World War II British poster depicting the rear-gunner of a Halifax bomber

A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For the utility vehicle see Holden Crewman Crewman is a generic term for a Crew member of an aircraft naval vessel military unit or team of professionals A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally unobstructed view toward the rear of the aircraft. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. While the term tail gunner is usually associated with a crewman inside a gun turret, tail gun armaments may also be operated by remote control from another part of the aircraft. A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions

Avro Lancaster rear gun turret (Imperial War Museum Duxford)

B-17 rear gun turret (Imperial War Museum Duxford)

B-29 rear gun turret (Imperial War Museum Duxford)

B-24 rear gun turret (Imperial War Museum Duxford)

B-52 rear gun turret (Imperial War Museum Duxford)

General description

The tail gun armament and arrangement varied between countries. "Lanc" redirects here Distinguish from Lank (adjective and from Amon Lanc (a place in Tolkien's fiction The Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England, commonly referred to simply as 'Duxford', houses the Imperial War Museum 's WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout During World War II, USAAF heavy bomber designs such as the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress used a fixed gunner position with the guns themselves in a separate turret covering an approximately 90-degree rear arc. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. A heavy bomber is a Bomber aircraft of the largest size and typically longest ranges WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Typical armament was two 0. 50 inch M2 Browning machine guns. This article is about the.50 caliber M2 machine gun For the.30-06 M2 machine gun see M1919 Browning machine gun. In contrast, Royal Air Force heavy bombers such as the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax used a powered turret capable of 180 degree rotation containing the tail gunner and four 0. "Lanc" redirects here Distinguish from Lank (adjective and from Amon Lanc (a place in Tolkien's fiction WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 303 inch Browning machine guns. The Browning M1919 is a.30 caliber Medium machine gun family widely used during the 20th century A similar arrangement was used in the American B-24 Liberator heavy bomber (but with two 0. 50 inch heavy machine guns. )

In German aircraft such as the Dornier Do 17, Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88, the gun position covering the tail was often in the dorsal position at the rear of the crew compartment or part way along the back of the fuselage. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo This gave reasonable coverage above the line of the fuselage but might be supplemented by a ventral position that covered the rear arc from underneath the fuselage. A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions

In smaller ground attack aircraft and dive bombers such as the Junkers Ju 87 and SBD Dauntless, the tail gunner was seated right behind the pilot and operated a machine gun on a flexible mount, either enclosed within the canopy or in an open position. Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as Close air support for and in proximity to their own ground forces A dive bomber is a Bomber aircraft that Dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy and limit the exposure to and effectiveness of The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Stu rz' ka' mpfflugzeug, " Dive bomber " was a two-seat (pilot and rear gunner WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout An aircraft canopy is the transparent enclosure over the cockpit of some types of Aircraft. In these type of aircraft, the tail gunner also usually served as the radio operator. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light.

The tail gunner fulfilled a second role as a lookout for attacking enemy fighters, particularly in British bombers operating at night. As these aircraft operated individually instead of being part of a bombing formation, the bombers' first reaction to an attacking night fighter was to engage in radical evasive maneuvers such as a corkscrew roll; firing guns in defense was of secondary importance. The Combat box was a tactical formation used by US Army Air Force heavy (strategic bombers during World War II. A night fighter (also all-weather fighter) is a Fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility The British slang term for tail gunners was "Tail-end Charlies", while in the Luftwaffe they were called Heckschwein ("tail-end pigs"). Regional slangs See also Yorkshire colloquialisms, London slang, Cockney rhyming slang Differences with American slang Spelling ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force.

The tail gunner was most commonly used during World War II and early Cold War years (on large bombers), but the position has become largely obsolete due to advancements in long-range air combat weapons such as air-to-air missiles as well as modern detection and countermeasures against such armaments. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind power An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft A countermeasure is a system (usually for a Military application designed to prevent Sensor -based Weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target

Partial list of aircraft with tail gun positions

This is a list of aircraft to show the different approaches to tail gun positions.

Germany

• Focke-Wulf Fw 189 - reconnaissance. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
• Junkers Ju 290 - long range patrol/transport. The Junkers Ju 290 was a long-range transport maritime patrol aircraft and bomber used by the Luftwaffe late in World War II.
• Junkers Ju 87 - dive bomber. The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Stu rz' ka' mpfflugzeug, " Dive bomber " was a two-seat (pilot and rear gunner A dive bomber is a Bomber aircraft that Dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy and limit the exposure to and effectiveness of
• Heinkel He 177 - heavy bomber. The Heinkel He 177 Greif ( Griffin) was a long-range bomber of the Luftwaffe.

United Kingdom

• Handley Page V/1500 (introduced 1918) - Heavy bomber; two Lewis guns mounted on a Scarff ring in the extreme tail. The Handley Page V/1500 was an uprated design from the O/400 with the intention of bombing Berlin from East Anglian airfields The Lewis Gun is a pre- World War I era Squad automatic weapon / Machine gun of American design that was most widely used by the forces of the British The Scarff ring was a type of Machine gun mounting developed during the First World War by Warrant Officer (Gunner F

British bombers of World War II featured Nash & Thompson hydraulic or Boulton Paul electro-hydraulic tail turrets usually fitted with 0.303 inch (7.7 mm) Browning guns. Nash & Thomson was a British engineering firm that specialised in the production of hydraulically-operated Gun turrets for aircraft Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer that was created in 1934 although its origins lay in 1914, and lasted until 1961. The Browning M1919 is a.30 caliber Medium machine gun family widely used during the 20th century

• Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (introduced 1937) - Medium bomber; initially with a manually operated tail turret featuring a single Lewis gun, it successively received 2- and then 4-gun Nash & Thompson turrets. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A medium bomber is a Bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium bombloads over medium distances primarily to distinguish them from the much larger Heavy bombers The Lewis Gun is a pre- World War I era Squad automatic weapon / Machine gun of American design that was most widely used by the forces of the British
• Short Sunderland (introduced 1938) - Maritime patrol and anti-submarine flying boat; 4-gun Nash & Thompson tail turret. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water Generally conducted by Military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying Anti-submarine warfare (ASW or in older form A/S is a branch of Naval warfare that uses surface Warships Aircraft, space craft or other Submarines A flying boat is a specialised form of Aircraft that is designed to take off from and land on water using its Fuselage as a floating hull.
• Handley Page Halifax (introduced 1940) - Heavy bomber; 4-gun Boulton Paul tail turret. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
• Avro Lancaster (introduced 1942) - Heavy bomber; 4-gun Nash & Thompson tail turrets: some late-war aircraft received Village Inn automatic radar aiming. "Lanc" redirects here Distinguish from Lank (adjective and from Amon Lanc (a place in Tolkien's fiction The British Automatic Gun-Laying Turret ( AGLT) was a Radar -aimed FN50 turret fitted to some Lancaster bombers in 1944.
• Vickers Windsor (first flew 1943) - Prototype heavy bomber; tail gun aiming position controlling barbette-mounted Hispano 20 mm cannon in the rear of the engine nacelles. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For the early 20th Century female impersonator see Barbette (performer A barbette is a protective circular armor feature around a Cannon The Hispano-Suiza HS404 Autocannon was one of the most widely used aircraft weapons of the 20th century used by British, American The word nacelle is derived from the Old French nacele, which means a small Boat or Dinghy, which was in turn derived from the

USA

• TBD Devastator - Carrier-borne torpedo bomber, rear of cockpit flexible gun mount. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Types The torpedo bomber first appeared during the later years of World War I.
• TBF Avenger - Carrier-borne torpedo bomber, featured both a dorsal turret and a ventral tail gunner. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
• B-17 Flying Fortress - heavy bomber, fixed tailgun position. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
• B-24 Liberator - heavy bomber, rotating tail gun turret.
• B-25 Mitchell - medium bomber.
• Convair B-36 - post WW2 strategic bomber. A strategic bomber is a heavy type Aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's
• B-52 Stratofortress - post-WW2 strategic bomber, no other gun positions.

USSR/Russia

• Antonov An-12
• Ilyushin Il-28
• Myasishchev M-4
• Petlyakov Pe-8
• Tupolev Tu-4
• Tupolev Tu-14
• Tupolev Tu-16
• Tupolev Tu-22/Tu-22M
• Tupolev Tu-95/Tu-142

See also

• Ball turret

External links

• BBC People's War - Bomber aircrew story