Photo Lancaster Bomber Tail Gunner, RCAF 1943

[CptTrips]

Man, that would make a great wall poster.

[morfiend]

When I was a kid I knew a tail gunner who flew in lancs. Him and his buddy were later transferred to fly with the yanks in B25’s as radio operators/gunners.

Mr Marshall would get the look when I asked about fw190’s!         

[MiloMorai]

The 1000 mile stare, be sure.

Dad was a wireless air gunner assigned to Coastal Command. He was the tail gunner in the Wellington. During patrols he would rotate the turret as far as it would go to the side and 'hang out' the back looking for subs.

[Eagler]

Nice print

Wonder if there are stats showing which position in bombers had more deaths than any others

My guess it was the rear or bottom gunner

Eagler

[MiloMorai]

Nice print

Wonder if there are stats showing which position in bombers had more deaths than any others

My guess it was the rear or bottom gunner

Eagler

Not by position
Aircraft       Crew position Safest to worst     Escaped safely

Lancaster    N, B/A, F/E, W/O, P, M/U, R/G     10.9%
Stirling        N, W/O, R/G, F/E, M/U, B/A, P     16.9%
Halifax        N, F/E, W/O, B/A, M/U, R/G, P      29.4%
Wellington   N, W/O, M/U, P, R/G                   27.5%

Somewhere have a breakdown for the B-17 and B-24. The waist gunner position had the most casualties, iirc.

[MiloMorai]

[Tig]

My great grandfather, an excellent man, grew up an orphan in Montana and joined the USAAC right around the start of World War 2. His initial assignment was the tail gunner on a B-17, a task he certainly wouldn't have survived. But luckily he knew how to type and do paperwork, and got reassigned to do paperwork.
He went to Java with the rest of his unit covertly, wasn't allowed to tell my great grandmother until he got there.
He was also on the very last US plane out of Java as the Japanese were routing our forces. He was supposed to be on the 2nd to last transport, but for some unknown reason ended up getting on the very last one. He watched the 2nd to last plane, the one he was supposed to be on, get shot down by the Japanese in front of his eyes.

Yeah, I have a great respect for tail gunners. 

[Greebo]

Not by position
Aircraft       Crew position Safest to worst     Escaped safely

Lancaster    N, B/A, F/E, W/O, P, M/U, R/G     10.9%
Stirling        N, W/O, R/G, F/E, M/U, B/A, P     16.9%
Halifax        N, F/E, W/O, B/A, M/U, R/G, P      29.4%
Wellington   N, W/O, M/U, P, R/G                   27.5%

Somewhere have a breakdown for the B-17 and B-24. The waist gunner position had the most casualties, iirc.

I knew a pilot who flew a tour on Lancasters and two on Halifaxes and who much preferred the latter because of the way the Lancaster would burn when hit. The problem was while both the the Lancaster and Halifax had hydraulically powered turrets they were designed in a different way. The Halifax had electrical cables running power from the engines to each turret's hydraulic pump. The Lancaster's hydraulic pump was mounted on an engine and pipes were run from it to each turret. One hit to a pipe would spray an aerosol of highly inflammable oil into the fuselage creating a firestorm that would not only bring down the aircraft but could prevent crew members reaching an escape hatch.

[Eagler]

Bomber design was for max bombs on target not crew safety ...right or wrong

Eagler

[Maverick]

No matter which position in any of the allied bombers, all of the crew had big brass ones to serve and fight in one.   

[sparky127]

My grandfather was the crew chief for "Tain't a Bird" tail number 42-30342 a B-17f that ultimately was sacrificed for Operation Aphrodite.

[GasTeddy]

I knew a pilot who flew a tour on Lancasters and two on Halifaxes and who much preferred the latter because of the way the Lancaster would burn when hit. The problem was while both the the Lancaster and Halifax had hydraulically powered turrets they were designed in a different way. The Halifax had electrical cables running power from the engines to each turret's hydraulic pump. The Lancaster's hydraulic pump was mounted on an engine and pipes were run from it to each turret. One hit to a pipe would spray an aerosol of highly inflammable oil into the fuselage creating a firestorm that would not only bring down the aircraft but could prevent crew members reaching an escape hatch.

I have several Luftwaffe night fighter pilot autobiographies and other books from the subject and they all confirm this. One burst with 20mm to the wing between the engines where fuel tank also was located and you had a Lanctorchester. Many tell they deliberately shot to the wings to offer crew better changes to bail out.