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Anyone ever seen one of these things in real life?
It's a Crocker and Wheeler A-8 Training Turret. It uses a Browning M-11 semi-auto shotgun.
Used to train airmen in the operation of power turrets on bomber aircraft, you shoot down standard clay pigeons with it! I saw it in action on a tv documentary and gawd I want one!!!

IMG_1179.JPG IMG_1180.JPG IMG_1181.JPG
 
My father was a B-29 flight engineer and top turret gunner with 4 .50 cals in his remote turret. The B-29 had remote turrets that could be operated from one of several gun sight blisters. Later in the war they stripped the guns and bombed night low level at 7000 feet.....lots of incendiaries. He said he did hit Zeros a couple times and they started smoking but bugged out so no confirmed Kill. The missions he hated the most were 4 ship night mining missions at low altitude bombing by radar. I never asked him about gunnery practice but I bet they used similar set up in Grand Island NE or maybe wherever they did advance training.

Brutus Out
 
Me too. My old neighbor was telling me how he/they trained with special shotguns for the Pacific.. now I know what he was talking about. neat guy
He said they were pretty smart as a machinegun was essentially a long range shotgun in actual practice/effect.
Grandpa drove one just like that in the Pacific Theater in 1944-45. I'm guessing he probably had a carbine to go with it.
 
My grandpa was a B17 flight engineer and top turret gunner in WWII. He told me stories of the shotgun simulators. Pretty neat.

That's cool about your granddad! It looked like the most fun you could have with your pants on!!! ;)

I'd like to take it trap shooting.
"Sure, that's a nice fancy Perazzi over/under you got there buddy but I think I got you beat!" :s0019:

Trap shooting is exactly how the trainers used it. Standard spring driven clay tosser! A couple of guys said in the interview, "that machine will humble you!"
 

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