An Eighth Air Force bomber Station, England --

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Wheeling his ball turret guns around feverishly to meet three oncoming ME262 German jet fighters, Sergeant Louis J Edgett, 19, Son of Mr. & Mrs. G. C. Edgett of Edmond, Kansas, found himself hanging with nothing below him but four miles of space over Germany; supported only by his leg straps and the sides of his turret, but Sgt. Edgett stayed at his post until the danger was over. 

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"The hinges on my door must have broken off when I turned to meet the jets," said Sgt. Edgett. "Cold air came rushing up, and I was sure it was going to push me to the top turret. By leaning against the sides of the turret, I was able to hold myself in until the jets left."

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The attack came after the 490th Bomb Group, with which Sgt. Edgett was flying as ball turret gunner, left the target, an air field near Plauen, Germany, in flames and started back with the other formations of eighth Air Force B-17 flying fortresses. 

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"I had to sit with the bottom of my turret for over a half hour waiting for the Jerrys to start coming my way." Remarked Sgt. Edgett. "It was hard enough sitting there without moving the turret around, which I had to do because if the jet pilots saw that our ball turret was not operating, they would probably have made an attack from below."

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Sgt. Edgett entered the Army Air Forces in August 1943 and trained as a gunner at Kingman Field, Arizona. He had been awarded the Air Medal for "Meritorious Achievement" and has taken part on bombing attacks against oil refineries at Merseburg & Ludigshaven Tank Factories at Berlin and Railroad Marshalling Yards at Hamm. 

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Sgt Edgett is a graduate of Edmond High School where he played varsity baseball & basketball. 

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