| B-26 Marauder | |
|---|---|
 A US Army Air Forces Martin B-26B Marauder "Dee-Feater" (X2-A) of the 596th BS 397th BG 9th AF withD-Dayinvasion stripes | |
| General information | |
| Type | Medium bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Army Air Forces |
| Number built | 5,288[1][Note 1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1941–1945 |
| Introduction date | 1941 |
| First flight | 25 November 1940 |
| Developed into | XB-33 Super Marauder (unbuilt) |
TheMartin B-26 Marauder was an American twin-enginedmedium bomber that saw extensive service duringWorld War II. The B-26 was built at two locations:Baltimore, Maryland, andOmaha, Nebraska, by theGlenn L. Martin Company.
First used in thePacific Theater ofWorld War II in early 1942, it was also used in theMediterranean Theater and in theEuropean Theater from bases in England and, followingD-Day, on the European continent providing tactical support to advancing Allied troops.
After entering service with theUnited States Army aviation units, theaircraft quickly received the reputation of a "widowmaker" due to the early models' high accident rate during takeoffs and landings. This was because the Marauder had to be flown at preciseairspeeds, particularly on final runway approach or when one engine was out. The unusually high 150 mph (241 km/h) speed on short final runway approach was intimidating to many pilots who were used to much slower approach speeds, and when they slowed to speeds below those stipulated in the manual, the aircraft would often stall and crash.[2]
The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were retrained, and afteraerodynamics modifications (an increase of wingspan and wingangle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger vertical stabilizer and rudder).[3] The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any U.S. Army Air Forces bomber.[4]
In total, 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by theRoyal Air Force and theSouth African Air Force. By the time theUnited States Air Force was created as an independent military service separate from theUnited States Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from U.S. service. After the Marauder was retired, the unrelated ground attack aircraftDouglas A-26 Invader assumed the "B-26" designation, which led to confusion between the two aircraft.
In March 1939, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) issued Circular Proposal 39-640, a specification for a twin-engined medium bomber with a maximum speed of 350 mph (560 km/h), a range of 3,000 mi (4,800 km), and a bomb load of 2,000 lb (910 kg). On 5 July 1939, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design, produced by a team led byPeyton M. Magruder, to meet the requirement, the Martin Model 179. Martin's design was evaluated as superior to the other proposals and was awarded a contract for 201 aircraft, to be designated B-26.[5] The B-26 went from paper concept to an operational bomber in roughly two years.[6] Additional orders for a further 930 B-26s followed in September 1940, still prior to the first flight of the type.[7]
The B-26 was a shoulder-wingedmonoplane of all-metal construction, fitted with atricycle landing gear. It had a streamlined, circular-sectionfuselage housing the crew, consisting of abombardier in the nose, armed with a .30 in (7.62 mm)machine gun, a pilot and co-pilot sitting side by side, with positions for the radio operator and navigator behind the pilots. A gunner manned a dorsal turret armed with two .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns (the first powered dorsal turret to be fitted to a U.S. bomber), and an additional .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun was fitted in the tail.[Note 2]
Twobomb bays were fitted midfuselage, capable of carrying 5,800 lb (2,600 kg) of bombs, although in practice such a bomb load reduced range too much, and the aft bomb bay was usually fitted with additional fuel tanks instead of bombs. The aircraft was powered by twoPratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Waspradial engines in nacelles slung under the wing, driving four-bladed propellers. The engines were manufactured at the Ford Dearborn Engine plant inDearborn, Michigan. The wings were of lowaspect ratio and relatively small in area for an aircraft of its weight, giving the required high performance, but also resulting in awing loading of 53 lb/sq ft (260 kg/m2) for the initial versions, which at the time was the highest of any aircraft accepted for service by the USAAC, until the introduction of theBoeing B-29 Superfortress, with the then-astonishing wing loading of 69.12 lb/sq ft (337.5 kg/m2) (although both would be considered lightly loaded by the standard of combat aircraft of the next decade).[9]
The first B-26, with Martin test pilot William K. "Ken" Ebel at the controls, flew on 25 November 1940 and was effectively the prototype. Deliveries to the USAAC began in February 1941 with the second aircraft,40-1362.[7] In March 1941, the USAAC started accelerated service testing of the B-26 atPatterson Field, nearDayton, Ohio.
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The B-26's relatively small wing area and resulting high wing loading required a high landing speed of 120 to 135 mph (193 to 217 km/h)indicated airspeed depending on load. At least two of the earliest B-26s suffered hard landings and damage to the main landing gear, engine mounts, propellers, and fuselage. The type was grounded briefly in April 1941[10] to investigate the landing difficulties. Two causes were found: insufficient landing speed (producing astall) and improper weight distribution. The latter was due to the lack of a dorsal turret; the Martin power turret was not yet ready.
Some of the very earliest B-26s suffered collapses of the nose landing gear, said to be caused by improper weight distribution, but that is not likely to have been the only reason. The incidents occurred during low-speed taxiing, takeoffs and landings, and occasionally the strut unlocked. Later, the Martin electric dorsal turret was retrofitted to some of the first B-26s. Martin also began testing a taller vertical stabilizer and revised tail gunner's position in 1941.
The Pratt & Whitney R-2800-5 engines were reliable, but the Curtiss electricpitch-change mechanism in the propellers required impeccable maintenance, not always attainable in the field.Human error and some failures of the mechanism occasionally placed the propeller blades in flat pitch, resulting in an overspeeding propeller, sometimes known as a "runaway prop". Due to its sound and the possibility that the propeller blades could disintegrate, this situation was particularly frightening for aircrews. More challenging was a loss of power in one engine during takeoff. These and other malfunctions, as well as human error, claimed a number of aircraft and the commanding officer of the22nd Bombardment Group, Colonel Mark Lewis.
The Martin B-26 suffered only two fatal accidents during its first year of flight, from November 1940 to November 1941—a crash shortly after takeoff near Martin'sMiddle River plant inMaryland (cause unknown, but engine malfunction strongly suggested) and the loss of a38th Bombardment Group B-26 when its vertical stabilizer and rudder separated from the aircraft at altitude (cause unknown, but the accident report discussed the possibility that a canopy hatch broke off and struck the vertical stabilizer).
As pilots were trained quickly for the war, relatively inexperienced pilots entered the cockpit and the accident rate increased. This occurred at the same time as more experienced B-26 pilots of the 22nd, 38th, and42nd Bombardment Groups were proving the merits of the bomber.
For a time in 1942, pilots in training believed that the B-26 could not be flown on one engine. This was disproved by several experienced pilots, including ColonelJimmy Doolittle, who flew demonstration flights atMacDill Army Air Field, which featured takeoffs and landings with only one engine. Also, 17Women Airforce Service Pilots were trained to demonstrate the B-26, in an attempt to "shame" male pilots into the air.[11]
In 1942, aviation pioneer and company founderGlenn L. Martin was called before the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, (or also known as the "Truman Committee"), which was investigating defense contracting abuses. SenatorHarry S Truman ofMissouri, the committee chairman (and futureVice President and 33rdPresident of the United States in 1945–1953), asked Martin why the B-26 had problems. Martin responded that the wings were too short. Senator Truman curtly asked why the wings had not been changed. When Martin replied that the plans were too close to completion, and his company already had the contract, Truman's testy response was quick and to the point: In that case, the contract would be canceled. Martin corrected the wings.[12] (By February 1943, the newest model aircraft, the B-26B-10, had an additional 6 feet (1.8 m) of wingspan, plus uprated engines, more armor, and larger guns.)[13]
Indeed, the regularity of crashes by pilots training at MacDill Field—up to 15 in one 30-day period—led to the exaggerated catchphrase, "One a day in Tampa Bay".[14] Apart from accidents occurring over land, 13 Maraudersditched in Tampa Bay in the 14 months between 5 August 1942 and 8 October 1943.[14]
B-26 crews gave the aircraft the nickname "Widowmaker".[6] Other colorful nicknames included "Martin Murderer", "Flying Coffin", "B-Dash-Crash", "Flying Prostitute" (so-named because it was so fast and had "no visible means of support", referring to its small wings) and "Baltimore Whore" (a reference to the city where Martin was based).[15]
According to an article in the April 2009 edition ofAOPA Pilot on Kermit Weeks' "Fantasy of Flight", the Marauder had a tendency to "hunt" in yaw. This instability is similar to "Dutch roll". This would make for a very uncomfortable ride, especially for the tail gunner.
The B-26 is stated by the9th Air Force to have had the lowest combat loss rate of any US aircraft used during the war. Nevertheless, it remained a challenging aircraft to fly and continued to be disliked by some of its pilots throughout its military career. In 1944, in answer to many pilots complaining to the press and their relatives back home, the USAAF and Martin took the unusual step during war of commissioning large articles to be placed in various popular publications to educate the public and defend the flying/accident record of the B-26 against "slanders". One of the longest of these articles was in the May 1944 issue ofPopular Mechanics.[8]
The B-26 Marauder was used mostly in Europe, but also saw action in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. In early combat, the aircraft took heavy losses, but was still one of the most successful medium-range bombers used by the USAAF.[16] The B-26 was initially deployed on combat missions in theSouth West Pacific in early 1942, but most of the B-26s subsequently assigned to operational theaters were sent to England and the Mediterranean area.
By the end of World War II, it had flown more than 110,000 sorties, dropped 150,000 tons (136,078 tonnes) of bombs, and had been used in combat by British, Free French, and South African forces in addition to US units. In 1945, when B-26 production was halted, 5,266 had been built.[17]
The B-26 began to equip the22nd Bombardment Group atLangley Field,Virginia, in February 1941, replacing theDouglas B-18 Bolo, with a further two groups, the 38th and 28th, beginning to equip with the B-26 by December 1941.[7][18] Immediately following the JapaneseAttack on Pearl Harbor, the 22nd BG was deployed to theSouth West Pacific,[19][20] first by ship toHawaii, then its air echelon flew the planes to Australia. The 22nd BG flew its first combat mission, an attack onRabaul, which required an intermediate stop atPort Moresby,New Guinea, on 5 April 1942.[18]
A second group, the38th, began receiving B-26s in November 1941 and began transitioning into them at Patterson Field, Ohio. There, the 38th continued the testing of the B-26, including its range and fuel efficiency. Immediately after the entry of the United States into World War II, plans were tentatively developed to send the 38th BG to the South West Pacific and to equip it with B-26Bs fitted with more auxiliary fuel tanks and provisions for carryingaerial torpedoes.[18] Three 38th BG B-26Bs[21] were detached toMidway Island in the buildup to theBattle of Midway, and two of them, along with two B-26s detached from the 22nd BG, carried out torpedo attacks against the Japanese Fleet on 4 June 1942. Two were shot down and the other two were so badly damaged that they were written off after the mission. Their torpedoes failed to hit any Japanese ships, although they did shoot down oneMitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and killed two seamen aboard the aircraft carrierAkagi with machine-gun fire.[18][22] The crew of one B-26,Susie Q, after dropping their torpedo, were pursued by fighters; seeking an escape route, they flew directly along the length of theAkagi, bravingantiaircraft fire – to the point the pursuing Japanese fighters had to hold fire temporarily, to avoid hitting the flagship. Another B-26, seriously damaged by antiaircraft fire, did not pull out of its run, and instead flew directly atAkagi'sbridge. Either attempting asuicide ramming, or out of control, the plane narrowly missed striking the carrier's bridge, and crashed into the ocean.[23]
From around June 1942, B-26 squadrons of the 38th BG were based in New Caledonia and Fiji. From New Caledonia, missions were flown against Japanese bases in the Solomon Islands. On one occasion, a B-26 was credited with shooting down aKawanishi H6Kflying boat. In 1943, the B-26 was decided to be phased out of operations in the South West Pacific Theater in favor of theNorth American B-25 Mitchell. Nevertheless, the 19th Bombardment Squadron of the 22nd BG continued to fly missions in the B-26. The B-26 flew its last combat mission in the theater on 9 January 1944.[18]
Two more squadrons of torpedo-armed B-26s equipped the 28th Composite Group and were used for antishipping operations in theAleutian Islands Campaign, but no records of any successful torpedo attack by a USAAF B-26 have been found.[18]
ComedianGeorge Gobel famously joked about being an instructor for this aircraft at Frederick Army Airfield (nowFrederick Regional Airport) during the Pacific battles, boasting, "not one Japanese aircraft got past Tulsa".[24]
Three bombardment groups were allocated to support theAllied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942. They were initially used to carry out low-level attacks against heavily defended targets, incurring heavy losses with poor results, before switching to medium-level attacks. By the end of theNorth African Campaign, the three B-26 groups had flown 1,587 sorties, losing 80 aircraft. This was double the loss rate of the B-25, which also flew 70% more sorties with fewer aircraft.[25] Despite this, the B-26 continued in service with theTwelfth Air Force, supporting the Allied advance throughSicily,Italy, andsouthern France.[26][27]Air Marshal Sir John Slessor, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, wrote of "the astonishing accuracy of the experienced medium bomber groups—particularly the Marauders; I think that the 42nd Bombardment Group in Sardinia is probably the bestday-bomber unit in the world."[28] Slessor in fact meant the 42nd Bomb Wing—17th, 319th, and 320th Bomb Groups—but a US 'wing' equated roughly to a British 'group', and vice versa.
The B-26 entered service with theEighth Air Force in England in early 1943, with the322nd Bombardment Group flying its first missions in May 1943. Operations were similar to those flown in North Africa with B-26s flying at low level and were unsuccessful. The second mission, an unescorted attack on a power station atIJmuiden, theNetherlands, resulted in the loss of the entire attacking force of 11 B-26s to antiaircraft fire andLuftwaffeFocke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters.[29] Following this disaster, the UK-based B-26 force was switched to medium-altitude operations, and transferred to theNinth Air Force, set up to support the planned invasion of France.[29]
Bombing from medium altitudes of 10,000 to 15,000 feet (3,000 to 4,600 m) and with appropriate fighter escort, the Marauder proved far more successful, striking against a variety of targets, including bridges andV-1 launching sites in the buildup to D-Day, and moving to bases in France as they became available. The Marauder, operating from medium altitude, proved to be a highly accurate aircraft, with the 9th Air Force rating it the most accurate bomber available in the final month of the war in Europe.[30] Loss rates were far lower than in the early, low-level days, with the B-26 stated by the 9th Air Force as having the lowest loss rate in the European Theater of Operations at less than 0.5%.[7] On 9 August 1944, CaptainDarrell R. Lindsey of the394th Bombardment Group led a formation of B-26 bombers to destroy the L'Isle Adam bridge inGerman-occupied France. Despite his B-26 being heavily damaged by ground fire and engulfed in flames, he completed the bombing run. Lindsey ordered his crew to parachute to safety, but refused to escape himself, ensuring their survival. Moments after the last crew member jumped, the plane exploded, killing Lindsey. He was posthumously awarded theMedal of Honor for his heroism.[31]
The B-26 flew its last combat missions against the German garrison at theÎle d'Oléron on 1 May 1945, with the last units disbanding in early 1946.[32]
In 1942, a batch of 52 B-26A Marauders (designated Marauder I by the RAF) were offered to the United Kingdom underLend-Lease. Like the earlierMartin Maryland andBaltimore, these aircraft were sent to the Mediterranean, replacing theBristol Blenheims of14 Squadron in Egypt. The squadron flew its first operational mission on 6 November 1942, being used for long-range reconnaissance,mine-laying and anti-shipping strikes.[33] Unlike the USAAF, 14 Squadron used the equipment for carrying torpedoes, sinking several merchant ships with this weapon. The Marauder also proved useful in disrupting enemy air transport, shooting down considerable numbers of German and Italian transport aircraft flying between Italy and North Africa.[34]
In 1943, deliveries of 100 long-wingspan B-26C-30s (Marauder II) allowed two squadrons of theSouth African Air Force,12 Squadron and24 Squadron to be equipped, these being used for bombing missions over theAegean Sea,Crete, and Italy. A further 350 B-26Fs and Gs were supplied in 1944, with two more South African squadrons (21 and30) joining No 12 and 24 in Italy to form an all-Marauder equipped wing, while one further SAAF squadron (25 Squadron) and the new RAF39 Squadron, re-equipped with Marauders as part of theBalkan Air Force supportingTito'sPartisans inYugoslavia. A Marauder of 25 Squadron SAAF, shot down on the unit's last mission of World War II on 4 May 1945, was the last Marauder lost in action.[35] The British and South African aircraft were quickly scrapped following the end of the war, the United States not wanting the return of the Lend-Lease aircraft.[33]
FollowingOperation Torch, (the Allied invasion of North Africa), theFree French Air Force re-equipped three squadrons with Marauders for medium-bombing operations in Italy and theAllied invasion of southern France.[36] These B-26s replacedLioré et Olivier LeO 451s andDouglas DB-7s.[37] Toward the end of the war, seven of the nine FrenchGroupes de Bombardement used the Marauder, taking part in 270 missions with 4,884 aircraft sorties in combat.[37] Free French B-26 groups were disbanded in June 1945.[38] Replaced in squadron service by 1947, two lingered on astestbeds for theSnecma Atarjet engine, one of these remaining in use until 1958.[36]
In the immediate postwar years, a few Marauders were converted as high-speed executive transports, accommodating up to 15 passengers. The specifications of the individual conversions differed considerably.[39] The example shown in the image was completed in 1948 and had streamlined nose and tail fairings and windows inserted in the rear fuselage. It servedUnited Airlines before being sold to Mexico. It was purchased by theConfederate Air Force and restored to wartime markings for air-display purposes before being lost in a fatal crash in 1995.
With the exception of the B-26C, all models and variants of the B-26 were produced at Martin's Middle River manufacturing plant. The B-26C was built at the Martin plant in Omaha.[50]
Data from Quest for Performance[63]and Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[64]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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