At 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing just 110 pounds, Bob Harper wasĀ below the minimum size requirements for US military service. As theĀ demand for manpower increased, rules were bent, Harperās defermentĀ was retracted, and he was drafted into the Army. Harper was deployed toĀ the European front and survived 35 combat missions as a B-17 ball turretĀ gunner. Based at airfields in England, Bob and the 381st Bomb GroupĀ flew brutal missions over heavily defended industrial centers in Germany.Ā Harper was shot down twice and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.Ā Through his letters home, combat reports, and extensive interviews withĀ author Bill Cullen, Harper describes his harrowing experiences on boardĀ the Flying Fortresses of the Eighth Air Force. Cullenās interviews withĀ Harper, who is still alive as of the completion of the manuscript, took placeĀ over a period of years, and it is the anecdotes from the interviews thatĀ drive the majority of the narrative. The ball turret was located underneathĀ the aircraft and was a confined, intense, and unique environment fromĀ which to experience combat during the Second World War. Readers willĀ find Harper, who went on to a successful business career after the war, toĀ be an insightful, witty, and engaging storyteller.
This book title, Flying Fortress Gunner (B-17 Ball Turret Gunner Bob Harper's 35 Combat Missions over Germany), ISBN: 9780764367069, by Bill Cullen, published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (October 28, 2023) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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