January 2, 201214 yr From Air Force Magazine, January 2012 [excerpt] The B-52 Gunners By Peter Grier Few know it now, but enlisted gunners protected B-52 bombers through the 1991 Gulf War. From his gunner position in the back of the bomber, SSgt. Samuel O. Turner detected the enemy fighter just before it began its firing pass. The attacker came in from below and behind, climbing quickly, while a second bogey lingered in the distance to observe the coming combat. The wrangle did not last long. As the fighter came within range Turner fired a six-second burst from his tail guns—about 700 rounds.
January 2, 201214 yr Fun little article, I do have to wonder how much someone got chewed out for allowing two Iraqi fighters anywhere near a B-52 though.
January 2, 201214 yr Fun little article, I do have to wonder how much someone got chewed out for allowing two Iraqi fighters anywhere near a B-52 though. Yes, very interesting question. At least the gun use is historically factible, on my own notes about the B-52H, the tail gun was deleted only from 1994 ....
January 2, 201214 yr Fun little article, I do have to wonder how much someone got chewed out for allowing two Iraqi fighters anywhere near a B-52 though. The two fighters were Vietnamese, weren't they?
January 2, 201214 yr Author The two fighters were Vietnamese, weren't they? Yeah, it was a reference to a Linebacker II mission from December 1972, claiming the first time that a B-52 gunner destroyed an enemy aircraft. Yes, very interesting question. At least the gun use is historically factible, on my own notes about the B-52H, the tail gun was deleted only from 1994 .... As later referenced in the article: On Oct. 1, 1991, the B-52s flew without a gunner—and a long and proud tradition came to an end. So the gun was still there, but no one to operate it.
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