{"product_id":"bk-flying-fortress-gunner-b-17-ball-turret-gunner-bob-harpers-35-combat-missions-over-germany","title":"Bk Flying Fortress Gunner : B-17 Ball Turret Gunner Bob Harper's 35 Combat Missions over Germany","description":"\u003cbody\u003e\n\n\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=unicode\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta name=\"GENERATOR\" content=\"MSHTML 11.00.10570.1001\"\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFlying Fortress Gunner : B-17 Ball Turret Gunner Bob Harper's 35 \nCombat Missions over Germany\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont color=\"#333333\" face=\"Arial\"\u003eThe biography of Bob Harper, \na B-17 ball turret gunner with the 8th Air Force who survived 35 \ncombat missions over Germany in WWII, and was shot down twice.  \u003cbr style=\"BOX-SIZING: border-box; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Poppins, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left; ORPHANS: 2; WIDOWS: 2; LETTER-SPACING: normal; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"BOX-SIZING: border-box; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Poppins, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left; ORPHANS: 2; WIDOWS: 2; LETTER-SPACING: normal; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial\"\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Poppins, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FLOAT: none; FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left; ORPHANS: 2; WIDOWS: 2; DISPLAY: inline !important; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial\"\u003eAt \n5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing just 110 pounds, Bob Harper was below \nthe minimum size requirements for US military service. As the demand for \nmanpower increased, rules were bent, Harper’s deferment was retracted, and \nhe was drafted into the Army. Harper was deployed to the European front and \nsurvived 35 combat missions as a B-17 ball turret gunner. Based at \nairfields in England, Bob and the 381st Bomb Group flew brutal missions \nover heavily defended industrial centers in Germany. Harper was shot down \ntwice and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr style=\"BOX-SIZING: border-box; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Poppins, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left; ORPHANS: 2; WIDOWS: 2; LETTER-SPACING: normal; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"BOX-SIZING: border-box; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Poppins, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left; ORPHANS: 2; WIDOWS: 2; LETTER-SPACING: normal; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Poppins, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FLOAT: none; FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left; ORPHANS: 2; WIDOWS: 2; DISPLAY: inline !important; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial\"\u003eThrough \nhis letters home, combat reports, and extensive interviews with author Bill \nCullen, Harper describes his harrowing experiences on board the Flying \nFortresses of the Eighth Air Force. Cullen’s interviews with Harper took \nplace over a period of years, and it is the anecdotes from the interviews \nthat drive the majority of the narrative. The ball turret was located \nunderneath the aircraft and was a confined, intense, and unique environment \nfrom which to experience combat during the Second World War. Readers \nwill find Harper, who went on to a successful business career after the \nwar, to be an insightful, witty, and engaging \nstoryteller.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/body\u003e","brand":"Other","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58145038500143,"sku":"2274213300000","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/9272\/5551\/files\/FlyingFortressGunner.png?v=1788976434","url":"https:\/\/shop.eaa.org\/products\/bk-flying-fortress-gunner-b-17-ball-turret-gunner-bob-harpers-35-combat-missions-over-germany","provider":"Shop EAA Merchandise","version":"1.0","type":"link"}