There were a maximum of thirteen M2 .50 cal fully automatic guns on board the B-17. Without going into great detail about the load capacity and different gun configurations, the average number of .50 rounds on board was 5,500 - 6,000. During the retrieval of the B-17, Sneakin Deacon wreckage, 1,800+ rounds were found.

Bull Session had 12 guns, the average number of weapons onboard. Only one weapon was recovered from the site, which belonged to one of two lower turret guns. The serial number listed in the Missing Air Crew Report matched the serial number on the weapon. How do we know it came from the lower turret? simple, a fragment of the lower turret remains connected to the gun mount as seen in the photo. The lower turret ammo capacity was 1,016 rounds, two dozen rounds were found in the ammunition box and the Luxembourg Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (SEADL) Team removed all.  There is a report from a farmer that another gun was recovered from the site years ago and turned over to the Musée National d'Histoire Militaire, Diekirch. Therer is an effort to examine this gun's serial number to confirm the claim.

A waist gun mount was also recovered from the site and is displayed at the 385th Bomb Group Museum with the rest of the exhibits.

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Also recovered was a complete HANDA electric gun heater assembly that mounts to the topside cover of the gun preventing the moving parts from jamming or freezing up. WWIIBRPG# 2021-034/224

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The Type G-11 Gun Solinoid was another important accessory to be found onsite. WWIIBRPG# 2021-034/046

Narration from the Aircorps Depot:  

" The G-11 solenoid, used for the electrical trigger control of free firing .50 caliber, model M2 machine guns, is mounted on a bracket attached to the buffer tube of the gun. A moveable plunger is connected to the trigger arm. When the solenoid is energized by pressing the firing switch, magnetic forces in the core of the solenoid coil attract the plunger, release the sear, and fire the gun. Release the firing switch opens the circuit and the spring returns the plunger to its original position, causing the gun to cease firing. The coil is connected to the battery system by a long conduit extension with a female connector on the free end. This connector is the single-prong screw-on type".

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