B-26 Marauder on display at the US Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
(Photo courtesy USAF Museum.)

History: Responding to the US Army Air Corps’ need for a high speed medium bomber, the Martin Company submitted an unusual design; a cantilever shoulder wing monoplane carrying five (later seven) crewmen. While the plane met or exceeded all performance requirements, with a wing optimized for high speed cruising, it was found to be unstable at low speeds during take-offs and landings. After a number of training accidents, modifications were made and the Marauder went on to record the lowest attrition rate of any American aircraft serving with the Air Corps' 9th Air Force in Europe, a remarkable feat considering the plane's undeserved nickname of "Widow-maker," among others (see Nicknames below.)

The B-26 carried a normal bomb load of 3,000 pounds, though another 1,000 pounds could be added when fitted with special wing hardpoints. Armament included eleven 12.7-mm machine guns in fixed, forward-firing, nose and waist mounts, and in powered dorsal- and tail-turrets. Though its service ceiling was 19,800 feet, the Marauder’s primary role was close tactical ground support. As such, it was widely used in the Pacific theater and the Mediterranean by both the USAAC and the RAF, which had acquired 522 B-26’s under Lend-Lease.

Some of the twenty variants of this aircraft included the B-26A (increased added fuel capacity, externally mounted torpedo, system revisions and heavier armament, of which 139 were built); the B-26B (bigger engines, armament revisions and better armor protection, a 6-foot increase in wing span, taller vertical tail and more armament, of which 1,883 were built); the B26-F (improved take-off performance and equipment changes, of which 300 were built); and the JM-1 (one of several designations for US Navy models of the Marauder, used mainly for training of shipboard anti-air crews and photo-reconnaissance.)

Nicknames: Widow-Maker; The Flying Coffin; B-Dash-Crash; The Flying Prostitute; The Baltimore Whore (The last two because it had no visible means of support; "Baltimore" because the Martin Company was located there.)

Specifications (B-26G):
        Engines: Two 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 Double Wasp radial piston engines.
        Weight: Empty 25,300 lbs., Max Takeoff 38,200 lbs.
        Wing Span: 71ft. 0in.
        Length: 56ft. 1in.
        Height: 20ft. 4in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 283mph
            Ceiling: 19,800 ft.
            Range: 1,100 miles
        Armament:
            11 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) machine guns
            Up to 4,000 pounds of bombs

Number Built: 5,157

Number Still Airworthy: One, with at least one more undergoing restoration to flying condition.

Links:
B-26.com
B26Marauder.com
B-26 Marauder Film Clip Archive
B-26 Marauder Historical Society
Bill's B-26 Marauder Page
Fantasy of Flight Museum -- B-26 page -- Information about the only airworthy B-26.
Light and Medium Bombers of WWII -- Discussion groups, research information, etc.
MAPS Air Museum, N. Canton, Ohio, USA:  B-26 restoration
Marauder Restored (Ser.No. 44-68219)

 

B-26 Marauder Books from Amazon.com:

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