Aircrew casualities

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 9/18/03 11:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

No, I meant the fighters taking evasive action on the run-in, and preparing
to do

Never saw that once. Thyey would drop tgheior inside wing and their nose would
swing in toward us and we hten knew they had started their classic fighter
approach. And once they set up constant bearing, they never swerved, changed
course or took evasive action at all. They just bore in on their heading of
constant bearing firing as they came.

The USAAF bomber crew didn't have backpack parachutes either for quite a
while (it
seems to have been late in 1943 that they started to come in). Normally it
was a

The USAAF bomber crew didn't have backpack parachutes either for quite a
while (it
seems to have been late in 1943 that they started to come in). Normally it
was a

I wore a chestpack. The tail gunner and the top turrest gunners also had
chestpacks and we wore them in our positions with no problem. We never ever
flew missions with chutes off. And in 1943 both our pilot and copilot flew with
backpacks, the rest of us wore chestpacks and once in the air never took them
of except when I had to enter the bomb bays. I couldn't fit through the bombay
access door with a chestpack on.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

(ArtKramr) wrote:


I wore a chestpack. The tail gunner and the top turrest gunners also had
chestpacks and we wore them in our positions with no problem. We never ever
flew missions with chutes off. And in 1943 both our pilot and copilot flew with
backpacks, the rest of us wore chestpacks and once in the air never took them
of except when I had to enter the bomb bays. I couldn't fit through the bombay
access door with a chestpack on.


Arthur Kramer

Art, I remember three or four days ago you mentioned that your
escape route was through the bomb bay, here's what you said:

In the B-26 we had no escape hatch at all. The bombardier
had along path to creawl in front of the copilot then
out the bombay.

How did you work that?...or did I misunderstand something?.
--

-Gord.

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: "Gord Beaman" )
Date: 9/18/03 1:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote:


I wore a chestpack. The tail gunner and the top turrest gunners also had
chestpacks and we wore them in our positions with no problem. We never ever
flew missions with chutes off. And in 1943 both our pilot and copilot flew
with
backpacks, the rest of us wore chestpacks and once in the air never took
them
of except when I had to enter the bomb bays. I couldn't fit through the
bombay
access door with a chestpack on.


Arthur Kramer

Art, I remember three or four days ago you mentioned that your
escape route was through the bomb bay, here's what you said:

In the B-26 we had no escape hatch at all. The bombardier
had along path to creawl in front of the copilot then
out the bombay.

How did you work that?...or did I misunderstand something?.
--

-Gord.
Entering the bomb bay for two different purposes. When entering the bombay to
do repaireslike kicking out a hung up bomb, I wore no chute at all, Nervious
work with the bombay doors open. For bailout, unhook one side of the chest
pack, step out, rehook it and bail out.But where possible go out the nosewheel
well. It is a lot faster and a shorter trip. Luckily I never had to do either.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

(ArtKramr) wrote:

Entering the bomb bay for two different purposes. When entering the bombay to
do repaireslike kicking out a hung up bomb, I wore no chute at all, Nervious
work with the bombay doors open. For bailout, unhook one side of the chest
pack, step out, rehook it and bail out.But where possible go out the nosewheel
well. It is a lot faster and a shorter trip. Luckily I never had to do either.


Arthur Kramer

I see...thank you.
--

-Gord.

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: "Gord Beaman" )
Date: 9/18/03 6:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote:

Entering the bomb bay for two different purposes. When entering the bombay
to
do repaireslike kicking out a hung up bomb, I wore no chute at all, Nervious
work with the bombay doors open. For bailout, unhook one side of the chest
pack, step out, rehook it and bail out.But where possible go out the
nosewheel
well. It is a lot faster and a shorter trip. Luckily I never had to do
either.


Arthur Kramer

I see...thank you.
--

-Gord.

One more point. With certain types of battle damage you may not be able to
lower the wheels so that last option may not be available.

Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

(ArtKramr) wrote:

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: "Gord Beaman" )
Date: 9/18/03 6:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote:

Entering the bomb bay for two different purposes. When entering the bombay
to
do repaireslike kicking out a hung up bomb, I wore no chute at all, Nervious
work with the bombay doors open. For bailout, unhook one side of the chest
pack, step out, rehook it and bail out.But where possible go out the
nosewheel
well. It is a lot faster and a shorter trip. Luckily I never had to do
either.


Arthur Kramer

I see...thank you.
--

-Gord.

One more point. With certain types of battle damage you may not be able to
lower the wheels so that last option may not be available.

Arthur Kramer

Of course and it likely goes without saying that if you cannot
open the BB then you can't use that route either.
--

-Gord.

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: "Gord Beaman" )
Date: 9/18/03 6:46 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote:

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: "Gord Beaman" )
Date: 9/18/03 6:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote:

Entering the bomb bay for two different purposes. When entering the bombay
to
do repaireslike kicking out a hung up bomb, I wore no chute at all,
Nervious
work with the bombay doors open. For bailout, unhook one side of the chest
pack, step out, rehook it and bail out.But where possible go out the
nosewheel
well. It is a lot faster and a shorter trip. Luckily I never had to do
either.


Arthur Kramer

I see...thank you.
--

-Gord.

One more point. With certain types of battle damage you may not be able to
lower the wheels so that last option may not be available.

Arthur Kramer

Of course and it likely goes without saying that if you cannot
open the BB then you can't use that route either.
--

-Gord.

There's always the waist windows or the cockp[it overheads..



Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

ArtKramr wrote:

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 9/18/03 11:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

No, I meant the fighters taking evasive action on the run-in, and preparing
to do

Never saw that once. Thyey would drop tgheior inside wing and their nose would
swing in toward us and we hten knew they had started their classic fighter
approach. And once they set up constant bearing, they never swerved, changed
course or took evasive action at all. They just bore in on their heading of
constant bearing firing as they came.

"Evasive action' was a poor choice of words on my part; involuntary flinching
before the breakaway, and doing the breakaway early for fear of collision/gunfire,
was more what I meant.


The USAAF bomber crew didn't have backpack parachutes either for quite a
while (it
seems to have been late in 1943 that they started to come in). Normally it
was a

The USAAF bomber crew didn't have backpack parachutes either for quite a
while (it
seems to have been late in 1943 that they started to come in). Normally it
was a

I wore a chestpack. The tail gunner and the top turrest gunners also had
chestpacks and we wore them in our positions with no problem. We never ever
flew missions with chutes off. And in 1943 both our pilot and copilot flew with
backpacks, the rest of us wore chestpacks and once in the air never took them
of except when I had to enter the bomb bays. I couldn't fit through the bombay
access door with a chestpack on.

Then it must have been 8th AF practice not to wear them, as numerous accounts exist
of crews trying to buckle theirs on in a hurry. The RAF bomber crews didn't
normally wear theirs either, aside from the pilots and the tail gunner.

Guy

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 9/22/03 2:51 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id: 3F6F6FE0.3067CB20@junkpo

Then it must have been 8th AF practice not to wear them, as numerous accounts
exist
of crews trying to buckle theirs on in a hurry. The RAF bomber crews didn't
normally wear theirs either, aside from the pilots and the tail gunner.

Guy

The mind boggles (sheesh)

Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 9/22/03 2:51 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

"Evasive action' was a poor choice of words on my part; involuntary flinching
before the breakaway, and doing the breakaway early for fear of
collision/gunfire,
was more what I meant.

I never once saw that. It would be a foolish thing for the pilot to do. If he
bore in and came out the other side it was a clean getaway, But if he flinched
and turned away before he got to us he would expose his belly and vastly
increase his chance of being shot down by the bomber's gunners. I guess young
inexperienced pilots scared to death might do that. But not the old hands.
Anyway. if you are a gunner in a bomber and a fighter comes at you don't count
on his tuning way before his run is done.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer