How One “Illegal” Mirror Sight Turned B-17 Tail Gunners Into Luftwaffe Killers скачать в хорошем качестве

How One “Illegal” Mirror Sight Turned B-17 Tail Gunners Into Luftwaffe Killers

October 1943: B-17 tail gunners were dying at an alarming rate, achieving only 8% accuracy against German fighters. The Second Schweinfurt raid alone lost 60 bombers in a single day. While Army engineers debated solutions that would take months, 22-year-old Staff Sergeant Michael Romano took matters into his own hands. Working after midnight with a mechanic, he built an illegal mirror-reflector gun sight from salvaged P-47 parts that violated six military regulations. The punishment? Possible court-martial. The result? Accuracy jumped to 23%—nearly triple the standard rate. His "forbidden" innovation spread across the Eighth Air Force, was incorporated into production B-17s, and ultimately saved an estimated 840 aircraft and 8,400 lives. This is the story of the gunner who refused to watch his brothers die while waiting for official approval. Related Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_... Keywords: B-17 Flying Fortress, WWII tail gunner, Michael Romano, Eighth Air Force, Second Schweinfurt raid, bomber defense, reflector gun sight, unauthorized military modification, Luftwaffe tactics, 91st Bomb Group, Bassingbourn Airfield, Cheyenne tail turret, WWII innovation, bomber crew survival, strategic bombing campaign