Aircraft Turret Found in Ohio Woods-- Part 2

The partially buried turret was dug up December 10th.  Dale Burrier said, "The turret housed twin 50-caliber machine guns that would shoot bullets at roughly 600 rounds per minute.  This type was mounted on top of B-17s, right behind the pilot.  It was operated by the flight engineer who was tending the plane."

The turret is six feet tall and 32-inches in diameter "just enough for a fellow to climb into and stand upright."  Burrier figures the turrets value at $3,000 and that it is fairly rare, "Most of them were scrapped after the war, chopped up, melted down and turned into other things."

According to Burrier, there are about twelve B-17s still flying.  Only three have complete original turrets, the rest are reproductions carrying fake guns.

No one knows how it got there.  Possibly it was bought at a second-hand store or Army-Navy Surplus place and used a s a plaything by children who lived in a now-demolished house on the property before the city acquired it.

Post-war uses of B-17s were often fighting forest fires as "fire bombers.  They were also used to rescue crews of stricken aircraft and sinking ships, aerial mapping and topography.

Glad They Saved It.  --GreGen