B-26 Marauder

Martin B-26 Marauder
Martin B-26 Marauder
Description
Rôle	Medium bomber
Crew	7
First Flight	1940 November 25
Entered Service	1941 February
Manufacturer	Glenn L. Martin Company
Dimensions
Length	56 ft 1 in	17.1 m
Wingspan	71ft	21.6m
Height	20 ft 4 in	6.2 m
Wing area	613 ft²	57 m²
Weights
Empty	24,000 lb	10,886 kg
Loaded	28,000 lb	12,700 kg
Maximum takeoff	38,200 lb	17,327 kg
Powerplant
Engines	Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 ‘Double Wasp’ radials (2)
Power	2,000 hp	1492 kW
Performance
Maximum speed	283 mph	455 km/h
Cruise speed	216 mph	348 km/h
Combat range	1,100 miles	1770 km
Ferry range	2,000 miles	3218 km
Service ceiling	19,800 ft	6035 m
Rate of climb	ft/min	m/min
Wing loading	45.7 lb/ft²	222.8 kg/m²
Power/Mass	.143 hp/lb	.235 kW/kg
Armament
Guns	.50-calibre machine guns (11)
Normal bombload	4,000 lb	1814 kg
Maximum bombload	5,200 lb	2359 kg

The B-26 Marauder was a twin-engine medium bomber of the Second World War. 5,157 were produced between 1941 February and 1945 March; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. It was used in both the European and Pacific Theatres.

Development

In 1939, the United States Army Air Corps issued a specification for a twin-engined medium bomber, Circular Proposal 39-640. Six months later, Glenn L. Martin Company presented a design to the Air Corps. This design, Martin Model 179, was accepted for production before a prototype even flew, due to the desperate need for medium bombers following the intensification of the war in Europe.

Once the first aircraft came off the production line in November 1940, Martin conducted tests, the results of which were promising. Soon after, it was turned over to the Army Air Corps to be service tested. It went from paper concept to working plane in less than two years.

While the B-26 was a fast plane with better performance than the contemporary B-25 Mitchell, its relatively small wing area and resulting high wing loading (the highest of any aircraft used at that time) led to tricky high-speed landings and long takeoff runs, and difficult handling. Because this situation led to a high number of accidents, the B-26 was nicknamed the "Widow Maker" by its pilots. The toll eventually led to a halt production while a commission of inquiry (led by then-Senator Harry Truman) was appointed to look into the problem.

The resulting aircraft, the B-26B, had a 6 ft (1.8 m) increase in wingspan, and other changes, some of which reduced the aircraft’s speed. The safety of the B-26B was an immense improvement: it had the lowest attrition rate of any aircraft used by the 9th Air Force. Nevertheless, it remained a challenging plane to fly and continued to be unpopular with crews throughout its life.

Like the B-25, the B-26 had been designed for medium-altitude bombing, but the war brought medium bombers down to treetop level, and later versions of the B-26 were equipped with a side-mounted battery of forward-firing machine guns for strafing ground targets.

The B-26 was phased out of Army Air Force service before the end of the war. Their last mission was flown in 1945 May. With the exception of a few that were turned over to France and one that was shipped back to Martin, all were were scrapped.

Units Using the B-26

United States Army Air Corps/Army Air Force

• 17th Bomb Group
• 22nd Bomb Group
• 386th Bomb Group

Royal Air Force

South African Air Force

Variants and Design Stages

• B-26 (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-15.htm)—The first produced model of the B-26, ordered based upon design alone. Flight testing was done on the first few aircraft for about three months after delivery. The armament on this model consisted of two .30-calibre and two .50-calibre machine guns; the last model was armed with nearly three times that number. Due to a relatively small wing, the B-26 was difficult to handle at landing speeds. (×201)
• B-26A (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-16.htm)—Incorporated changes made on the production line to the B-26, including upgrading the two .30-calibre machine guns in the nose and tail to .50-calibre. 52 B-26As were sent to the Britain, which were used as the ‘Marauder I’. (×139)
• B-26B (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-17.htm)—A model with further improvements on the B-26A. 19 were sent to Britain, which were used as the ‘Marauder IA’. Production blocks of the 1883 planes built:
  • B-26B—Single tail gun replaced with twin gun; belly-mounted ‘tunnel-gun’ added. (×81)
  • B-26B-1—Improved B-26B. (×225)
  • B-26B-2—Pratt & Whitney R-2600-39 radials replaced with Pratt &Whitney R-2600-41 radials. (×96)
  • B-26B-3—Larger carburetor intakes; upgrade to R-2600-43 radials. (×28)
  • B-26B-4—Improved B-26B-3. (×211)
  • B-26B-10 through B-26B-55—Beginning with block 10, the wingspan was increased from 65 ft to 71 ft (19.8 m to 21.6 m), to improve handling problems during landing caused by a high wing load; flaps were added outboard of the engine nacelles for this purpose also. The vertical stabiliser was heightened from 19 ft 10 in to 21 ft 6 in (6 m to 6.6 m). The armament was increased from six to twelve .50-calibre 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. Armour was added to protect the pilot and copilot. (×1242)
• B-26C (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-19.htm)—B-26C was the designation assigned to those B-26Bs that were built in Omaha, Nebraska instead of Baltimore, Maryland. 123 B-26Cs were used by the RAF as the ‘Marauder II’. (×1210)
  • TB-26C—Originally designated AT-23B. Trainer modification of B-26C. (×>300)
• XB-26D (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-20.htm)— Modified B-26 used to test hot air de-icing 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. (×1, converted)
• B-26E (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-21.htm)—Modified B-26B constructed to test the effectiveness of moving the dorsal gun turret from the aft fuselage to just behind the cockpit. The offencive and defencive abilities of the B-26E was tested against in combat simulations against normal aircraft. Although test showed that gains were made with the new arrangement, the gain was insiginificant. After a cost analysis, it was conlcuded that the effort needed to convert production lines to the B-26E arrangement was not worth the effort. (×1, converted)
• B-26F (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-22.htm)—Angle of incidence of wings increased by 3.5º; fixed .50-calibre machine gun in nose removed; tail turret and armour around the turret improved. 200 of the 300 planes were used by the RAF as the Marauder III. (×300)
• B-26G (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-23.htm)—B-26F with standardised interior equipment. 150 planes used by the RAF as the Marauder III. (×893)
  • TB-26G—B-26G converted for crew training. Most, possibly all, were delivered to the United States Navy as the JM-2. (×57)
• XB-26H (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/fta0898.htm)—Test aircraft for tandem landing gear, to see if it could be used on the Martin XB-48. (×1, converted)

References and External Links

• B-26 Crews Memorial Page (http://www.b26.com/page/martin_b26_marauder.htm)
• Directory of B-26 Variants (http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pettypi/elevon/baugher_us/b026i.html)
• USAF Museum (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b3-15.htm)
• Warbird Alley (http://www.warbirdalley.com/b26.htm)

de:Martin B-26 fr:Martin B-26 Marauder