A bunch of junior RAAF cadets fool around in one of the 4th Air Depot hangars in Townsville in 1944. The photograph was taken for Australian publicity purposes to lend an air of US/Australian co-operation. The reality was otherwise. The 4th Air Depot observed strict guidelines on the overhaul of engines and airframes, encouraging the RAAF to do their own thing.

This is a Sperry lower turret undergoing servicing - as used in all series Liberators. The unit could swivel almost 360 degrees and it helped if you were small enough to fit into it.

Whilst the concept of the Sperry turret was simple enough, re-installing these units back into Liberators was not so simple. There was a myriad of wires and hydraulic hoses to reconnect after bolting the unit back in. All Liberators carried a unique wrench at the back of the aircraft to undo these turrets in the event of bad combat damage. The idea was that they could be jettisoned to lose weight, and that in the process, all electrical and hydraulic wiring harnesses would break free. It was not always the case, and more than once Liberators crash-landed back at base with a dangling Sperry turret, which the crew had tried unsuccessfully to jettison.

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