One of the largest of these articles was in the May 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics.[8]. [7], 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. Launched from Garbutt Field, Australia the B26's staged through 7 mile drome near Port Moresby, New Guinea to strike the Japanese base at Rabaul, New Britain. 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. Several websites offer the same information, but this list is likely more complete. A total of 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. Normandy, the "Hitch Hiker" was taken apart at the waist by a German 88mm [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. Delivered to the U. S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-26 Marauder serial number 40-1478. [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. DECEMBER 1944. All HTML, graphics and content There, the 38th continued the testing of the B-26, including its range and fuel efficiency. After World War II, it served as a first-line bomber during the Korean War and during the Vietnam War. 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. 2. As pilots were trained quickly for the war, relatively inexperienced pilots entered the cockpit and the accident rate increased. [23], From approximately June 1942, B-26 squadrons of the 38th BG were based in New Caledonia and Fiji. 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. In 1945, when B-26 production was halted, 5,266 had been built. The Squadron flew its first operational mission on 6 November 1942, being used for long range reconnaissance, mine-laying and anti-shipping strikes. He was using a Speed Graphic 4×5 camera. Despite its poor reputation with many pilots, experienced aircrews found the B-26 to be a highly effective aircraft that offered a superb degree of crew survivability. Eckert unless otherwise 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). It served United Airlines before being sold to Mexico. [7] In March 1941, the Army Air Corps started Accelerated Service Testing of the B-26 at Patterson Field, near Dayton, Ohio. 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. More challenging was a loss of power in one engine during takeoff. The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. 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. The B-26 Marauder was used mostly in Europe, but also saw action in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. [36] 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. [18], Two more squadrons of torpedo armed B-26s equipped the 28th Composite Group and were used for anti-shipping operations in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, but there are no records of any successful torpedo attack by a USAAF B-26. Douglas started the A-26 in 1941 to follow the A-20/DB-7 Havoc bomber. Frank Mangini, a good friend with the B-26 Sqdn, in the Admin section got 'my silver dollar' for my first salute - and - then he and I got some 'serious pay back'!! [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. Operations were similar to those flown in North Africa with B-26s flying at low level and were unsuccessful. [3] The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber.[4]. 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. . "The Martin Model 179 Marauder". 'Fat-Bottomed Girls': The Martin B-26 Marauder. The Martin B-26 Marauder is a twin-engined medium bomber produced by the US-American manufacturer Glenn L. Martin ... the US Navy, the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. [35] These B-26s replaced Lioré et Olivier LeO 451s and Douglas DB-7s. 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. Three survived, parachuting to ground. B-26 Crew Mad Russian Nose Art 386th Bomb Group 9th Air Force January 1944 Site statistics: Photos of World War II: over 26800 aircraft: 63 models tanks: 59 models vehicles: 59 models guns: 3 models units: 2 ships: 47 WW2 battlefields - 12 weapon models: - equipment: - people: - books in reference section: over 500 World War Photos 2013-2020, contact: info(at)worldwarphotos.info. [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. 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. 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. "Martin B-26 Marauder with Free French Air Force". Martin responded that the wings were too short. By the end of the North African Campaign, the three B-26 groups had flown 1,587 sorties, losing 80 aircraft. 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, "educating" and defending the so-called flying/accident record of the B-26 against "slanders". The North American B-25 Mitchell is a medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. “Real accident rates were far lower than the B-26’s reputation suggested. Rare photos on pp. This was disproved by several experienced pilots, including Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, who flew demonstration flights at MacDill Army Air Field, which featured take offs and landings with only one engine. On July 28, 1944 at 12,500 feet on a bombing run near Grosley sur Risle, aircraft was mainly used. This B-26 Marauder Crew image was captured by a WWII AAF Photographer, who I’ll be featuring on this sight very soon. Called the "Widow Maker" because of a high accident rate 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.. Wartime History Assigned to the 11th Air Force, 28th Bombardment Group, 73rd Bombardment Squadron based at Elmendorf Field. A limited number of highly modified United States Air Force aircraft served in Southeast Asia until 1969. "Fact sheet: Martin B-26B-10 to B-26B-55. flown out of Matching Green AB, England, beginning in February, The B26's had to stage through 7 mile drome to top off the gas tanks to enable them to reach Rabaul and then fly back to Port Moresby. Nowicki, Jacek and Andre R. Zbiegniewski. 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. [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. B-26 Nose Art photos of B-26 bombers Lil Lass, Uncle John, Red Light Rose. 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. [34] 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. the other "Marauder Men" of WW II. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines in nacelles slung under the wing, driving four-bladed propellers. [6] Additional orders for a further 930 B-26s followed in September 1940, still prior to the first flight of the type. ", "Quest for performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft. [5] The B-26 went from paper concept to an operational bomber in approximately two years. 2,155 likes. 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. That gave it a long take-off run and a fast landing speed. T he fourth set of nose art photos was provided by the niece of John Netherland, an engineer who worked on the roads and runways in Germany and France. The latter was due to the lack of a dorsal turret; the Martin power turret was not yet ready. 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. For the younger photogs among us, that means manual settings, photographic plates, and big camera. in action. This list of Missing Air Crew Reports was compiled mostly from an index created by the Army Air Forces in late 1945. Due to its sound and the possibility that the propeller blades could disintegrate, this situation was particularly frightening for aircrews. The depicted aircraft, the "Hitch Hiker," was assigned to the 9th Air Force's 391st Bomb Group, 573rd Bomb Squadron for medium bomber missions flown out of Matching Green AB, England, beginning in February, 1944.Photos below show the crew and aircraft. At 0715 on 8 Dec 1941, less than 18 hours after the … This flight simulation panel and plane are dedicated to them and to all of For a time in 1942, pilots in training believed that the B-26 could not be flown on one engine. Culshaw, Lemmon and Rawlings, 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. 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 specifications of the individual conversions differed considerably. [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.