A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a heavy strategic bomber; replete with two .50 caliber machine guns and one small, short, brave man. In order to reduce drag the ball turret was very small and cramped. There was no room inside for a parachute, which was left in the cabin above the turret. To exit, the ball turret had to align its door with the opening in the crew compartment. The ball itself operated by a hydraulic system and if that was damaged the gunner had no avenue of escape. And because of this, it was crashes, not direct aerial combat, that caused 152 of the 158 ball gunner deaths, triple the crash death rate of any other crewman.