The blast rotated the truck 180 degrees on both the axes of the plane, so the crew compartment was facing back the way we came. The rear gunner position was to stand up out of a rear emergency hatch, on one of the seats. We just had a jerry-rigged mechanism to secure them to the truck. They would have no shock distribution from the seats or protection from the seatbelts (which are like the ones they use in Nascar).
As a consequence, anyone in that position might have been torn in half, or splattered against the roof of the truck as it came up to meet them, or if the make-shift harness failed been flung hundreds of meters away. We stopped after units started losing guys when trucks would roll over.
As it happens, that was my job until we changed the procedure.
Why did not having the rear gunner help?
The blast rotated the truck 180 degrees on both the axes of the plane, so the crew compartment was facing back the way we came. The rear gunner position was to stand up out of a rear emergency hatch, on one of the seats. We just had a jerry-rigged mechanism to secure them to the truck. They would have no shock distribution from the seats or protection from the seatbelts (which are like the ones they use in Nascar).
As a consequence, anyone in that position might have been torn in half, or splattered against the roof of the truck as it came up to meet them, or if the make-shift harness failed been flung hundreds of meters away. We stopped after units started losing guys when trucks would roll over.
As it happens, that was my job until we changed the procedure.