Key Points – The Consolidated B-24 Liberator, a key Allied heavy bomber in World War II, was the most produced combat aircraft in history (18,482 built). -Making its maiden flight in 1939, the B ...

Watch this: GoPro video shows the point of view from the retractable ball turret of a WWII B-24 heavy bomber. Published on: August 13, 2013 at 1:00 PM. David Cenciotti SHARE.

Handling one of the most dangerous jobs in the Air Force, the B-24 could retract the turret inside, a luxury not afforded to crews of other bombers. The aircraft's first test was in the Atlantic.

Was the B-24 bomber the best bomber in all of World War II? ... bombardier, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer, ball turret gunner, tail gunner and two waist gunners.

Lawrence A. “Larry” Hilte Sr., a World War II ball turret gunner who flew combat missions in Europe aboard a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber, died Saturday of prostate cancer a… ...

But of all bomber crew members, the ball turret gunner confronted the most dismal fate. This Plexiglas ball hanging from the bottom of the B-17 or B-24 was a heavily armed bubble just big enough ...

Jerry Duran of Salem didn't mind the cramped quarters of the ball turret in the belly of the B-17 bomber. News Sports Politics Outdoors Life Advertise Obituaries eNewspaper Legals. NEWS.

The ball turret, like this one on a B-17 in England in 1943, was designed small to reduce drag, so its gunner usually was the shortest man in the crew. Gunners on World War II bombers had only a ...