Martin B-26 Marauder


The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in the Pacific Theater of World War II in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in the European [Theater of Operations, United States Army|European Theater] from bases in England and, following D-Day, on the European continent providing tactical support to advancing Allied troops.
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. This was because the Marauder had to be flown at precise airspeeds, particularly on final runway approach or when one engine was out. The unusually high 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.
The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were retrained, and after aerodynamics modifications. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any U.S. Army Air Forces bomber.
In total, 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created as an independent military service separate from the United States Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from U.S. service. After the Marauder was retired, the unrelated ground attack aircraft Douglas A-26 Invader assumed the "B-26" designation, which led to confusion between the two aircraft.

Design and development

In March 1939, the United States Army Air Corps issued Circular Proposal 39-640, a specification for a twin-engined medium bomber with a maximum speed of, a range of, and a bomb load of. 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. 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-26 went from paper concept to an operational bomber in roughly two years. Additional orders for a further 930 B-26s followed in September 1940, still prior to the first flight of the type.
The B-26 was a shoulder-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, fitted with a tricycle landing gear. It had a streamlined, circular-section fuselage housing the crew, consisting of a bombardier in the nose, armed with a 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 machine guns, and an additional machine gun was fitted in the tail.
Two bomb bays were fitted midfuselage, capable of carrying 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 two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines in nacelles slung under the wing, driving four-bladed propellers. The engines were manufactured at the Ford Dearborn Engine plant in Dearborn, Michigan. 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 for the initial versions, which at the time was the highest of any aircraft accepted for service by the USAAC, until the introduction of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, with the then-astonishing wing loading of .
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. In March 1941, the USAAC started accelerated service testing of the B-26 at Patterson Field, near Dayton, Ohio.

Accidents

The B-26's relatively small wing area and resulting high wing loading required a high landing speed of 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 to investigate the landing difficulties. Two causes were found: insufficient landing speed 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 electric pitch-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 the 22nd 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's Middle River plant in Maryland and the loss of a 38th Bombardment Group B-26 when its vertical stabilizer and rudder separated from the aircraft at altitude.
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, and 42nd 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 Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, who flew demonstration flights at MacDill Army Air Field, which featured takeoffs and landings with only one engine. Also, 17 Women Airforce Service Pilots were trained to demonstrate the B-26, in an attempt to "shame" male pilots into the air.
In 1942, aviation pioneer and company founder Glenn L. Martin was called before the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program,, which was investigating defense contracting abuses. Senator Harry S Truman of Missouri, the committee chairman, 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.
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". Apart from accidents occurring over land, 13 Marauders ditched in Tampa Bay in the 14 months between 5 August 1942 and 8 October 1943.
B-26 crews gave the aircraft the nickname "Widowmaker". Other colorful nicknames included "Martin Murderer", "Flying Coffin", "B-Dash-Crash", "Flying Prostitute" and "Baltimore Whore".
According to an article in the April 2009 edition of AOPA 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 the 9th 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 of Popular Mechanics.

Operational history

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. 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 World War II, it had flown more than 110,000 sorties, dropped 150,000 tons 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.

Pacific Theater

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. Immediately following the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 22nd BG was deployed to the South West Pacific, first by ship to Hawaii, then its air echelon flew the planes to Australia. The 22nd BG flew its first combat mission, an attack on Rabaul, which required an intermediate stop at Port Moresby, New Guinea, on 5 April 1942.
A second group, the 38th, 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 carrying aerial torpedoes. Three 38th BG B-26Bs 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. 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 one Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and killed two seamen aboard the aircraft carrier Akagi with machine-gun fire. 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 the Akagi, braving antiaircraft 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 at Akagis bridge. Either attempting a suicide ramming, or out of control, the plane narrowly missed striking the carrier's bridge, and crashed into the ocean.
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 a Kawanishi H6K flying boat. In 1943, the B-26 was decided to be phased out of operations in the South West Pacific Theater in favor of the North 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.
Two more squadrons of torpedo-armed B-26s equipped the 28th Composite Group and were used for antishipping operations in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, but no records of any successful torpedo attack by a USAAF B-26 have been found.
Comedian George Gobel famously joked about being an instructor for this aircraft at Frederick Army Airfield during the Pacific battles, boasting, "not one Japanese aircraft got past Tulsa".

Mediterranean Theater

Three bombardment groups were allocated to support the Allied 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 the North 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. Despite this, the B-26 continued in service with the Twelfth Air Force, supporting the Allied advance through Sicily, Italy, and southern France. 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." 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.

Northwest Europe

The B-26 entered service with the Eighth Air Force in England in early 1943, with the 322nd 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 at IJmuiden, the Netherlands, resulted in the loss of the entire attacking force of 10 B-26s to antiaircraft fire and Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters. 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.
Bombing from medium altitudes of 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. 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. 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%. On 9 August 1944, Captain Darrell R. Lindsey of the 394th Bombardment Group led a formation of B-26 bombers to destroy the L'Isle Adam bridge in German-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 the Medal of Honor for his heroism.
The B-26 flew its last combat missions against the German garrison at the Île d'Oléron on 1 May 1945, with the last units disbanding in early 1946.

British Commonwealth

In 1942, a batch of 52 B-26A Marauders were offered to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease. Like the earlier Martin Maryland and Baltimore, these aircraft were sent to the Mediterranean, replacing the Bristol Blenheims of 14 Squadron RAF|14 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. 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.
In 1943, deliveries of 100 long-wingspan B-26C-30s allowed two squadrons of the South African Air Force, 12 Squadron and 24 Squadron to be equipped, these being used for bombing missions over the Aegean Sea, Crete, and Italy. A further 350 B-26Fs and Gs were supplied in 1944, with two more South African squadrons joining No 12 and 24 in Italy to form an all-Marauder equipped wing, while one further SAAF squadron and the new RAF 39 Squadron, re-equipped with Marauders as part of the Balkan Air Force supporting Tito's Partisans in Yugoslavia. 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. 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.

France

Following Operation Torch,, the Free French Air Force re-equipped three squadrons with Marauders for medium-bombing operations in Italy and the Allied invasion of southern France. These B-26s replaced Lioré et Olivier LeO 451s and Douglas DB-7s. Toward the end of the war, seven of the nine French Groupes de Bombardement used the Marauder, taking part in 270 missions with 4,884 aircraft sorties in combat. Free French B-26 groups were disbanded in June 1945. Replaced in squadron service by 1947, two lingered on as testbeds for the Snecma Atar jet engine, one of these remaining in use until 1958.

Corporate operations

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. 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 served United Airlines before being sold to Mexico. It was purchased by the Confederate Air Force and restored to wartime markings for air-display purposes before being lost in a fatal crash in 1995.

Variants

B-26 — The first 201 planes were ordered based upon design alone. Prototypes were not characterized with the usual "X" or "Y" designations. They had Pratt & Whitney R-2800-5 engines. Armament consisted of two.30 caliber and two.50 caliber machine guns. The approximate cost then was $80,226.80 per aircraft.B-26A — This incorporated changes made on the production line to the B-26, including upgrading the two.30 caliber machine guns in the nose and tail to.50 caliber. In total, 52 B-26As were delivered to the Royal Air Force, which were used as the Marauder Mk I. The approximate cost then was $102,659.33 per aircraft.B-26B — This model had further improvements on the B-26A, including revised tail gunner's glazing. Nineteen were delivered to the Royal Air Force as the Marauder Mk.IA. Production blocks of the 1,883 aircraft built:
  • * AT-23A or TB-26B—208 B-26Bs converted into target tugs and gunnery trainers designated JM-1 by the US Navy
  • * B-26B—Single tail gun replaced with twin guns; belly-mounted "tunnel gun" added
  • * B-26B-1—Improved B-26B.
  • * B-26B-2—Pratt & Whitney R-2800-41 radials
  • * B-26B-3—Larger carburetor intakes; upgrade to R-2800-43 radials
  • * B-26B-4—Improved B-26B-3
  • * B-26B-10 through B-26B-55 — Beginning with block 10, the wingspan was increased from and flaps were added outboard of the engine nacelle to improve handling problems during landing caused by high wing loads. The vertical stabilizer height was increased from to. Armament was increased from six to twelve.50 caliber machine guns; this was done in the forward section so that the B-26 could perform strafing missions. The tail gun was upgraded from manual to power operated. Armor was added to protect the pilot and copilot; 1,242 were built.
  • * CB-26B—12 B-26Bs were converted into transport aircraft.B-26C—This designation was assigned to those B-26Bs built in Omaha, Nebraska, instead of Baltimore, Maryland. Although nominally the B-26B-10 was the first variant to receive the longer wing, it was actually installed on B-26Cs before the B-26B-10, both being in production simultaneously. A total of 123 B-26Cs was used by the RAF and SAAF as the Marauder Mk II. The approximate cost then was $138,551.27 per aircraft.
  • * TB-26C—Originally designated as AT-23B; this was a trainer modification of the B-26C.XB-26D—This modified B-26 was used to test hot-air deicing equipment, in which heat exchangers transferred heat from engine exhaust to air circulated to the leading and trailing edges of the wing and empennage surfaces. This system, while promising, was not incorporated into any production aircraft made during World War II. B-26E—This modified B-26B was constructed to test the effectiveness of moving the dorsal gun turret from the aft fuselage to just behind the cockpit. The offensive and defensive abilities of the B-26E were tested in combat simulations against normal aircraft. Although the tests showed that gains were made with the new arrangement, they were insignificant. A cost analysis concluded that the benefit did not justify the effort needed to convert production lines for the new turret position.B-26F—Angle-of-incidence of wings was increased by 3.5º; the fixed.50 caliber machine gun in the nose was removed; the tail turret and associated armor were improved. The first B-26F was produced in February 1944. One hundred of these were B-26F-1-MAs. Starting with 42-96231, a revised oil cooler was added, along with wing bottom panels redesigned for easier removal. In total, 200 of the 300 aircraft were B-26F-2s and F-6s, all of which were used by the RAF and SAAF as the Marauder Mk III. The F-2 had the Bell M-6 power turret replaced by an M-6A with a flexible canvas cover over the guns. The T-1 bombsight was installed instead of the M-series sight. British bomb fusing and radio equipment were provided.B-26G—This was a B-26F with standardized interior equipment. In total, 150 bombers were used by the RAF as the Marauder Mk III.
  • * TB-26G—B-26G converted for crew training. Most, possibly all, were delivered to the US Navy as the JM-2.XB-26H—This test aircraft for tandem landing gear was nicknamed the "Middle River Stump Jumper" from its "bicycle" gear configuration, to see if it could be used on the Martin XB-48. JM-1P—A small number of JM-1s were converted into photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the US Navy.
;Marauder I
;Marauder IA
;Marauder II
;Marauder III
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.

Operators

Surviving aircraft

France

;B-26G

United States

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;On display
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;Under restoration
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