Nose gunner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

A nose gunner or front gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft whose position of operation is a machine gun turret in the front, or "nose", of the airplane. Typically, this position was manned by someone whose singular position was the nose gunner. However, the nose gunner could be tasked with secondary positions (navigation, bombardier, etc.). Also, stationary guns could be mounted in the nose and controlled by the pilot or co-pilot. Manned nose guns were most common during World War II, employed by both Allied and Axis forces.

[edit] Examples

[edit] WWII examples

During World War II, many aircraft were equipped with guns for protection against other aircraft. One of those guns was often fitted in a nose turret of the aircraft. There would be a navigator in the nose turret who would perform pilotage (as this spot provided an excellent view of the terrain).

Examples of such include:

• The British Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (produced 1936), a medium bomber-type, which also had a crew of five: the pilot, co-pilot, the wireless operator/navigator, the nose-gunner/bombardier and the tail gunner. The Whitley employed a singular .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in its nose.

• The American B-24 Liberator (introduced in 1939), which carried a lead crew made up of five officers (pilot, co-pilot, dead reckoning navigator, pilotage navigator/nose gunner and bombardier). It also had five enlisted men (engineer/top turret gunner, radio operator/waist gunner, a second waist gunner, ball turret gunner and tail turret gunner). Employed twin .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in nose.

• The German Dornier Do 17 (introduced in 1937), a light bomber with a crew of four (pilot, bombardier/nose gunner, two gunners). Employed singular 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15.