Riding the Aluminum Overcast


The Cheyenne Turret

The Cheyenne turret first appeared in later block B17Gs. The turret provided the tail gunner with an increased field of fire. The windows were reconfigured to provide a greater field of view. Aiming was improved by the installation of an optical gun sight. In spite of all these modifications, the tail compartment was still too small for the gunner to stand. A seat was provided which was similar to a bicycle seat. The gunner sat with his feet folded under him. Entry to the tail was best affected by using a hatch located on the starboard side. Access to the waist from the inside was possible, but that involved climbing around the tail wheel and squeezing through the support bulkhead. Manning this station in a bulky flight suit for several hours per mission had to be incredibly uncomfortable.

The B17 had a very large vertical stabilizer. The aircraft still had a significant amount of lateral stability even with a large portion of the tail shot away. Steering could be done using ailerons and differential thrusting of the engines if the rudder was lost.

The Aluminum Overcast was built in the last month of the war. It was flown to New Jersey to be fitted out and was scheduled to report for duty in England when the war ended. It was surplused and bought by a company for commercial use. Eventually, the EAA acquired it and restored it to its present configuration. The hull is painted a light gray rather than being left with a natural aluminum finish. The triangle on the tail identifies the 1st Air Division. The W identifies the group as the 398th BG and the number thirty on the fuselage signifies the 603rd BS.

The ball turret provided protection against attacks from below. The turret had a full 360 digress of motion horizontally and 90 degrees of motion vertically, and was controlled by the use of foot pedals. The gunner could be in any attitude from laying on his back to standing on his feet. The gunner sat between the guns with his feet in stirrups positioned on either side of the 13" window in front. An optical gun sight hung in front of his face, his knees up around his ears and his flight suit his only padding. Empty shell casings were ejected through a port just below the gun barrel and has a small shield hiding the port. This position too was very cramped and wasn't meant for anyone who was tall. Sitting here for hours on end had to test anyone's stamina. Getting out in a hurry seemed a daunting task. Ball gunners didn't have room for a chute and had to leave it in the waist area. Once they got out of the ball they lost precious seconds as they struggled to get it on.

The bottom photo shows the window hatch for the radio compartment, top right. Originally, the radioman was equipped with a single .50 caliber gun. It was later decided that this gun was a liability and was removed. At the same time the crew was reduced from 10 to 9, reducing weight and putting fewer men in harm's way. In a crew of nine the radioman would man a waist gun during battle. Just below and behind the top turret a door covering life rafts is visible.


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Vertical stabilizer

Sperry Ball Turret

Sperry Ball Turret. Click on picture to see interior view.