B - 29 Tail Gun
A small door is provided for the gunner's escape hatch
if the plane suddenly plummets towards Earth.
It beats scrambling halfway down the fuselage
to find another way out.
C - 97 Stratofreighter
An early Cold War cargo plane used by the Army.
The aircraft is basically a B-29 with a different fuselage.
It was called upon to provide a quick reinforcement
capability when US and Soviet tanks confronted
one another during the Berlin crisis of 1961.
B - 17G Chin Gun
Luftwaffe pilots discovered the safest way to attack
the Flying Fortress was to fly head-on towards its front.
Their fire killed those piloting the bomber.
The solution was to add a duel .50 under the nose.
Being a B - 17 pilot became slightly less harrowing.
F - 4 Phantom
The aerial workhorse over Vietnam - both
north and south of the DMZ. Let's say
you're in a firefight too big for your resources.
You radio a call for support. Maybe mortars
from battalion is what you need. If not,
the next step up is regimental artillery or
possibly a Huey gunship. If you're still
taking a beating then keep your head down
because a Phantom is about to unleash
ordinance Hell in front of you.
F - 89 Scorpion
It's mission was to intercept enemy jet bombers.
The sooner the better. You want the speed of
twin jet engines. Dogfight ability isn't needed
to knock a lumbering bomber from the sky.
This is a dart doing nearly 650 mph.
So what's with the windshield wiper?
Everything is swept away by the wind.
B - 52 Tail Gun
The B - 29 had 4 remote control turrets for defense
but they still needed a human cramped in the back
to protect their rear. It lingered into the jet age
until technology caught up with the need.
love
dad
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