by Brooke P. Anderson, brooke@electraforge.com
On July 5th, my pals Mike Webster and Jim Merkle and I checked out The Collings Foundation's B-17G and B-24J. The B-17 was painted as Nine O Nine and the B-24 as The Dragon and His Tail.
B-17 crew positions, for reference in figuring out where the pictures below
were taken. This picture is from http://www.arizonawingcaf.com/pages/crew.html.
The flight engineer would also man the top turret. The bombarier and navigator
both would operate guns in the nose. The radio operator had an aft-facing gun
he would operate.
A picture of the original Nine O Nine, from http://www.91stbombgroup.com/myst25.html.
B-24 crew positions, for reference in figuring out where the pictures below
were taken. The flight engineer would also man the top turret. The radio operator
would also man one of the waist guns.
A picture of the original The Dragon and His Tail, from http://www.web-birds.com/5th/43/43rd-06.jpg.
Webster climbs in the front entry hatch of the B-17 Nine O Nine and takes a
look forward into the nose of the bomber, where the bombardier's and navigator's
areas are. Above his head is the floor of the cockpit.
A view forward into the bombardier and navigator positions.
A picture of the cockpit.
Webster (in orange T-shirt) and I are in the radio room, which is behind the
bomb bay and in front of the waist-gunner positions. The ball turret is just
behind me.
A picture looking forward through the bomb bay from the radio room. One rack
of mock bombs hang to the left.
I am looking out the left waist-gun position. This B-17 has plexiglass over
the waist-gun ports.
A picture out the right waist-gun window.
The ball turret.
A picture of the B-24J The Dragon and His Tail taken from the aft entryway of
the B-17G Nine O Nine.
A picture of me at the right waist gun.
A view aft toward the tail-gunner position, with the tail-gun yoke (on the yellow
column) and the sight (above that).
The cockpit as viewed from the flight engineer's and radio operator's compartment.
From left to right: Merkle, me, Webster, and the excellent nose art of The Dragon
and His Tail.
by Brooke P. Anderson
e-mail: brooke@electraforge.com
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