Flying Fortress Gunner

The biography of Bob Harper, aB-17 ball turret gunnerwith the 8th Air Force whosurvived 35 combat missions over Germany in WWII, and was shot down twice.

At 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing just 110 pounds, Bob Harper wasbelow the minimum size requirements for US military service. As thedemand for manpower increased, rules were bent, Harpers defermentwas retracted, and he was drafted into the Army. Harper was deployed tothe European front and survived 35 combat missions as a B-17 ball turretgunner. Based at airfields in England, Bob and the 381st Bomb Groupflew brutal missions over heavily defended industrial centers in Germany.Harper was shot down twice and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Through his letters home, combat reports, and extensive interviews withauthor Bill Cullen, Harper describes his harrowing experiences on boardthe Flying Fortresses of the Eighth Air Force. Cullens interviews withHarper took placeover a period of years, and it is the anecdotes from the interviews thatdrive the majority of the narrative. The ball turret was located underneaththe aircraft and was a confined, intense, and unique environment fromwhich to experience combat during the Second World War. Readers willfind Harper, who went on to a successful business career after the war, tobe an insightful, witty, and engaging storyteller.[AuthorName]By Bill Cullen[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Bill Cullen graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BA in political science, and a course concentration in military history. He has written in the investment field of regenerative medicine and stem cell research and ran an associated blog for doctors and scientists called Writing Fact and Fiction. A short story of his, “Valentines Day,” was published by theSaturday Evening Post inBest Short American Fiction 2016. He lives in Portland, Oregon.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]40 b/w and color photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]B-17 Ball Turret Gunner Bob Harper’s 35 Combat Missions over Germany[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]40 b/w and color photos[/ColorPattern]