What a couple of great period Kodachromes that really put you in the head of an 8th Air Force bombardier in 1944.
First, a window view inside the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress bomber “Times A-Wastin'” (#42-102504) circa 1944-1945:
Several contrails from other B-17s are visible through the window. Note the empty bombsight stabilizer, missing its top-secret and closely controlled Norden bombsight, which means the bombardier in this case may be acting as a “toggler,” dropping on the lead ship seen out front. Image Credit: The John W. Allen World War II Collection/The Museum of Flight
Bombardier, LT Paul Chryst, U.S. Army Air Forces, 13099534, in the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress aircraft “Times A-Wastin’,” November 2, 1944. Other aircraft are visible through the window behind Chryst. Image Credit: The John W. Allen World War II Collection/The Museum of Flight
LTC Paul Chryst (Ret.) wrote on 2 November 2002 in an e-mail posted online.
“We flew our first mission on 3 August 1944 and the last one on 15 Dec 44. I counted 38 missions total; but the Orderly Room said “only 35 completed”. My Pilot Class was 43K; but the PT-17 Stearman (training plane) washed me out. Went on to Aerial Gunnery School and graduated to become the FIRST class of Cadets to wear Gunner’s wings then on to Bombardier School. We graduated after 12 weeks bombing and another 6 weeks of DR Navigation. My biggest fear while flying was “bail-out” the small hatch next to the Navigator and being killed by hitting the leading edge of the left elevator. If I made it to the ground, my next worry was being killed by some German civilian. At 6′-2″ I weighed 125 lbs. and never would have survived the small rations in POW Camp.”
If you haven’t checked out The Museum of Flight’s Allen collection, you are missing out.