A World War II veteran shares firsthand memories of serving as a B-17 ball turret gunner, including intense combat and a ...

At 18 years old, Staff Sgt. Phillip "Bruce" Cook flew 35 missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress, tasked with fighting for air supremacy over occupied Europe. Now, more than 80 ...

The turrets were for American bombers, especially the "heavies" — the four-engine B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. The turrets were designed for bomber crews to protect themselves against ...