Martin B-26 Marauder

Martin B-26 Marauder History

The Martin B-26 Marauder overcame a rocky start to become one of the best medium bombers of WWII. The plane was designed for speed from the start, so this approach created some problems. The Predator had an impressive service record and disappeared from service almost immediately upon arrival.

Nonetheless, in the hands of a trained pilot, the B-26 proved to be a capable aircraft - given the amount of knowledge required to keep a bird in need in the air, a trained pilot would be required to do so Keep flying this type of aircraft to the max.

Development

In January 1939, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) issued a new requirement for a long-range light to medium bomber of comparable speed and capable of mounting a gun of at least 3,000 pounds. The Glen L. Martin Company entered the competition with their B-26 Marauder (then known as the Glen L. Martin "Model 179", detailed elsewhere on this site) and successfully received 201 initial B-26s order, but not a single prototype, let alone a pre-production aircraft for evaluation. The severely deteriorating situation in Europe and the Pacific called for rapid production of this design, so the B-26 was brought to the assembly line in a very short time (only two years from paper to working model).

Within 12 months, the first B-26 was ready and flew for the first time on November 25, 1940, while 1,131 B-26A and B-26B variants had been delivered.

The design of the B-26 was driven by the simple factor of sheer speed. This was achieved by choosing a sizable, powerful engine combined with a small wing area with high wing loads. This resulted in the airframe exceeding USAAC requirements, even by some, but the takeoff and landing speeds of the aircraft were very fast, and handling was generally poor at lower speeds. In fact, the landing speed was between 120 and 135 mph, greatly increasing the likelihood of airframe damage or crew casualties. Speed ??became such an important issue that the plane soon earned the nickname "The Widowmaker" for at least one speed-related accident.

So special military agencies met to decide the fate of the entire Marauder project, grounding the plane in April 1941 and making some modifications to keep the model flying. This resulted in an increase in the wing area of ??the B-26 and a redesign of the taller vertical tail.

In addition, the Martin-built powered back turret still had to be installed on earlier models, causing an unbalanced airframe weight and increasing the aircraft's instability at low speeds (actually causing a stall on arrival).

The Marauder airframe was also designed as a new crew trainer in the form of 57 TB-26Gs. Like the TB-26C trainer lent to USN, the TB-26G was lent as a 47 JM-2.

The Marauders were also loaned to the British (as Marauders Mk I, Mk IA, Mk II and Mk III), while others went into the Free French Army and South African Air Force stockpiles.

Design

The B-26 is known for its tubular, round fuselage, earning it the nickname "flying torpedo" in the media. The pilot and co-pilot are located in the cockpit with forward, side and overhead windows. The engines are easy to track due to their forward position on the wings. The nose assembly also includes a glazing location for a crew member to act as a bombardier.

Other positions included a dorsal turret gunner, which was kept close to the vertical tail. The rear gunner occupied the rearmost position. Some Marauders are equipped with a ventral weapons station, while others have weapon mounts visible behind and below the cockpit on the side of the fuselage. The wings are shoulder-mounted monoplanes that contain nacelles for each engine. The cabin extends beyond the leading edge and to a point on the trailing edge, contributing to the type's sleek look.

The tail is equipped with a circular vertical tail and a high circular horizontal plane. The Landing Gear is a unique type of tricycle with a main landing gear and nose wheels - unlike traditional main landing gear and tail wheels.

All in all, the Predator appears to be an impressive design, and it only took years of war to get the machine through its paces.

Armed

Typical armament of the Marauder consisted of well-placed defensive machine gun positions throughout the hull. No less than 12 .50 caliber heavy machine guns can protect the aircraft from nose to tail. The rear mounted turret houses a pair of .50 caliber machine guns, as does the tail gun position - the former position probably provides the best view of what's going on above, while the latter is tasked with the very important task of countering a stern attack By. A ventral gun position was found on some models - suitable for .30 or .50 caliber machine guns, while this has traditionally been replaced by double barrel gun positions located on either side of the forward lower hull, a move that would bring the total number of weapons to 12, and allowed lethal strafing. Bow gun positions are also common and can be used for .30 or .50 caliber machine guns as needed.

Inside, the Marauder can carry guns in excess of 4,000 to 5,000 pounds, in the form of dropped bombs or conventional strike sorties, or a single torpedo for anti-ship missions.

Cockpit

The cockpit has a functional appearance - sparse compared to other American bombers - consisting of all necessary controls and displays, neatly laid out. The pilot sits in an armored position with access to all controls, while the dashboard is about three-quarters the width of the cockpit and ends about the co-pilot's left knee.

As expected, there are steering columns in front of both pilot positions. The center console keeps the throttle, propeller and hybrid controls within easy reach of the pilot and co-pilot. The landing gear and flap controls are located at the rear of the console.

Operational Services

The 22nd Bomb Group was the first United States Air Force group to receive B-26s at Langley Field in February 1941. The first group consisted of the B-26 and B-26A models.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' official declaration of war on the Empire, the 22nd Regiment was the only group with a stockpile of B-26s and, as expected, served in the Southwest Pacific. The 22nd BG arrived in Brisbane, Australia after a brief stop in Mulroc, California, where it became part of the US Fifth Air Force and was soon commissioned to attack Japanese targets starting from Rabaul on April 5, 1942. Other attacks followed, with one four B-26As taking part in the Battle of Midway, inflicting offensive hits on enemy ships with torpedo attacks. As useful as it was, the North American B-25 Mitchell (a similar twin-engine medium bomber) was more successful than the B-26 and thus served more in theaters.

By May 1942, the 22nd BG was finally upgraded to the B-26B model. These improved marauders allowed continued use of the type, even including operations along the Aleutian Islands chain in 1942.

During its first year of service, the B-26 was generally limited to the Pacific, but it was eventually expanded and used to better effect in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Marauders were enraged during Operation Torch landings in North Africa. In this operation, the Marauder proved his worth by flying with members of the 12th Air Force Bomber Group.

RAF Middle East Command's B-26s in North Africa are known as the Predator Mk I (B-26A), Predator Mk IA (B-26B), Predator Mk II (B-26C/B-26F) and Predator Mk II (B-26C/B-26F) Mk III (B-26G). The RAF deployed no more than two full Marauder squadrons (14th and 39th) and received a consignment of 52 Mk I and Mk IA models, while the total number of Mk II and Mk III models exceeded 250 or 150 .

U.S. B-26 troops arrive in England in March 1943. While initially ineffective in low-altitude bombing, the genre found new life in mid-to-high-altitude air raids. In one such example, the entire 322nd Bomb Group was destroyed by ground and aircraft low-altitude fire during an attempted attack on Ijmuiden, forcing Allied war planners to change their approach when using the mighty B-26.

With the introduction of high-altitude bombing technology, the B-26 was repositioned as the tried and trusted mainstay of Allied bombing operations for the remainder of the war in Europe, although the type began to be phased out in 1945.

In the end, the B-26 proved to be a suitable addition to the Allied Air Force's arsenal and had an impeccable service record. The B-26 continued to have the lowest combat loss rate of any U.S. aircraft in the conflict, thanks to its excellent design, but more so because of its crew of 110,000 sorties.

Conclusion

When production ceased in 1945, the number of B-26s produced was approximately 4,708 to 5,288. Despite its crude origins, the Marauder was otherwise an excellent medium bomber, comparable to the North American B-25 Mitchell bomber in the Pacific. There is no denying that the B-26 is fast and well equipped to carry an excellent bomb load for this type of aircraft.

The Marauders and their fighters played a limited role in the Pacific, but their presence on volatile fronts in Europe and North Africa more than made up for them as one of America's premier warbirds in conflict.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes