Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!rutgers!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Memphis Belle
Message-ID: <1990Nov6.044208.1101@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 6 Nov 90 04:42:08 GMT
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From: p0.f7.n391.z1.fidonet.org!Scott.Johnson (Scott Johnson)

 RW> From: welty@lewis.crd.ge.com (richard welty)
     
 RW>  G model introduced the chin turret), and the open waist gunner 
 RW>  and open radio operator windows (later aircraft enclosed these 
 RW>  firing positions.) 

        All but one of the 5 B-17s used were -G models, with the chin
turrets removed to make them _look_ like -F models. The -F had open
waist positions, along with no door for the tail gunner's compartment
(the opening was covered with a peice of canvas), and the -G models
closed them in. Also, in later blocks of the -G models, the old
"peashooter" tail gun was replaced with the Cheyenne (sp?) turret. It
shortened the tail by about 1 1/2 feet, and had a reflecting gunsight. I
_think_ it may also have been powered.