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Martin B-26 Marauder

The B-26 was ordered off the drawing board (no prototypes were built) at the same time as the B-25. With a troubled development history, it was called (among other things) the "Flying Prostitute" - with its high wing loading (51 lbs per square ft) and small wings, it was said to have had no visible means of support. Although most problems were caused by pilot unfamiliarity, there were some development problems. Eventually, the type's deficiencies were corrected and the B-26 went on to a stellar career. B-26 crews began flying combat missions in the South Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most of the aircraft were sent to England and the Mediterranean. The Marauder had the lowest loss rate of any Allied bomber, less than one-half of one percent. One B-26B, nicknamed Flak Bait, flew more missions in Europe (202) than any other Allied airplane in World War II. A small number were used by the Navy as JM-1/-2 for target tug, reconnaissance, and utility duties. Most of the B-26s were retired by 1948. It was one of several American warplanes given its official nickname by the British. Production aircraft were ordered to Australia the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked to provide additional defense. The B-26 was the only Army bomber to drop torpedoes. Because of its reputation as a "widow-maker" early in its career, Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle was ordered to go to training airfields to personally demonstrate that the B-26 could stay aloft on one engine. Late in the war, Marauders were used to attack German rocket sites, airfields, and communications centers in France and the Low Countries. One airplane was modified in order to test the tandem landing gear arrangement for the Boeing B-47 after the war.

Jirka Wagner