[Jotmo]

The tail gunners on earlier models bailed out by separating the tail cone, and just jumped out.

When in Air Force tech school, (Crew Chief) the instructors told us that a few times in Viet Nam when the aircraft was hit, and communications was lost between the tail gunner and the rest of the crew, the tail gunner would bail out, not knowing that the thing was still air worthy. So the aircraft would return to base with no tail cone, and no tail gunner.

I can't verify that story, but they wouldn't lie to me , would they?

[Fundamentally Fair]

I can't verify that story, but they wouldn't lie to me , would they?

Of course not! ;) But I heard the same stories. The G & H models had the gunner in the main crew compartment behind the pilot and facing aft.

[Robe]

I'll see if I can check that out.. I work with a guy that was a former Tail gunner on a Buff.. He does have some stories.. like he's describing the ride back there.. I think he said that a foot of motion in the front was amplified in the X 8

[rlmorel]

The only recorded instance I know of was a RA5C Vigilante that had the non-pilot officer eject over North Vietnam, but the plane made it back.

I do recall reading about that...the guy ended up being a POW.

If any of these things occured on B52s, it must have been over the water and the crewman never found or was picked up.