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. These and other malfunctions, as well as human error, claimed a number of aircraft and the commanding officer of the 22nd Bombardment Group, Colonel Mark Lewis. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Cold War conflicts. [23], From approximately June 1942, B-26 squadrons of the 38th BG were based in New Caledonia and Fiji. "Me & My Gal: The Stormy Combat Romance Between a WWII Bomber Pilot and his Martin B-26. O'Mahony, Charles. After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United … Click on the thumbnails shown here, for larger pictures. the other "Marauder Men" of WW II. Discover (and save!) The North American B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engine bomber that became standard equipment for the Allied air forces in World War II, was perhaps the most versatile aircraft of the war. The B-26 Invader was a larger, more ruggedly built version of the A-20 Havoc with more powerful engines, longer range, and heavier armament with remote power-driven gun turrets. Eckert unless otherwise 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". Nowicki, Jacek and Andre R. Zbiegniewski. In order to achieve its high speed, the B-26 had relatively short wings with modest wing area. [18] Three 38th BG B-26Bs[21] were detached to Midway Island in the buildup to the Battle 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. This occurred at the same time as more experienced B-26 pilots of the 22nd, 38th and 42nd Bombardment Groups were proving the merits of the bomber. Bridgman, Leonard. [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. It was designed as a result of a Military Plane Design Competition in the summer of 1940. Martin responded that the wings were too short. One B-26 destroyed in take off crash, crew had minor injuries. It had a three man crew including a pilot, navigator and bombardier. [29] Following this disaster, the UK-based B-26 force was switched to medium altitude operations, and transferred to the Ninth Air Force, set up to support the planned invasion of France. B-26 Nose Art photos of B-26 bombers Lil Lass, Uncle John, Red Light Rose. [38] 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 had a streamlined, circular section fuselage housing the crew, consisting of a bombardier 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. From New Caledonia, missions were flown against Japanese bases in the Solomon Islands. [7], The B-26 was a shoulder-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, fitted with a tricycle landing gear. with over 170 bombing missions flown between them, heroes all, were killed Martin B-26C Marauder Crew . Martin's design was evaluated as superior to the other proposals and was awarded a contract for 201 ai… In 1943, it was decided that the B-26 would be phased out of operations in the South West Pacific Theater in favor of the North American B-25 Mitchell. 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 carrying aerial torpedoes. This B-26 Marauder Crew image was captured by a WWII AAF Photographer, who I’ll be featuring on this sight very soon. 151–152; Lundstrom, p. 337, Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Museum of the United States Air Force, List of military aircraft of the United States, WASPs Receive Final Instructions Before Flying Martin B-26 Marauder, "Martin Aircraft Specifications: B-26 Marauder Types. In 1939, the Martin B-26 Marauder was built in parallel with North American B-25 Mitchell, however while the B-25 was a docile handling airplane, the B-26 was nothing of the kind. 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. “We got aboard the B-26 by climbing up through the nose wheel well. In early combat, the aircraft took heavy losses, but was still one of the most successful medium-range bombers used by the US Army Air Forces. The 386th had the dubious honor of being the first B-26 outfit to have a plane shot down from medium altitude by German planes, but then on the other hand they were the first B-26 Group to shoot down a number of German fighter planes! Crew Sgt Dick Tryon, 6956366 (MIA / KIA) NM Crashed October 16, 1942 MACR 15931 Aircraft History Built by Martin in Baltimore, Maryland. [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 best day-bomber unit in the world. [16] The B-26 was initially deployed on combat missions in the South 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 the North African Campaign, the three B-26 groups had flown 1,587 sorties, losing 80 aircraft. [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 and V-1 launching sites in the buildup to D-Day, and moving to bases in France as they became available. Like the earlier Martin Maryland and Baltimore, these aircraft were sent to the Mediterranean, replacing the Bristol Blenheims of No. [35] These B-26s replaced Lioré et Olivier LeO 451s and Douglas DB-7s. 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 combat by any user. DECEMBER 1944. Guardado por Bri Allard. The B-26 was numerically the most important USAAF medium bomber in Europe, where the aircraft was mainly used. [7] In March 1941, the Army Air Corps started Accelerated Service Testing of the B-26 at Patterson Field, near Dayton, Ohio. [14], B-26 crews gave the aircraft the nickname "Widowmaker". American; Military; Photography; Planes; Style; Vintage; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photograph shot into the cockpit of a WWII plane before, the nonchalant look of the front gunner is just too cool for words. It was built for speed and was a highly strung, unforgiving airplane, that needed to be tamed by the most experienced pilots. [25] Despite this, the B-26 continued in service with the Twelfth Air Force, supporting the Allied advance through Sicily, Italy and southern France. The type was grounded briefly in April 1941[10] to investigate the landing difficulties. B-26's went on to have the lowest combat loss rate of any American aircraft in the conflict, owing something to its stellar design but more to the crews who flew her through her 110,000 sorties. [17], The B-26 began to equip the 22nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia, in February 1941, replacing the Douglas B-18 Bolo, with a further two groups, the 38th and 28th, beginning to equip with the B-26 by December 1941. Martin corrected the wings. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. 2. "The Martin Model 179 Marauder". Reading time: less than a minute. Apr 30, 2020 - Explore Frank Castrillo's board "Martin B-26 Marauder", followed by 280 people on Pinterest. The latter was due to the lack of a dorsal turret; the Martin power turret was not yet ready. The original photographs seem to have been taken with … A further 350 B-26Fs and Gs were supplied in 1944, with two more South African squadrons (21 and 30) joining No 12 and 24 in Italy to form an all-Marauder equipped wing, while one further SAAF squadron (25) and a new RAF squadron (39 Squadron), re-equipped with Marauders as part of the Balkan Air Force supporting Tito's Partisans in Yugoslavia. First used in the Pacific Theater of World War II in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe. [18], Comedian George Gobel famously joked about being an instructor for this aircraft at Frederick Army Airfield (now Frederick Regional Airport) during the Pacific battles, boasting that "not one Japanese aircraft got past Tulsa".[24]. That gave it a long take-off run and a fast landing speed. On 5 July 1939, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design, produced by a team led by Peyton M. Magruder, to meet the requirement, the Martin Model 179. that followed its introduction, by 1944 it had the lowest loss rate on [33], In 1943, deliveries of 100 long-wingspan B-26C-30s (Marauder II) allowed two squadrons of the South African Air Force, 12 and 24 Squadron to be equipped, these being used for bombing missions over the Aegean Sea, Crete and Italy. The B-26 Sqdn have moved to Vance during the spring /summer of '53. 61–62 show the original tail gun position for the B-26 Marauder 1A with the single .30 caliber replaced with a single .50 caliber, and tail gun position of the B-26B which was upgraded from one .50 caliber to two .50 caliber machine guns. On July 28, 1944 at 12,500 feet on a bombing run near Grosley sur Risle, The Martin B-26 Marauder is Over 1500 reports were omitted from the 1945 listing, and we have reviewed each of the missing reports and added them to this index. [32], Following Operation Torch, (the Allied invasion of North Africa), the Free French Air Force re-equipped three squadrons with Marauders for medium-bombing operations in Italy and the Allied invasion of southern France. The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (an increase of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger vertical stabilizer and rudder). B-26 Marauder and its crew, 1944 @historylvrsclub. said to have been one of the most controversial combat aircraft of the It is said that they were caused by improper weight distribution, but that is not likely to have been the only reason. One of the largest of these articles was in the May 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics.[8]. By Stephen Sherman, Aug. 2002. This weekend the 22nd BG is having their reunion; sure wish I could be there. All HTML, graphics and content At 0715 on 8 Dec 1941, less than 18 hours after the … Normandy, the "Hitch Hiker" was taken apart at the waist by a German 88mm your own Pins on Pinterest numerically the most important USAAF medium bomber in Europe, where the [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%. In the immediate post-war years, a small number of Marauders were converted as high-speed executive transports, accommodating up to fifteen passengers. There, the 38th continued the testing of the B-26, including its range and fuel efficiency. 2,155 likes. Another, after being seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, didn’t pull out of its run, and instead headed directly for Akagi's bridge. 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. After entering service with the United States Army aviation units, the aircraft quickly received the reputation of a "widowmaker" due to the early models' high accident rate during takeoffs and landings. Normal bomb load was 907kg but up to 2,631kg could be carried in the tandem bomb bays. Their torpedoes failed to hit any Japanese ships, although they did shoot down one Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and killed two seamen aboard the aircraft carrier Akagi with machine-gun fire. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Click the photograph, then click it again for the high resolution version. As pilots were trained quickly for the war, relatively inexperienced pilots entered the cockpit and the accident rate increased. A limited number of highly modified United States Air Force aircraft served in Southeast Asia until 1969. Two were shot down and the other two were so badly damaged that they were written off after the mission. In 1945, when B-26 production was halted, 5,266 had been built. Three survived, parachuting to ground. 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. Several websites offer the same information, but this list is likely more complete. [Note 2], Two bomb bays were fitted mid-fuselage, 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. [2], The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (an increase of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger vertical stabilizer and rudder). Missing Air Crew Reports Index. [5] The B-26 went from paper concept to an operational bomber in approximately two years. The B-26 and its crews. [18][22] Notably, one of them, Susie Q, after dropping its single torpedo and searching for a safer escape route, flew directly down the length of the Akagi while being fired upon by fighters and anti-aircraft fire, which had to hold their fire to avoid hitting their own flagship. Senator Harry S Truman of Missouri, the committee chairman (and future Vice President and 33rd President of the United States in 1945-1952), asked Martin why the B-26 had problems. [36] Free French B-26 groups were disbanded in June 1945. gun. See more ideas about wwii aircraft, nose art, ww2 aircraft. for a crew assignment they made me a central fire control instructor.in 1945 i was sent venlo holland because they had a new two engine bomber called an a-26 to replace the b-26 short range bomber.it had the same central fire control as the b-29 my question is anybody out there who remembers any of this.i would like to hear from them.. "Marauder: Mr Martin's Mean Machine: Part Two". "Marauder: Mr Martin's Mean Machine" Part 1. Also, seventeen Women Airforce Service Pilots were trained to demonstrate the B-26, in an attempt to "shame" male pilots into the air. Martin's design was evaluated as superior to the other proposals and was awarded a contract for 201 aircraft, to be designated B-26. The B-26C was built at the Martin plant in Omaha, Nebraska[49], Data from Quest for Performance[62] and Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[63], Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era, 1940 medium bomber aircraft by the Glenn L. Martin Company, The 5,288 serial numbers published in Mendenhall's. Jul 12, 2018 - B-26 Marauder and its crew, 1944 @historylvrsclub. 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 whenever they slowed to speeds below those stipulated in the manual, the aircraft would often stall and crash. The B-26 studs would 'jump' a B-25, with ONE ENGINE FEATHERED. This would make for a very uncomfortable ride, especially for the tail gunner. This instability is similar to "Dutch roll". "Fact sheet: Martin B-26B-10 to B-26B-55. 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's Middle River plant in Maryland (cause unknown, but engine malfunction strongly suggested) and the loss of a 38th 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). [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]. 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. The B-26 first saw combat in 1942 when the 22nd Bombardment Group was deployed to Australia. This was double the loss rate of the B-25, which also flew 70% more sorties with fewer aircraft. The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. The depicted aircraft, the "Hitch Hiker," was assigned to the 9th Air The engines were manufactured at the Ford Dearborn Engine plant in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. The B-26 was 26 crew- The Sound Of Underground..! The wings were of low aspect ratio and relatively small in area for an aircraft of its weight, giving the required high performance, but also resulting in a wing 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 Army Air Corps, until the introduction of the Boeing 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 B-26 is stated by the 9th Air Force to have had the lowest combat loss rate of any US aircraft used during the war. Letters from Maj. James F. Collins 1984–86. ", Trent, Jack. " David In fact, the B-26 performed well in the hands of a capable crew and became the backbone of Ninth Air Force’s campaign, operating from bases on the ground on the European continent. 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. Culshaw, Lemmon and Rawlings, No known nose art or nickname. Conclusion The B-26 was produced to the tune of some 4,708 to 5,288 total examples when production ceased in 1945. Mission History … Three Bombardment Groups were allocated to support the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942. operational missions of any American aircraft in the European theatre, The Squadron flew its first operational mission on 6 November 1942, being used for long range reconnaissance, mine-laying and anti-shipping strikes. [11], In 1942, aviation pioneer and company founder Glenn 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.
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