(Martin) B-26 Marauder @·AIRCRAFTUBE

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Martin B-26 Marauder

The first medium bomber in the Pacific theater and Aleutian Islands in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and the European Theater of Operations. The plane distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to an US Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946, and later variants maintained the lowest loss record of any combat aircraft during World War II. Its late-war loss record stands in sharp contrast to its unofficial nickname "The Widowmaker" - earned due to early models' high rate of accidental crashes during takeoff.

A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force.

Design and 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 US Army Air Corps. Peyton M. Magruder led the design team for this aircraft after Martin won the contract. 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 World War II in Europe.

Once the first aircraft came off the production line in November 1940, Martin conducted tests, the results of which were promising. The first B-26, with Martin test pilot William K. "Ken" Ebel at the controls, flew on 25 November 1940 and was effectively the prototype. 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 (approach at 140 mph (225 km/h) and stall at 130 mph (210 km/h) indicated airspeed). The R-2800 engines were reliable, but the electric pitch change mechanism in the propellers required impeccable maintenance and was prone to failure. Failure of the mechanism placed the propeller blades in flat pitch with instant total loss of power. Due to the rotund fuselage, the B-26 engines were placed far outboard, and loss of power on one side resulted in a violent snap roll flipping the aircraft on its back. This led to a high number of accidents during takeoff, thus earning B-26 the nickname "Widowmaker" by its pilots. Other colorful nicknames included "Martin Murderer," "The Flying Coffin," "B-Dash-Crash," "The Flying Prostitute," (because it had no visible means of support, referring to the small wings), and "The Baltimore Whore" (a reference to the city where Martin was based).

The toll eventually led to a halt in production. During this time a commission of inquiry (led by then-Senator Harry Truman) was appointed to look into the problem. When Truman and the other commission members arrived at the Avon Park Bombing Range, they were greeted by the still-burning wreckage of two crashed Marauders. Indeed, the regularity of crashes by pilots training at MacDill Field - up to fifteen in one thirty day period - led to the only mildly exaggerated catchphrase, "One a day in Tampa Bay."

The resulting aircraft (designated B-26B) had a 6 ft (1.8 m) increase in wingspan, and other changes, some of which reduced the aircraft's speed. The newer version had reduced landing and stall speeds. The safety of the B-26B was an immense improvement: it had the lowest attrition rate of any aircraft used during the war. Nevertheless, it remained a challenging plane to fly and continued to be unpopular with potential crews throughout its life.

Operational Service

During World II, B-26 crews began flying combat missions in the South Pacific in spring 1942, but most of the aircraft were sent to England and the Mediterranean. The 22nd Bomb Group (Red Raiders) 5th Army Air Force was originally based in northern Australia to protect the aircraft from Japanese fighter attack but often staged its flights out of Port Moresby, New Guinea. On 9 June 1942, Lt. Cmdr. Lyndon B. Johnson flew on a bombing mission departing for Lae, New Guinea. Johnson's B-26 developed engine trouble and was forced to return to base.

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 low-level bombing of Utah Beach by the Marauders during the Normandy Invasion contributed to the low casualties among the American assault force.

The B-26 was phased out of Army Air Force service before the end of the war. Their last mission was flown in May 1945.

According to an article in the April edition of AOPA Pilot on Kermit Weeks's "Fantasy of Flight", the Marauder had a tendency to "hunt" in yaw. This instability is similar to "Dutch roll". This would make for a very uncomfortable ride, especially for the tail gunner.

Variants

  • B-26: 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. Approximate then cost: $80,226.80 per plane (201 built).
  • B-26A: Incorporated changes made on the production line to the B-26, including upgrading the two.30 calibre (7.62 mm) machine guns in the nose and tail to.50 calibre (12.7 mm). A total of 52 B-26As were sent to the Britain, which were used as the Marauder Mk.I. Approximate cost then: $102,659.33/aircraft (139 built).
  • B-26B: A model with further improvements on the B-26A. 19 were sent to Britain, which were used as the Marauder Mk.IA. Production blocks of the 1883 planes built:
  • AT-23A or TB-26B-208: B-26Bs converted into target tugs and gunnery trainers designated JM-1 by the Navy.
  • B-26B: Single tail gun replaced with twin gun; belly-mounted "tunnel-gun" added. (81 built).
  • B-26B-1: Improved B-26B. (225 built).
  • B-26B-2: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-39 radials replaced with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-41 radials. (96 built).
  • B-26B-3: Larger carburetor intakes; upgrade to R-2800-43 radials. (28 built).
  • B-26B-4: Improved B-26B-3. (211 built).
  • 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 (12.7 mm) 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 built).
  • CB-26B: Only 12 B-26Bs were converted into transport aircraft (all were delivered to the Marine Corps for use in the Philippines).
  • B-26C: 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 Mk.II. Approximate then cost: $138,551.27 per plane (1210 built).
  • TB-26C: Originally designated AT-23B. Trainer modification of B-26C. (More than 300 built).
  • XB-26D: 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 built, converted).
  • B-26E: Modified B-26B constructed to test the effectiveness of moving the dorsal gun turret from the aft fuselage to just behind the cockpit. The offensive and defensive 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 insignificant. After a cost analysis, it was concluded that the effort needed to convert production lines to the B-26E arrangement was not worth the effort. (1 built, converted).
  • B-26F: 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. The first B-26F was produced in February of 1944. One hundred of these were B-26F-1-MAs. Starting with 42-96231, a revised oil cooler was added, along with wing bottom panels redesigned for easier removal. 200 of the 300 planes were B-26F-2s and F-6s, all of which were used by the RAF as the Marauder Mk.III. The Marauder III carried the RAF serials HD402 through HD601 (ex-USAAF serials 42-96329 through 96528). The F-2 had the Bell M-6 power turret replaced by an M-6A with a flexible canvas cover over the guns. The T-1 bombsight was installed instead of the M-series sight. British bomb fusing and radio equipment were provided. (300 built).
  • B-26G: A B-26F with standardised interior equipment. 150 planes used by the RAF as the Marauder Mk.III. (893 built).
  • TB-26G: B-26G converted for crew training. Most, possibly all, were delivered to the United States Navy as the JM-2. (57 built).
  • XB-26H: Test aircraft for tandem landing gear, to see if it could be used on the Martin XB-48. (1 built, converted).
  • JM-1P: A small number of JM-1s were converted into photo-reconnaissance aircraft.

Operators

  • Australia.
  • France.
  • South Africa (SAAF).
  • United Kingdom (RAF).
  • United States (US Army Air Corps, US Army Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy).

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Martin B-26 Marauder of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (B-26G)

  • Crew : 7 : 2 pilots, bombardier, navigator/radio operator, 3 gunners.
  • Length : 58 ft 3 in (or 17.8 m).
  • Height : 21 ft 6 in (or 6.55 m).
  • Wingspan : 71 ft 0 in (or 21.65 m).
  • Wing area : 658 ft² (or 61 m²).
  • Wing loading : 46.4 lb/ft² (or 228 kg/m²).
  • Empty weight : 24,000 lb (or 11,000 kg).
  • Loaded weight : 37,000 lb (or 17,000 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 287 mph (or 250 knots, 460 km/h) at 5,000 ft (or 1,500 m).
  • Cruise speed : 216 mph (or 188 knots, 358 km/h).
  • Landing speed : 104 mph (or 90 knots, 167 km/h).
  • Combat radius : 999 nm (or 1,150 mi, 1,850 km).
  • Ferry range : 2,480 nm (or 2,850 mi, 4,590 km).
  • Service ceiling : 21,000 ft (or 6,400 m).
  • Powerplant : Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 radial engines.
  • Power : 1,900 hp (or 1,400 kW) each.
  • Power/mass : 0.10 hp/lb (or 170 W/kg).
  • Armament : Twelve .50 in (12.7 mm) Colt-Browning machine guns and 4,000 lb (or 1,800 kg) of bombs.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Martin B-26 Marauder of Wikipedia ( authors )
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