<P> "Air Bomber" more normally called the "Bomb Aimer". This crewman manned the nose mounted gun turret (usually twin . 303 machine guns) during the operation and provided assistance to the navigator only to crawl into the bomb aimer's compartment in the lower section of the nose of the aircraft to operate the bomb sight and press the button to release the bomb load onto the target at the necessary time . During the "bombing run" when the bombs were about to be released he would instruct the pilot on minute adjustments to course in order to release the bombs as accurately as possible, the release of the bomb load activated a flash photograph to record the target below . The Bomb Aimer was usually often a commissioned officer, he wore a single - winged aircrew brevet with a wreath containing the letter B on his tunic, above his left breast pocket denoting his trade specialization . </P> <P> In order to protect the heavy bombers from a German Luftwaffe night fighter force which had evolved at great speed to become extremely effective, most of the new heavy bombers had three power operated gun turrets usually sited in the nose, dorsal (mid upper) and rear (tail) positions requiring an additional gunner . The traditional tail end Charlie "Rear Gunner" continued in place facing rearwards with his quad mounted . 303 Browning machine guns while an additional air gunner, known as the "Mid Upper" gunner climbed up into a sling harness to man a power operated dorsal turret on the top of the fuselage . On the Halifax this turret was armed with four . 303 Browning machine guns and on the Lancaster it had twin . 303 machine guns . Within crews some gunners preferred one turret or the other would usually fly in that, in other crews the gunners might swap turrets regularly . </P> <P> In the middle years of the war it became more usual to train airmen specifically as "Wireless Operators" and no longer add air gunnery training to their instruction . These men graduated training schools to earning a single - winged aircrew brevet over a wreath containing the letters S on his tunic, above his left breast pocket denoting his trade specialization as "signaller". </P> <P> As the war progressed it became common for airmen to "team up" and form the crew with whom they would fly "operations" while still at their "Operational Training Unit" before being posted to their squadrons . On joining the squadron their pilot would often be assigned to fly one or two operational missions as Second Pilot with an experienced crew in order to gain operational experience before taking his own crew into action . In this situation he would be referred to as a Second Dickie (second pilot). </P>

Who flew the most bomber missions in wwii