The Ball Turret Gunner, One of the Toughest and Most Dangerous Jobs of World War II

The ball turret gunner was one of the most dangerous and iconic positions in World War II bomber crews—especially on American B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. These airmen operated from a small, cramped, rotating sphere under the aircraft, armed with twin .50-caliber machine guns, defending the bomber from enemy fighters attacking from below.

The ball turret was developed by the Sperry Corporation, first introduced around 1941–1942. It was a spherical plexiglass and metal pod, roughly 4 feet in diameter, mounted to the belly of the aircraft. The turret could rotate 360° horizontally and tilt 90° vertically, giving the gunner a wide field of fire.

Inside were two Browning AN/M2 .50-caliber machine guns, controlled by hand grips, and a reflector sight for aiming. The gunner sat in a fetal position — knees bent near his chest, feet in stirrups, with barely any room to move.

Ball turret gunners were responsible for protecting the bomber’s vulnerable underside, a frequent target for enemy fighters. They were often young and small men, since only smaller airmen could fit inside the turret. Their job demanded sharp reflexes, stamina, and nerves of steel, as they had to track and fire at fast-moving enemy planes while the bomber itself was shaking and turning. During missions over Germany or Japan, they endured freezing temperatures, flak bursts, and oxygen deprivation.

The ball turret was electrically powered and hydraulically operated. It could be retracted for takeoff and landing on the B-17, but not on the B-24 — meaning gunners in B-24s had to stay inside during those times. There was no parachute space inside; gunners left their chutes just outside the turret, ready to grab if they could climb out during an emergency.

Being a ball turret gunner was among the most perilous positions in the U.S. Army Air Forces. If the aircraft was hit and crash-landed on its belly, the gunner could be trapped or crushed. Many crews regarded their ball turret gunner as both brave and vulnerable — admired for his courage but pitied for his isolation.

The role became immortalized in Randall Jarrell’s 1945 poem “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” which starkly captured its horror:

“From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,

And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.

…When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.”

After the war, the ball turret came to symbolize both the technological ingenuity and the human cost of aerial warfare. Today, restored B-17s and B-24s at air museums often include the Sperry turret as a centerpiece — a haunting reminder of what those young airmen endured at 25,000 feet.