Although the B24 had tricycle landing gear it still landed "nose up." This required the ball turret to be raised during take-offs and landings. The gun barrels fitted into slots on the underside of the aircraft in the stowed position. These can be seen in the photograph below.
The ball gunner aimed between his legs through an optical gunsight. The ammo was kept in the waist area and fed to the guns through the top of the turret. Spent shell casings were ejected from the openings visible below the barrels. The ball gunner didn't have room for a parachute.
Copyright © 1998-2024, 486th Bomb Group Association.