Gunner; An Illustrated History of World War II Aircraft Turrets and Gun Positions

Ontario, Canada: Boston Mills Press, 2001. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Dan Patterson (Photographer). 160 pages. Oversized book (measuring 9 inches by 12 inches). Includes Foreword and Introduction. Donald Nijboer is a best selling aviation author/historian/documentary writer-producer/college instructor and Smithsonian Speaker who lives in Toronto, Canada. Donald is the author of Spitfire Mk V vs C.202 Folgore, The Illustrated History No 126 Wing RCAF D-Day to VE-Day, Gloster Meteor vs. V-1 Flying Bomb, Seafire vs. A6M Zero, P-38 Lightning vs. Ki 61 Tony, No 126 Wing RCAF, Graphic War: The Secret Aviation Drawings and Illustrations of World War II and co-author with photographer Dan Patterson, of Cockpit: An Illustrated History of World War II Aircraft Interiors, Gunner: An Illustrated History of World War II Aircraft Turrets and Gun Positions, Cockpits of the Cold War, and B-29 Combat Missions. This is a book about the men who learned to shoot at moving targets from a moving platform, at high speed and altitude. Dan Patterson's remarkable photography allows readers to see, close up, the cramped, cold, exposed turrets in which so many young men fought and died. Donald Nijboer examines the role each aircraft played in the war, and veterans describe in detail what it was like to fly and fight in the most renowned aircraft in World War II. In this superb book, aviation experts Donald Nijboer and Dan Patterson expose the firing positions of World War II aircraft and show the gunners' turrets in which so many young airmen fought and died. Here are the stories from veteran gunners that describe in spirited detail what it was like to fly in and fight from World War II's classic aircraft. Gunner provides documented accounts of men who learned to shoot at moving targets from a moving platform, facing the terrible odds of survival in this highly dangerous combat environment. Aircraft profiled include: Boeing B-17 Superfortress Messerschmitt ME 410 Avro Lancaster Grumman TBF Avenger Douglas A-20 Havoc Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik Bristol Blenheim.