the men who flew this bird was a physically large man. I know this because I stand only 5 foot six inches and many of the clearances were tight for me. The "old man" on the bird was likely not to have had his 24th birthday yet, and many of them never would have it-- heavy bomber missions being what they were. These planes were not pressurised, they flew at 30,000 feet and the temps up there are forever at fifty below zero-- F. or C., it doesn't matter because at that temperature it's just plain too cold. It goes without saying that the crews were on oxygen for the entire run at that altitude.
For a little bit, I wondered to myself how they landed, and then expected to take off again, in a four-engine bomber from De Kalb-Taylor Municipal Airport. Then something occurred to me. These birds used to take off, fully loaded, and sometimes in war-weary condition from grass strips in England for their missions over enemy territory. It would be easy, therefore, for a relatively empty bomber in first-class condition to take off from the tarmac at De Kalb-Taylor.
One position on the plane, more than any other possibly in the entire war, seems worthy of special respect. This is the ball-turret position. It took a small man to climb into that thing, once in he was cut off from the other nine men of the crew. He sat through the entire time he was in the ball turret with his knees up against his chest, steering the thing with his feet on foot-petals, and hoping that an enemy bullet didn't jam the gearing so that he couldn't get out again. If it did, he was in a world of hurt depending on the rest of the crew not to rub him against the ground upon landing. His was also the position least likely to be able to get out if they had to abandon the craft in mid-air. The tail-gunner was also unlikely to escape a stricken B-17, but at least he could see his fellow crewmates in flight which is more than the ball-turret gunner could do.
I walked off of the plane with somewhat better knowledge of what men of my dad's generation did during WW2, and maybe a bit more respect for the people who did it. None of the men who flew this bird was a physically large man. I know this because I stand only 5 foot six inches and many of the clearances were tight for me. The "old man" on the bird was likely not to have had his 24th birthday yet, and many of them never would have it-- heavy bomber missions being what they were. These planes were not pressurised, they flew at 30,000 feet and the temps up there are forever at fifty below zero-- F. or C., it doesn't matter because at that temperature it's just plain too cold. It goes without saying that the crews were on oxygen for the entire run at that altitude.
WIDGETIZE