Staff Sergeant Michael Aruth's B-17 tail turret faces 300 Luftwaffe fighters over Germany, a critical moment in this piece of military history. This video delves into the harrowing experience of a tail gunner during World War Two, showcasing the perils faced by those defending bomber formations in the skies. From the cramped turret to a deadly engagement and the evolution of air combat doctrine, it's a gripping account of a WW2 gunner's ordeal.
July 30th, 1943. Staff Sergeant Michael Aruth's B-17 Flying Fortress penetrates 500 miles into Nazi Germany toward Kassel. His squadron mocks his "secret" tactic—firing at 800 yards instead of the regulation 300. His crew chief calls him reckless. He's 24 years old, isolated in a 4×5 foot tail turret with two .50 caliber Browning machine guns, 800 rounds of ammunition, and temperatures at -60°F.
Survival statistics? Typical B-17 crews completed only 11 missions before their aircraft went down. Tail gunners had the worst odds of any crew position except the belly ball turret.
By the end of this mission, Aruth didn't just survive the onslaught.
He destroyed 17 German fighter aircraft—3 confirmed kills on this single mission alone—while wounded, bleeding, fighting with one gun jammed, and only 63 rounds remaining. He broke every rule in the gunnery manual, consumed ammunition at triple the recommended rate, and forced the U.S. Army Air Force to rewrite official doctrine.
This is the true story of the tail gunner who changed aerial combat forever.
📌 CHAPTERS:
00:00 – The Gray Dawn: July 30, 1943, RAF Kimbolton
00:52 – The Loneliest Position: Life in the Tail Turret
02:11 – The Geometry of Death: Why Tail Gunners Died
03:07 – Official Doctrine vs. Reality: The 300-Yard Rule
04:36 – Breaking the Rules: Aruth's Forbidden Method
05:28 – Channel Crossing: 186 Bombers Depart England
07:05 – The Problem: Germans Fire at 600 Yards, Americans Wait Until 300
08:13 – Saint-Nazaire Test: First Proof the "Secret" Worked
10:11 – First Contact: 300 Luftwaffe Fighters at 11:42
12:06 – 47 Minutes of Hell: Sustained Combat Over Germany
13:44 – Wounded: 20mm Cannon Fire Destroys Left Gun
15:15 – One Gun, 63 Rounds: The Impossible Return Flight
17:07 – Vindication: Intelligence Summary Notes His Technique
18:57 – Luftwaffe Adapts: Three-Phase German Response
20:48 – Tactical Arms Race: 11 Missions, Aug 26–Sep 5, 1943
22:15 – Stuttgart Mission: September 6, 1943
25:00 – 100+ Interceptors: Lead Position Maximum Exposure
27:38 – Ditching in the English Channel at 120 MPH
29:29 – Distinguished Service Cross: October 14, 1943
30:34 – Doctrine Rewritten: November 1943 Policy Revision
32:01 – Legacy Spreads: Tactics Adopted Throughout Eighth Air Force
33:17 – Post-War Service: USAF 1947–1962, Master Sergeant
35:56 – Final Rest: National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Feb 20, 1990
37:00 – Principles That Endure: Challenging Doctrine That Gets Men Killed
Michael Aruth went on to complete 20 combat missions before being permanently grounded due to head injuries from the Stuttgart ditching. His final tally: 17 confirmed destructions (possibly 19), with 4 additional probables. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, two Air Medals with oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart. He trained new gunners for the remainder of WWII, then served 15 more years in the U.S. Air Force (1947–1962), retiring as Master Sergeant. He passed away on February 15, 1990, at age 70, and is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.
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