Imagine being crammed in there for hours on end, 20,000 feet in the air with nothing below you, all while flak and enemy fighters were trying to kill you. Ball gunners were something special .

@dontkillme3368

5 жыл бұрын

lieutenantkettch ball gunners definitely had balls ;)

@joncullen3063

5 жыл бұрын

Ball gunners had some of the highest casualty rates during the war.

@pablojose4890

5 жыл бұрын

I read somewhere the gunner would climb down inside the ball during the flight.

@abilawaandamari8366

5 жыл бұрын

I was about to comment how cool this thing is... Nevermind then, its apparantly terrifying to be in that thing.

@GivingUFacials

5 жыл бұрын

@Oggy you should watch Memphis Bell. Its about a crew that flew a B-17. One of my favorite movies.

"find one in a surplus store" You got to love America for this

@Gunscom

3 жыл бұрын

Yep.

@TurboBMRProjectLove

3 жыл бұрын

murica, fuck yeah

@joehaddow2746

3 жыл бұрын

@ANTON KOSS Foreigner: what's that sound US citizen: that's the sound of freedom my friend.

@charlescourtwright2229

3 жыл бұрын

@@joehaddow2746 true Americans will either live free or die free

@gipsydangeramericasmonster9632

3 жыл бұрын

Now I’m just imagining a store with a ball turret or 2 on the roof, and when an armed criminal comes in to rob the place it’ll automatically shred them

"I got one!" "Don't get cocky kid!"

@bouncydachon

3 жыл бұрын

Thats exactly what i thought when i saw this gun lmao

@AdamGinger

3 жыл бұрын

I was about to comment the same response LOL

It's crazy how many Star Wars designs came directly out of WWII designs. Quite a bit of them.

@MrChillerNo1

3 жыл бұрын

the first movie used due to budget shorages WWII costumes from the set next door... Thats why they looked like nazis. Of course in the later movies they stuck with it.

@gitman3486

3 жыл бұрын

I mean it basically is WW2 in space

@Senerian

3 жыл бұрын

The cock pit of the Millennium Falcon was basically a copy of the cockpit of a B 17 I believe.

@silascooper6827

3 жыл бұрын

@@Senerian It was inspired by the b29 cockpit, not the b17.

@Senerian

3 жыл бұрын

@@silascooper6827 Thanks, I knew it was one of them just not certain

The men who flew bombing raids had the same size balls as the turret. Mooom I'm famous 😭

@SuppositionalBox

5 жыл бұрын

That must be why they always said only the small guys can fit. Half the volume of the ball turret was filled with unmentionables lol

@universalgasworks5050

5 жыл бұрын

You got that fucking right. Can you even imagine. ??

@deathlegionair

5 жыл бұрын

No doubt, those things were known to be magnet for enemy aircraft fire.. being in the ball turret significantly decreased your life expectancy due to the low chance of you making through the mission alive.

@Maxumized

5 жыл бұрын

I wished they were here to kick the living shot out of people who disrespect our country and flag🇺🇸

@ThatGuy-vw6gc

5 жыл бұрын

Imagine the entrance hatch opening up mid flight, you’ll fall the whole way down, having all the time in the world to think about your actions

"took 15 years to convince the guy to sell it" Charisma 1

@erwin643

3 жыл бұрын

Plus the Salesman Perk

@crysis_pyscho9386

3 жыл бұрын

Patience 100

@midiplaybox3453

3 жыл бұрын

During that time you can make your own copy of the turret

@LighthouseCape

3 жыл бұрын

He clearly said it was in a surplus store so why didn't the guy sell it? Was it just for the show or something?

@operator8014

3 жыл бұрын

How many quick-loads was that???

add hexagonal wings and you've got a bloody tie-fighter

@edikis3189

3 жыл бұрын

You fucking genius

@SANDSCORCHER

3 жыл бұрын

😆😁😎👍🏻👌🏻

@indo-sama1046

3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant

@vulture3874

3 жыл бұрын

Beat me to it.

@gusfarnell1974

3 жыл бұрын

Star Wars was originally modeled after world war 2. With the empire being nazi Germany (they had stormtroopers too) even the empire uniforms in original Star Wars looked like nazi uniforms. Not surprising they took weapon ideas from the era as well

This is my childhood fantasy on every single freaking level

@paprikaa117

3 жыл бұрын

I kinda vibe with this

@skoll_5682

3 жыл бұрын

Matsimus Thought that when watching some of your vids Matsimus. A cheeky comment on someone else’s video but, thanks mate 👍

@flowjoe23

3 жыл бұрын

killing people in fetal position..?

@skoll_5682

3 жыл бұрын

flowjoe23 Kids like things that go bang. The don’t like killing. Like my dog loves mauling her toys, she doesn’t wanna harm anything. Ps is this why you came here? Here’s something that might help kzread.info/dash/bejne/p3mV2cSniMSvdNY.html

@flowjoe23

3 жыл бұрын

@@skoll_5682 He said "on every freaking level", no need to compare him to your dog. i came here to watch the video, i don't need your help, thanks :-)

“Took me about 15 years to talk the guy out of it” salesman skill over 9000

@nickb2208

4 жыл бұрын

I thought he said 50 year's.

@kgking3802

4 жыл бұрын

"Good things come to those who wait!"

@moravianlion3108

4 жыл бұрын

Marketing skill over 9

@IIIVI

4 жыл бұрын

Commitment lvl. 100

@cyberhawk80

3 жыл бұрын

@In All Honesty your comment was deemed useless. after "boomers" .

My grandfather was a ball turret gunner. He flew his 25, then signed up for another 25. I miss him everyday.

@zeus6793

2 ай бұрын

Crazy bastard. RIP.

@icalexander

2 ай бұрын

may your grandfather Rest in peace. My great uncle similar story except he flew P40's in Africa and later the Typhoon in Europe. Did two complete tours, signed up for a third and got shot down KIA 03/02/45 so if he'd lived another 6-7 weeks he'd have seen the end of the war and gone home to my great aunt Catherine. I hope to visit his grave at the allied war cemetary in Kliev Germany before I die

@gusxenakes48

Ай бұрын

We’re those turrets ejectable?

@wnose

Ай бұрын

​@@gusxenakes48yes. If they had damaged engines, they would drop it to save fuel

Spoke to a gentleman who was a ball turret gunner in a B 17 flying out of England.Read a small bible during every mission.All alone for hours and then flak and fighters would start.His biggest fear was the landing gear not being able to work and him being killed stuck in the ball.Survived 34 missions.Yeah a Hero he was.

@DutchDiederik

3 жыл бұрын

Legendary.

@tydendurler9574

3 жыл бұрын

A man just blindly following orders for some dumb shit is by far not a hero, rather the opposite.

@DutchDiederik

3 жыл бұрын

@@tydendurler9574 take a load of this edge-lord.

@LG123ABC

3 жыл бұрын

There was actually an episode of Amazing Stories back in the 1980's that dealt with this very scenario. A gunner was trapped in a B17 ball turret and the landing gear wouldn't come down. It had a pretty weird ending as I recall.

@Chopper650

3 жыл бұрын

@@tydendurler9574 you'd know wokester

“It’s very comfortable” not when the landing gear fails to deploy...

@DividedByZeero

3 жыл бұрын

Then the ball gunner would be screwed

@maxfredriksen350

3 жыл бұрын

@@DividedByZeero Or they could go out of the ball turret... they have enough time

@roberthudson1959

3 жыл бұрын

If memory serves, the turret was supposed to retract into the belly for landing. If battle damage kept the turret from retracting, the gunner was doomed because the turret hung below the level of the landing gear.

@mxs4193

3 жыл бұрын

Robert Hudson yeah, it happened at least one time (that I know of) maybe more. What a terrible way to go...

@mxs4193

3 жыл бұрын

Ryan Knox not when bullet damage clogs the mechanism...

This is how manly things were back in the 1940s Even the bloody planes had balls

@kylereese9789

5 жыл бұрын

Best comment here ^^^

@ITRIEDEL

5 жыл бұрын

Well fucking played, mate.

@spunts144

5 жыл бұрын

Vehichles and machines are personified as women in western culture

@DanishAlKahfi

5 жыл бұрын

Right

@rennji460

5 жыл бұрын

@@ryanm.191 lmao

Pretty sure kids would have an appreciation for WWII history if they took a field trip to a place like this. Amazing!

@JoH-bu5nz

3 жыл бұрын

Its sad that they dont already

@thebroadwyz

3 жыл бұрын

@@JoH-bu5nz unfortunately school field trips are a thing of the past. 10 years in education and I’ve never been on a district funded field trip. Yet district administrators and superintendents continue to earn $150k+ per year with additional housing stipends. I cannot be convinced there is a job so critical or so time consuming in education that it warrants a six figure income - and all coming from tax payer dollars at that!

@doughesson

2 жыл бұрын

@@thebroadwyz As a bus driver I took a few classes to the local underground railroad"station" here in Memphis. The teachers asked dumber questions than did the kids"Where are the tracks that the underground trains ran on?" They don't study on the trip before taking it & learn little more than they knew before. That's my theory on why so few field trips.

the second most deadly position after the tail gunner , God bless those brave souls

@DavidAbyssal

3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes they had to wash out the turret gunner with a hose, thats nightmares for real...

top 5 : best guns for home defense

@johnkolinoff8591

5 жыл бұрын

abuseofviolence. YOU mean for the hole! neighborhood... LOL.

@demanischaffer

5 жыл бұрын

No, completely wrong It's one of the best for concealed carry

@SteelHex

5 жыл бұрын

TheReal Lifehacks, but will it print and make me look fat?

@seththomas3418

5 жыл бұрын

@iuvenis animo Those are AN M2 Brownings with a rate of fire of just over 1000 rpm. The increase of fire came as a result of thinning the entire gun.

@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785

5 жыл бұрын

Make America great again! A ball turret for every household! When I become President, it will be my first(and probably last) executive order, hahah!

Imagine the kids that were in this thing,thats what they were,kids,awesome generation,always remember,never forget

You know you’re getting older when you hear “tax deductible” and your ears perk up

@thamomentum

3 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣🤣🤣

@brettminter6429

3 жыл бұрын

This is gold

@squirtygurty1780

3 жыл бұрын

Their website said that the B-17 instruction flight is 15k per person for 1 hour. So that's fun.

@juancolon7990

3 жыл бұрын

LOL! 😆

@stephenmorales3630

3 жыл бұрын

@@squirtygurty1780 Tax Deductible!!!

wow that is intense

@Sebastian-kw6zs

3 жыл бұрын

@Its Me they don't even try to make a good comment

Nice. Everybody should have one of these.

I'd love to try this, as my late father was a ball turret gunner in B-24s during WW2. (He refused to get back into a B-24 when I offered him that opportunity, saying "I don't want that damned plane to have another shot at killing me!")

@rajadey4919

3 жыл бұрын

Anybody who has gone through hell, understands the very implication of it.

@generatorjohn4537

3 жыл бұрын

God Bless your Dad! Love all our WW2 vets.

@frikenhek7611

3 жыл бұрын

It would possibly be different if it was a B17, mostly cause the B24 was told to be a pain in the ass to fly and could barely fly on 3 engines

@defectedclone6649

3 жыл бұрын

My Grandpa who was also a ball turret gunner actually got in the turret and boy he shot the living hell out of those targets. He actually liked going back on a b17. He was scared at first.

@dhall058

3 жыл бұрын

@Miss Jae : Huh?

... this make me...happy...

@firefox5926

5 жыл бұрын

2:05 please please tell me you get to shoot the ball turret while flying ...

@uuuultra

5 жыл бұрын

It makes my peepee place big

@anthonyspanjich2772

5 жыл бұрын

Hey mate....... Pleeeeease branch into "bomber hog hunting" as well? just swap the concrete dummy bombs for airburst - anti personnel bombs and sign me up!!!!!!!

@Quincius

5 жыл бұрын

@Gappie Al Kebabi How is this war?

@jjtomecek1623

5 жыл бұрын

We all know you meant hard, just say it.

I wish my dad was still here to see this video. He was a WWII B-24 belly gunner and while on a training mission the turret released, spun around, leaving him hanging. Fortunately he still had his headset on while hanging on and the tail gunner heard his cries for help and rescued him just in time. The tail gunner became his Best Man years later.

If asked "So how pro 2A are you?" This is what I will send them.

@wadelerow8633

3 жыл бұрын

2A has been taken WAYYY out of context over the last 20 years but I'd totally be on board with this!!!

@thurin84

3 жыл бұрын

freedom go; BBBBBRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT

That’s how R2D2 should have been built

@yawnguy94

5 жыл бұрын

Yawnman

@legendaryexplorer8119

5 жыл бұрын

Lol

@SergeyPRKL

5 жыл бұрын

They made them autonomous in Oblivion movie.

@grahamlopez6202

5 жыл бұрын

That's his cousin, R2 fuck you.

@matheius4668

5 жыл бұрын

@@grahamlopez6202 lol LMFAO

"Found it in a surplus store." Got to love it!

@mebsrea

5 жыл бұрын

Gary C You find interesting things in there. One near me has a complete Leopard I tank rangefinder/aiming optics. How that ended up in Minnesota, I have no idea.

@onyxguardian1756

5 жыл бұрын

@@mebsrea "Surplus" somehow includes ball turrets off aircraft and an enemy tank from a different continent. 'Murica!

@Michael-yu2yk

5 жыл бұрын

@@onyxguardian1756 leopard is west german, we haven't fought them... yet!

@onyxguardian1756

5 жыл бұрын

@@Michael-yu2yk Oh yeah, i'm thinking panthers/tigers.

@spamviking

5 жыл бұрын

Surplus store nearest to me has a WW2 german naval mine, has a price tag but i think that is to dissuade people buying it more than advertising it for sale.

Holy crap that's awesome. I am the same level of excitement I felt when learning about space camp in 1984.

The men who fought in WWII had balls of steel.

My grandfather was a ball turret gunner in WWII. From the stories he’d tell me it was not a fun place to be, for a variety of reasons. He was a true American hero. So Brave. And man do I ever miss him.

@ChronoSquare

3 жыл бұрын

Veterans Day was just yesterday. Here's a salute to your grandpa, and mine. Granted not as prestigious, as iirc both my grandpas were too young for ww2 & instead served in Korea... I wonder how many of our old war vets get to share stories when they meet up in the afterlife?

@chad5617

3 жыл бұрын

I can imagine it is a lot less fun when you have bullets coming back at you.

@yanni2112

5 ай бұрын

Miss my Gramps and Dad too

California and 50call ball turret? Thats something you spect to see in Texas lol

@ThatOrphan

5 жыл бұрын

As long as youve gone through the right process you can own just about anything

@Nebraski03

5 жыл бұрын

Lol ikr

@zigmundfreiheit7222

5 жыл бұрын

The sandy shoot is Arizona. I don't know about bomber camp

@jacobcooper269

5 жыл бұрын

@@ThatOrphan Not true. Even to carry a handgun in California requires permission by law enforcement, which is up to their discretion. It's not a given like other states where law enforcement can only deny you that right with justifiable cause.

@austinbernard7223

5 жыл бұрын

Bigger is better here in Texas chief

Good Show! Thanks for making this available to the public.

This just made the top of my bucket list!

"turn the ammunition into noise" "It's tax deductible because it goes to our non profit museum" Yeah thats going to be a 10/10 from me. God Bless America 😂

@TheRealGatD

5 жыл бұрын

Jake Westin did you check the price 😂😂 Im happy it is

@Anvilshock

4 жыл бұрын

There's no god, so fuck you.

@misumikaminari

4 жыл бұрын

@@Anvilshock lolrude.

@Anvilshock

4 жыл бұрын

@Trigger Troll wat

@Marshmouse100

4 жыл бұрын

It's NOT tax deductible if you get something in return, in this case, the experience of shooting twin .50's...

"Its very comfortable"......not if you were in it for real over Germany...

@jmorich

4 жыл бұрын

I am sure it is comfortable for a 5 minute shoot. A 4 hour flight i would argue that point.

@WELLBRAN

4 жыл бұрын

@@jmorich and the implications of why your in it and what could happen because your in it!...

@WELLBRAN

4 жыл бұрын

@Tyler More and while that is all going on this is happening kzread.info/dash/bejne/X2qJyaqmlcy-qdI.html

@hannahuy5220

4 жыл бұрын

And japan

@Markus_Andrew

4 жыл бұрын

@@jmorich And the cold... Don't forget the cold. A ball-turret gunner once said that if you got wounded, drops of blood would freeze and roll around on the floor.

These types of turrets just looks so cool.

Another item for my bucket list. Thanks, guys.

My Dad was a ball turret gunner on a B-24 during WW-2, he was on the first two Ploesti bombing missions. Even though he's been gone for many years he is still my hero.

@scotttyson8661

Жыл бұрын

Mine too ,was a Tail Gunner in aB-24 Got shot down on his last bomb run over Germany

@artisaprimus6306

Жыл бұрын

God bless your Dad. RIP

@mr.d.4175

7 ай бұрын

Thank God for MEN like your dad and mine. He served in WWII, South Pacific. No discussion of his time. EVER.

@swampfox1776.

2 ай бұрын

What's his name????

@samlincicome4904

2 ай бұрын

@@swampfox1776. Sam Lincicome

My Great Uncle Bob Perry from Knoxville, Tennessee and was a B-24 Ball turret gunner-he WAS very small. He had to stay in it for the whole flight till landing back in England. A 98 year old P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot told me the Germans would target to take out the ball turret first. Back then the story goes my great uncle swore if he survived all his missions and the war he’d never fly again. He did, and he kept his vow to stay grounded the rest of his life, surviving a Tennessee tornado in his bathtub in his 80s as his home was leveled around him. He led a charmed life. He was about 5’4” and said even though a tall man could fit in the ball, the job almost always went to the smaller guys, who didn’t necessarily want to be hanging from the bottom of a plane while a target over Germany for ME-109 and FW-190 pilots, to say nothing for the “88” mm antiaircraft shells exploding all around. I remember the vernacular he used was “Belly Gunner.”

@mistysurge491

5 жыл бұрын

F

@taynetugwell7779

5 жыл бұрын

@Reno Simpson believe it comes from a "Call of Duty" meme where you pressed the F button on your keyboard to pay respects to a fallen soldier, not an appropriate time to use this meme but seems as though he did

now we know where the Millenium Falcon got his turret defense system design from. Just epic.

Added to Bucket List. Helping to support a great museum is a nice bonus. Win Win.

We bought it, cleaned it up and put hydraulic fluid in it and it worked ever since. American made at its best.

@benjones4660

5 жыл бұрын

Shut the fuck up , patriotism is the most obnoxious thing on this entire earth

@SemorreButte

5 жыл бұрын

@@benjones4660 you shut up brit lol

@benjones4660

5 жыл бұрын

@@JakeTheSlayer123 Yeah because we all know girls pussy's get wet when you talk about how great your country is

@comradekalininkalinych2006

5 жыл бұрын

@DESTROYER67732 You have nothing to be proud of; perhaps murdering millions of innocent civilians - Afghans, Libyans, Iraqis, Vietnamese, Koreans might suit your definition as the one and only criteria that determines something to be "proud of" - otherwise, US should be wiped off the face of this planet, you included.

@giampaolomannucci8281

5 жыл бұрын

Proud. Americans love to use this word, it's their main selling point when talking to strangers online, but you can't be proud about something you didn't personally achieve. You took no part in it. It's like saying you're proud of being white, or male, or tall, makes no sense. You can be proud about getting a promotion at work, about earning a degree, about being an honest person and not living in a prison, for instance. Here, I found two definitions online: 1) Feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions. 2) Having or showing a high or excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance. You all talk as if it was 1 but it's 2 instead. I get the fact that they sold you the flag since you were kids, with the pledge of allegiance and all these bullshits but now you're not kids anymore. You have the chance to talk to people from all over the world, living in countries with an actual history and this is very important because, never forget, you got None.

"From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose." Randall Jarrell 1945 The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. Not too many WWII Vets with us nowadays. Thank em' if you see em.

@davidgouthro3518

4 жыл бұрын

that's beautiful

@jazzgtrs1243

4 жыл бұрын

Randall Jarrell’s antiwar poetry. You should also read “Losses”

@davidm.4670

3 жыл бұрын

@@jazzgtrs1243 The song "Johnny I hardly knew ya" ...

@slavcity406

3 жыл бұрын

Damn

@sank9039

3 жыл бұрын

This poem is related but its not ur poem

This is now on my bucket list, at least the Bomber camp. My Grandfather was in a B24 and he would never talk about the missions. Thanks for sharing.

RIP 909 you were a good bird. Beautiful flight. 😞

just as my dad has always said "happiness is a belt fed weapon."

@foreignfoamer3592

5 жыл бұрын

YEEEEES! FUCKING GUNS ARE AMAZING YEEEEHAAAAAAAAW!

@vt750dc

5 жыл бұрын

@@foreignfoamer3592 lmfao

@ElwoodPDowd-nz2si

5 жыл бұрын

My dad always said, "What the hell are you doing in the bathroom day and night? Why don't you get out of there and give someone else a chance".

@Maxumized

5 жыл бұрын

I miss your Dad...we’d get along

@Pieguy223

5 жыл бұрын

My dad has been getting milk for the past 20 years

My grandfather was a ball turret gunner on the B-17 over Italy. I have his training manual and journal.

@GH-rh2ob

5 жыл бұрын

balls damn he lived?

Holy crap how fun this would be. Not only for us but icing on the cake is the proceeds help preserve this fantastic history.

Bomber Camp and everything around it sounds like an absolutely amazing experience! Wow!! 🤙🏽

I think the stament "very comfortable" might work as a rig today. But you can't forget the people that actually had to sit in this deathtrap in ww2 for all of our bombing raids.

@sparkymax4290

5 жыл бұрын

I know.... try sitting in that fucker at altitude for hours on end, about 5 degrees in there, can't even wear your parachute, flak exploding all over the place. Fuck that.

@Meditech509

5 жыл бұрын

@@sparkymax4290 When men were men.

@sillyone52062

5 жыл бұрын

@@sparkymax4290 At 24,000 feet, temperature is 10 to 20 below zero.

@sparkymax4290

5 жыл бұрын

@@sillyone52062 even worse. Long story short, nothing comfortable about it.

@sparkymax4290

5 жыл бұрын

@@Meditech509 damn right

2200 Luftwaffe pilots disliked this.

@themrkrinkle5734

5 жыл бұрын

@Gappie Al Kebabi you are the gayest dude ever

@billw7033

5 жыл бұрын

Ultimately no!@Gappie Al Kebabi

@dbmbrbkb

5 жыл бұрын

Oh, the BF109 had a lot of fun by shooting this Elephants down. 😂

@zepter00

5 жыл бұрын

dbmbrbkb chęci nów many Me-109 and other fighters were shot down by B-17 and B-24 crews... hundreds... and these machines leveled to the ground so many german cities...and that was so goood.

@dbmbrbkb

5 жыл бұрын

zepter00 , like Germany the Rest of Europe? Yes, that was fun. I heard a lot stories of the war from the beginning in poland Till the end. 👌🏻

Nothing like the real combat. Hat off for the soldiers.

My grandfather (my hero - still alive, bless him) started out on a B24 Liberator ball turret..was promoted to tail gunner after a few missions... If I was in the US right now I would LOVE to do something like this, and show him a video of it! I think he'd get a big kick out of it!

In 03' I got the once in a lifetime opportunity to fly in a B-17 with my grandfather and his best friend who we grew up calling Uncle Irv. This was the first time the men flying the B-17 had ever flown with two original crew members of a B-17 ever, my grandfather William Gray was a B-17 Pilot and Irv Taylor was his navigator. In January 1945 with 20+ missions my grandfather was promoted to 1st Lt and was assigned the number four spot this meant he had to keep the ball turret of the lead plane about 35 feet from the cockpit to keep air speed and have the concentration of fire power of the group to keep fighters away because the fighters would go after the bomber the furthest out of formation. Only shy of 35 missions on 28 he and his crew were shot down over Linz, Austria. They all bailed out. All were P.O.W.s. However all did finally come home. My grandfather was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for the events of this day. The great pride and respect I have for my grandfather and all those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, and the freedom all over the world will never dim. Thank your service men and women and hold respect for the ones who actually deserve it.

@barthchris1

5 жыл бұрын

Wow! That's nuts! The experience that generation had, starting with the depression, WW2, then all the technological changes that occurred after! Had one grandfather who was a B17 turret gunner, another who was in the 97th infantry division, fought in the battle of the bulge then was sent to invade Japan, luckily for him the bombs were dropped so it was an occupation, not an invasion

@Twister051

5 жыл бұрын

Wow!, that is a heritage to be proud of! Guard it well!

@Trothy83

5 жыл бұрын

I almost never comment online, but this hit a certain resonance with me. My Great Uncle was a Flight Engineer on Halifaxes with the RAF, flying night bomber missions over Germany. I was lucky enough to meet him - he flew something like 30-40 missions. Very humble. Another Grandfather was a POW in Burma, working on that Godforsaken Japanese death railway. His two sisters were British Army nurses. Different generation, theirs!

@ebblue81

5 жыл бұрын

@@Trothy83 It seems every story form that generation was an adventure, and I think were all honored to have that opportunity to meet them and hear first hand. Real stories of ordinary people who put all their differences aside just long enough to fight together and accomplish their goal. They never acted as victims, they did whatever it took for country. History is the only testament for the future.

@barthchris1

5 жыл бұрын

@@ebblue81 Great comment! That generation probably saw more change in their lifetime than any has or will. I still kick myself in the ass for losing a tape recording of my grandfather's experiences during WW2 that I made for a middle or high school project. I probably recorded over it with some bullshit heavy metal. Only months before the last one died did I feel the urgency to get it documented again but by then it was too late, he was in no shape to recall anything. I did have the honor of bringing him to the WW2 memorial in DC shortly after it opened. Not many we're in both the European theater and Asian theater. I think he approved. It was a proud, emotional moment for me. Not many left to see it now. Stupidity of youth, I learned many lessons the hard way! Lol!

My Uncle Bill was a ball turrett gunner in WWII. My dad was a combat veteran in the South Pacific in WWII. Old school real men

@isaacdepaula2103

4 жыл бұрын

Hell yeah man, those boys had balls of steel

@Philtration

4 жыл бұрын

My father and Grandfather both served in the South Pacific in WWII. Go Navy!

@MerryMerryGold

4 жыл бұрын

Ok Boomer

@emanuelkubrikstanni4324

4 жыл бұрын

@@MerryMerryGold deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz deez nutz shut the fuck up you toddler

@zackzittel7683

4 жыл бұрын

My grandpa was on the uss Indianapolis when it went down. He lived but his arm was paralyzed. My dad was a gunnery Sargent in the marines in Vietnam, did 2, two year tours. They are hard men, but were excellent role models.

Dam this bloke has taken (passion/hobby )to a brand new level ,good stuff👍

Pretty neat. One of my great Uncles was gunner in a B-24H. He probably had many hours in one of these. He flew in the 493rd Bombardment, 862nd squadron. He and his crew was lost at sea during D-day because of a mid-air collision. RIP Sergeant Horace Smith.

I feel like George Lucas seen this and I imidiatly created the tie fighter

@blargkliggle1121

5 жыл бұрын

Not too far off; www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-world-war-ii-dogfighters-ww2-2017-5

@suprememasteroftheuniverse

5 жыл бұрын

No way

@gnrdude

5 жыл бұрын

I think they Look More like the BALL Drones In Oblivion...

@cm5191

5 жыл бұрын

George Lucas many star wars weaponry and designs were ww1 and 2 inspired he got many of his blaster prop from ww2 weapons look at the stromtroopers blaster from tatoonie germans infamous mg42

@infidelapostate3094

4 жыл бұрын

I think you mean Millennium Falcon, but... _yep!_ 😉

My grandmother's second husband was in a bomber on a .50 cal and had his jaw knocked 90% off by a machine gun that malfunctioned during battle. They did a fantastic job fixing him as he looked pretty normal as I knew him RIP Harry West. Greatest Generation, was an honor to know so many of them.

@bob15479

3 жыл бұрын

wow. I had a dude growing up at my church who had a piece of plexiglass from the turret he operated.

@samueladams4145

8 ай бұрын

You are right. They weren't called the Greatest Generation for nothing.

@Gunscom

6 ай бұрын

Wow. Thanks for sharing.

Bravo! One more example of what they call: the best business is war.

2:46 My Wife's Uncle was a gunner in an RAF B24 Liberator and flew most of his missions over North Africa, then the Mediterranean and finally Germany. That's three tours over 90 flights. We found his medals and flight logs in belongings that her father had kept when he passed last year. Incredibly brave man.

"It's actually pretty comfortable," as long as the Nazi fighters aren't shooting at you.

@FreGZile

5 жыл бұрын

and that you're not sitting there for hours straight, wearing thick leather suit, literally unable to move.

@ASTROPLANET13

5 жыл бұрын

Luftwaffe? Lol, I think I would be more afraid of the flak that's exploding 20 feet away from me

@Invincibility87

5 жыл бұрын

german fighters. FTFY

@RaoulThomas007

5 жыл бұрын

And that your heated suit and oxygen are working...

@tardarsauce1842

5 жыл бұрын

Luftwaffe**

I used to be a docent at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah. I got to talk with many veteran pilots and bomber crewmen. I spoke with one man that was 6’3”, his station a B-17? Ball turret! He said it was very comfortable, and that once they got out of danger, he would fall asleep. He would wake up when the mains touched the ground. These guys had balls of solid titanium.

@natural-born_pilot

5 жыл бұрын

Ball turret has to be retracted before landing.

@Gotobar

5 жыл бұрын

D. Geo Could something retract it from outside?

@justinfiebig8847

5 жыл бұрын

@@Gotobar if it Jammed you were screwed into the ground

@austinado16

5 жыл бұрын

@@natural-born_pilot only on the B-24's. On the B-17, the turret was hard mounted to the floor

@dartmaster501

5 жыл бұрын

Most people are probably ready call BS on a 6'3" ball torrent gunner. They think they were usually pretty small, but there wasn't a size limit. I was in basic training and AIT, called OSUT, with a guy that was 6'7" and training to be a 19K (Armor Crewman for the M1). He could stand in the floor of the turret and see out of the loaders hatch. He had a bitch of a time getting into the gunner's position.

How the heck did someone have this in a SURPLUS shop!!! Wow!

Truly some WWII era Star Wars shit.

@doughesson

2 жыл бұрын

Where do you think that Lucas got the idea for the Millennium Falcon's armament layout?

omg america just knows how to have a good time

@unitedstatesofamericareal

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@psikogeek

5 жыл бұрын

With freedom comes fun.

@aritakalo8011

5 жыл бұрын

Oh come here in Finland. You can shoot field howitzers (with real hard 155 mm HE), machine guns, assault rifles FOR FREE. Though..... there is a small catch.... It's called conscript training.

@gpracer270

5 жыл бұрын

How many years do you have to do?

@aritakalo8011

5 жыл бұрын

@@gpracer270 Well depends on how you count. Reserve duty is like 30 years (aka you live normal life until mobilization or rehearsal training order slaps you in the face). But actual active training is 6-12 months for conscripts. Of course should one want more fun and games one can apply for professional cadre career. Oh right.... another snag... tiiinyyyy tiny one. Sure most of the world can clear this quickly.... Kinda have to be Finnish citizen. Blessing and curse i guess.

Back then there was no such thing as an average fighter pilot. You were either an ace or target practice.

@utzius8003

4 жыл бұрын

And most Krauts were just target practice, like a real life game of duck hunt.

@Demonslayer20111

3 жыл бұрын

@@utzius8003 towards the end yes. In the beginning, no not so much

I've just found the 1 thing on my bucket list. This is amazing

definitely add it to a bucket list!

"You won't get out! Not when it dives at 300 knots." Gunner: Dude i can't even get in

@bikelifewill6483

4 жыл бұрын

😂

@PrivateDoge

3 жыл бұрын

You will leave the aircraft in 3 seconds...

@hxppythxughts8531

3 жыл бұрын

@@Tornado760 *EXTREME OVERLOAD 15G*

@janslavik5284

3 жыл бұрын

*You've* *got* *a* *hole* *in* *you* *ball* *turret* *!*

Finally an adult day care camp just for me!

God bless America! Wish I was born there, pure freedom. They let you live life to the fullest & do what you want.

the world according to Garp brought me here. great demonstration, thanks! would love to try it someday...

The absolute horror of these machines and the situations they were used in is why everyone should be taught about the two world wars in history. The men who endured this can never be forgotten

I feel my bank account going empty from watching this.

This looks AMAZING!

I live in Colorado and never thought I'd want to go anywhere else after 4 years in the Army but your camp sounds like a blast if I could afford it I would do it .

@annedejong1040

9 ай бұрын

Not saying anything about the risks, still sounds like 'the Titan(anic)' experience..won't be cheap

OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING!!! I WOULD SELL MY SOUL (whats left of it) TO SHOOT THIS!!!

@nigelft

5 жыл бұрын

@@Bill0341xx Well, a Challenger 2 MBT can practically take you almost anywhere you want to go ...

@mrwdpkr5851

5 жыл бұрын

I would too if I hadn't already traded it for half a bottle of ripple....

@dexadrinepancake

5 жыл бұрын

You would need to sell more than that.

@picklewart5382

5 жыл бұрын

@Matsimus That's why there's rich celebs and then there's everyone else. Rich celebs decided not to sell their soul for some stupid shit, that way they could buy all the stupid shit.

@Keepskatin

5 жыл бұрын

You would sell the soul for meth¡

Bucket list.

It's easy to understand guns and it's always fun to watch videos

This is insane. I love it.

My father in-law was part of the Mighty 8th. He spent 30+ missions over Germany in WWII, squished in that little ball under the belly of a B17. Big guts, that guy.

@gregdolecki8530

3 жыл бұрын

Fortunate that he made it.

A good system to mount in front of the house. Ya know, to keep people off the lawn! :-)

@wadecaton4017

5 жыл бұрын

I like that idea. Also to keep the neighbors from parking in front of my house instead of there own.

@jehugo66

5 жыл бұрын

FLsheepdog1 Jehovahs Witness visits on Saturday morning

@josephastier7421

5 жыл бұрын

If you had one of those in front of your house you would attract people onto your lawn.

@8simonking8

5 жыл бұрын

If we just used this for one "JUST ONE" ANTIFA HIPPY FEST they wouldn't ever come out of their parents basement EVER AGAIN!😂😂😂😂

Beautiful !

In masters of the air they do an amazing job of showing the chaos after a mission. These smoking, leaking wrecks of b-17s pulling into their hardstands. The traumatised, burnt wounded crew members tumbling out of the shot up aircraft. There was one passing shot of a sperry turret and the inside was covered in blood. God bless those men and their memory.

This is definitely on the list of things i need for the zombie apocalypse

@coryyoung8289

4 жыл бұрын

Zombies are not real.

@Tom--pf8ub

4 жыл бұрын

@@coryyoung8289 Is a joke, Lad

@Smithjonesjoker1775

4 жыл бұрын

Cory Young that’s not true

@krieg8943

4 жыл бұрын

Just wait till mad cow disease somehow spreads to humans and then we’ll need one of these

@kjellringstrom6217

4 жыл бұрын

@@krieg8943 You thinking Secret Cow Level in Diablo 2? ;)

2 full auto .50 bmg is GOALS #Badass!

@sarodorethedragon9865

5 жыл бұрын

should see the tail turrets on the B24 Liberators, they had 4 .50s, and the B 52s had the 20 mm M61a1 Vulcan cannon

What a great idea, THANX guys.

Absolutely fire!

I want one of these on my roof. I have a feeling my neighbors would be much nicer to me.

@50gunner36

4 жыл бұрын

lol

@floridanature365

4 жыл бұрын

Or a Vulcan cannon lmao

@rearspeaker6364

3 жыл бұрын

redefines the phrase--"citizens on patrol"

If I could only use this while driving through downtown Dallas traffic....

@cbmadcow

5 жыл бұрын

Don't forget Boston

@laughingsnake1989

5 жыл бұрын

Na fort Worth lol

@barton3591

5 жыл бұрын

Yall crazy Houston needs like 6 of these

@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785

5 жыл бұрын

Or Atlanta traffic on I-75....omfg!

@jenniferbeatty7545

5 жыл бұрын

Imur Huckleberry Yep, you said it and DANG I was just watching Tombstone last night!!!

All the men flying were deep blue heroes- 5-6 miles up- cannon/ bullets flying everywhere- flak bursting all around you hauling 10k pounds of he- hundreds of gallons of av fuel- 1000 things could go wrong- but you still kept giving maximum effort- I salute u all.

@mrblack888

3 жыл бұрын

Heroes act on individual initiative to do the extraordinary. Being a passenger on a plane isn't heroic. They did their duty, don't blow it out of proportion.

@jimbrann174

2 ай бұрын

​@mrblack888 most likely most of these men never asked to be called or viewed as a hero. I know neither of my grandfathers did upon return from WW2. They just went about their lives, worked, and raised families in the greatest nation on earth. God bless all our veterans. For without them we would not be free.

Your Awesome! Thank you very much for making all of these dreams possible!

My great uncle worked in a one on b17, you won't believe some of his experiences over Germany he had to tell, the men that had to do that were fearless and extremely brave

My Father was a turret gunner during WWII. He didn't talk about it too much. But when he did the conversation always ended up on those awesome twin 50's. He had 12 confirmed.

This is incredibly awesome!!

I appreciate what these guys do. I’ll never be able to do it, but I’m glad others are.

Reminds me out of something off of Star Wars tbh

@chevanator5027

5 жыл бұрын

Gappie Al Kebabi yeah!

@roflguy114

5 жыл бұрын

Apparently the ball turret inspired the tie fighter

@catified2081

5 жыл бұрын

You mean star wars spaceship fights were basically ww2 dog fights in space. George Lucas with a WW2 movie freak as a kid. It's everywhere in his movies if you watch for it.

@bentonknox5240

5 жыл бұрын

Actually, a lot of the blasters in Star Wars are remodeled ww2 weapons, for example, the rt-97c is a modified mg15 and Han Solo’s D-50 is a Mauser C96 pistol

@krongusgaming919

5 жыл бұрын

@@bentonknox5240 also wasn't the rebels standard rifle a modded stg44

They were called the GREATEST GENERATION for a good reason! My Uncle Frank Gamez was a waste and ball turret gunner in WWII.

@josephastier7421

5 жыл бұрын

If that were true you would know how to spell waist.

@kjsmith7472

5 жыл бұрын

waist gunner .. waste is trash and you don't wanna say that about your uncle.

@craftpaint1644

5 жыл бұрын

Auto spelling trashed another comment.

@craftpaint1644

5 жыл бұрын

@ganymedeIV4 in which Army and Air Force? Japan, Germany, Russia, and China didn't field black troops to my knowledge. Britian, America, and France all did. In addition to thousands of soldiers, America used many other black servicemen to clean up battlefields for recycling of war material and body collection, gruesome duty, I doubt much of that was filmed or photographed. Black servicemen and women deserve more attention. I know what it's like to be excluded from a group, like them I did my best anyway.

@armybeef68

5 жыл бұрын

@@craftpaint1644 Does auto spelling automatically post your comment when you're done typing or do you actually have to hit comment? (That's rhetorical, why don't you proof read what you type before you post it) (And btw, they have an edit button for a reason)

This looks amazing

this is on my bucket list now!