Fifi and Diamond Lil, a B-24 Liberator, were at the old Eaker Air Force Base last November.
I paid to take a ride in the B-24 to honor a deceased friend of mine who was a B-24 flight instructor during WWII.
The waist gunner .50 cals were mounted and we were able to handle them in flight. You had to really hold onto the weapon's handle to keep the barrel from whipping back and slamming into the fuselage.
I couldn't imagine being 19 years old, at 30,000 feet, freezing your canoles, and trying to hit Messerschmitts diving in on you at 400 mph, all while straining to fight the wind resistance on your weapon.
The Greatest Generation indeed.