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Martin B-26B Marauder
The B-26B was the main production version of the Marauder, a streamlined, all-metal, twin-engine medium bomber. Its wing spans 71 ft (21.6 m), and the maintenance manual's drawing gives an overall length of 697.9 inches (17.7 m) and a tail height of 258.1 inches (6.6 m). Two Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial engines drove it, 1,920 hp each by Pima's count. Its loaded weight was 37,000 pounds. The Air Force museum's B-26G sheet lists a top speed of 285 mph, a range of 1,100 miles and a ceiling of 19,800 ft. The photo shows a B-26B of the 599th Bomb Squadron, 397th Bomb Group, in 1944.
- Engines
- Two piston engines on the wings: Pratt and Whitney R-2800
- Max takeoff weight
- 37,000 lb (16,783 kg)
Photos from members
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Specifications
| Length | 58 ft 2 in (17.73 m) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 71 ft 0 in (21.64 m) |
| Height | 21 ft 6 in (6.56 m) |
| First flight | November 25, 1940 |
| Status | Retired in 1947 |
| Type codes | ICAO B26M |
Who flew it
- US Army Air Forces
- British, Free French, Australian, South African and Canadian aircrews (combat use)
Service branches, from the services' own fact sheets. No flight data is shown for military aircraft.
History
The Marauder first flew on November 25, 1940, and the Air Corps ordered 1,131 in September 1940. It began combat missions in the Southwest Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most went to Europe and the Mediterranean. On June 4, 1942, Marauders defending Midway attacked Japanese carriers with torpedoes and scored no hits. Eighth Air Force B-26s flew the first bombing mission against German forces in Europe on May 14, 1943, and that October the Eighth's Marauders passed to the Ninth Air Force. Bombing from 10,000 to 15,000 feet, the Marauder had the lowest loss rate of any Allied bomber, under half of one percent. By the end of the war crews had flown more than 110,000 sorties and dropped 150,000 tons of bombs. American, British, Free French, Australian, South African and Canadian aircrews flew it in combat. Wikipedia says all B-26s were out of US service by 1947.
Last operators
- US Army Air Forces (Ninth Air Force)
Sources
- National Museum of the US Air Force, Martin B-26G Marauder fact sheet
- National Museum of the US Air Force, Douglas B-26C (A-26C) Invader fact sheet (A-26 redesignated B-26 in 1948)
- National Air and Space Museum, Martin B-26 Marauder (Flak Bait history)
- Pima Air and Space Museum, Martin B-26B Marauder
- Erection and Maintenance Instructions for Airplanes: Army Models B-26B-1, B-26C, B-26F and B-26G, AN 01-35E-2, 1945, page 7 (dimensions in the drawing)