TECHNICAL Sergeant KENneth R. GEVRY--ENGINEER/WAIST GUNNER

 

Sgt. Kenneth R. Gevry of Massachusetts knew more about the B-24 than any other member of the crew--including the airplane commander. In emergencies, the airplane commander turned to the engineer. The duties of the flight engineer were to assist the pilot and copilot in monitoring the performance of the engines and to keep track of fuel burn. Sgt. Gevry was also a waist gunner. But on takeoff and landing he would stand behind the pilot and co-pilot to monitor the four engines.

     Robert James was an excellent pilot and his was often the lead ship in its flight. The lead ship didn’t have to worry about fuel consumption as much because they just set their controls and flew. This made Sgt. Gevry’s job easier. The other ships had to constantly make corrections to stay in formation and would often use a lot more fuel. When the lead ship dropped its bombs, the rest of the formation did likewise.