Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:42 | Robert Ricks could handle a gun ever since he was big enough to hold one, and he was mad about the attack on Pearl Harbor. As soon as they would let him in, he volunteered for WWII and became a gunner on a B-17.
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Newly trained B-17 Gunner Robert Ricks was humbled by a train conductor before he even left the States. Arriving in England, he was further humbled when dozens from his unit were killed on takeoff, lost by accident before even facing the enemy.
Robert Ricks’ short stature made him a good fit as a tail gunner because he was comfortable in the cramped turret. A six-footer would have been very uncomfortable.
B-17 gunner Robert Ricks’ first mission was memorable, the first daylight bombing raid on Berlin. Though no planes from his unit were lost, he witnessed a direct hit on a trailing plane and watched in horror as the lone crewmember able to bail out didn’t make it.
Robert Ricks was glad to be in the tail gunner’s position at the rear of the B-17. He did not like being in the ball turret underneath the plane with clear panels all around.
B-17 gunner Robert Ricks’ last mission turned out to be his worst. Through a strange turn of events, one of the smoke rounds used as a marker nearly caused him to bail out prematurely over Germany's heartland.
Robert Ricks and his fellow B-17 crewmen knew from the frequency and targets of their missions that D-Day was imminent. When it finally came, it was the greatest sight he’d ever seen. The sky was full of aircraft and the sea was full of ships of every description.
Robert Ricks never felt afraid or unable to fly a mission. He knew the crew was depending on each member. Besides, there was the reward of the three day pass to London, where the dance halls were full of women with no men.
Robert Ricks enjoyed chasing the girls while on a three day pass in London, but on one of those trips, after watching several Buzz Bombs explode nearby, he turned around to see another one heading right up the street toward him and his date.
After the war, Robert Ricks' first job was processing the hundreds of returning aircraft for the military. Then his technical skills made him part of the Cold War, working on the Minuteman missile.
