Although this article is based on canonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.
Please see the reasons for this title in the "Behind the scenes" section below, and/or the relevant discussion on the talk page.
The Gunner was a Nazi soldier serving at the Tanis dig site in Egypt. He served as one of the many soldiers under the command of Major Gobler.
Biography
When the Ark of the Covenant was being moved from Tanis to Cairo, a soldier served as the machine gunner in Major Gobler's troop car, riding high in the back to fire over the windshield.
When Indiana Jones attempted to take over the truck carrying the Ark, the gunner opened fire at Jones on horseback. Once Jones gained control of the truck, the troop car eventually pulled alongside the truck, and the gunner opened fire again. Jones responded by ramming Gobler's car on the side, which pushed it off the road and over a tall cliff. The Gunner, not secured in the vehicle, fell out of the car, and plummeted to his death, along with Gobler and another officer.
Behind the scenes
The Gunner was portrayed by stuntman Billy Horrigan in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In the third draft of the film's original script, written by Lawrence Kasdan, the gunner is flipped out the back of the car when Gobler sideswipes a boulder before he and Toht fall to their deaths. His fate after this isn't mentioned.[1]
In Campbell Black's novelization, they are driving alongside a cliff when Jones tries to force them over the edge. The car swerves sharply, throwing the gunner out and over the cliff edge.
Appearances
- Raiders of the Lost Ark novel (First appearance)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark