The B-24 was a fairly large aircraft, but the interior spaces were as cramped as can be....the few crew seats provided were not even padded (to save weight) ....just solid aluminum.
This photo is from the rear of the bomb bay looking forward towards the flight deck. Note the skinny , narrow walkway between the bombs to access the front of the ship...the pilot/co-pilot were in the upper area and the Navigator / Bombadier had to crawl under the pilots position to reach their small, cramped station....to escape in an emergency situation the Bombadier & Navigator had a pretty slim chance of getting out of their positions with their parachutes. It was a tight squeeze on the ground.....in an in - flight emergency situation add "G-Forces" and a certain amount of panic......... You can see the ill fitting bomb bay doors at the bottom of the photo.....a lot of air would come through the seen gaps at over 150 MPH....
Saturday, November 7, 2009
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