The view was only on the block -1 and early block 2 Grumman aircraft. Most of the windows and in the block-3's the gun, were eliminated as useless. It was an ANM-3 CAL.30 MG with only 300 rounds (1300RPM gun). About that same time (block 3) they made the door smaller and put one on both sides. Not that it helped much. If you were the RTO or gunner in a TBM-3 you had almost zero.zero % chance of getting out alive if shot down or ditching. GHW Bush got shot down twice. He lost both crews in spite of staying with the aircraft until the last possible second.----Ray
Manned by the Radioman. There's a tunnel beside the turret leading up to the middle seat under the canopy.
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Greatest Generation
ReplyDeleteThe view was only on the block -1 and early block 2 Grumman aircraft. Most of the windows and in the block-3's the gun, were eliminated as useless. It was an ANM-3 CAL.30 MG with only 300 rounds (1300RPM gun). About that same time (block 3) they made the door smaller and put one on both sides. Not that it helped much. If you were the RTO or gunner in a TBM-3 you had almost zero.zero % chance of getting out alive if shot down or ditching. GHW Bush got shot down twice. He lost both crews in spite of staying with the aircraft until the last possible second.----Ray
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