The B-26 Marauder

National origin:- United States

Role:- Medium bomber

Manufacturer:- Glenn L. Martin Company

Designer:- produced by a team led by Peyton M. Magruder

First flight:- 25th November 1940

Introduction:- 1941; Retired:- Status Retired

Primary users:- United States Army Air Forces, Free French Air Force, Royal Air Force, South African Air Force

Produced:- between 1941–1945

Number built:- 5,288[1]

Unit cost:- $102,659.33/B-26A[2]

Development:- into XB-33 Super Marauder (Unbuilt)

Specifications Martin B-26 Marauder

Data from Quest for Performance^[60] and Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II^[61]

General characteristics

Crew: 7: (2 pilots, bombardier/radio operator, navigator/radio operator, 3 gunners)

Length: 58 ft 3 in (17.8 m)

Wingspan: 71 ft 0 in (21.65 m)

Height: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)

Wing area: 658 ft2 (61.1 m2)

Airfoil: NACA 2213 (root) NACA 2209.4 (tip)

Empty weight: 24,000 lb (11,000 kg)

Loaded weight: 37,000 lb (17,000 kg)

Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 radial engines, 2,000–2,200 hp (1,491 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 287 mph (250 knots, 460 km/h) at 5,000 feet (1,500 m)

Cruise speed: 216 mph (188 knots, 358 km/h)

Landing speed: 114 mph (90 knots, 167 km/h))

Combat radius: 1,150 mi (999 nmi, 1,850 km)

Ferry range: 2,850 mi (2,480 nmi, 4,590 km)

Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

Wing loading: 46.4 lb/ft² (228 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (170 W/kg)

Armament Guns:

Guns: 12 × .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns

Bombs: 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg)

Specification of Martin B-26B Marauder (B-10 to B-55):

Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines with two-speed superchargers, each rated at 1920 hp for takeoff and 1490 hp at 14,300 feet. Driving Curtiss 13 foot 6 inch four-bladed propellers. Performance (at 37,000 pounds weight): Maximum speed 270 mph at sea level, 282 mph at 15,000 feet. Initial climb rate 1200 feet per minute. Service ceiling 21,700 feet. Range 1150 miles at 214 mph with 3000 lbs of bombs and 962 gallons of fuel. Ferry range 2000 miles at 195 mph with 1462 gallons or (early blocks only) 2850 miles with 1962 gallons. Take off distance to 50 feet, 3500 feet. Landing distance from 50 feet, 2900 feet. Weights: 24,000 pounds empty, 37,000 pounds combat. Fuel: The main fuel tanks are carried in the wings. Three main self-sealing tanks are installed in the wing inboard of the nacelles. Two auxiliary tanks are installed in the wings outboard of the nacelles. Long-range ferry tanks can be carried in the bomb bay. Dimensions: Wingspan 71 feet 0 inches, length 58 feet 3 inches, height 21 feet 6 inches, wing area 658 square feet. Armament: Eleven 0.50-inch Colt-Browning machine guns. One in flexible nose position, four in blister packs on sides of fuselage, two in dorsal turret, two in tail turret, two in waist positions (one on each side of the fuselage aft of the turret). The internal bomb bay had maximum accommodation for two 2000-pound bombs or four 2000-pound bombs, the latter being carried in pairs one above each other on each side of the central catwalk.

The B-26 was initially deployed on combat missions in the South West Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most of the B-26s subsequently assigned to operational theaters were sent to England and the Mediterranean area.

By the end of World War II, it had flown more than 110,000 sorties, dropped 150,000 tons (136,078 tonnes) of bombs and had been used in combat by British, Free French and South African forces in addition to US units. In 1945, when B-26 production was halted, 5,266 had been built

Photo Data has been collected from many books and websites over the years. There are some fantastic WWII veteran websites out there and I have combined the information and matched the photos with the USAAF serial numbers. Because many aircraft served with several different Groups and Squadrons, during their service life.

Hence individual aircraft are often mentioned in several websites with different names and squadron and group codes. It’s often very hard to determine the order in which each aircraft served with which group and when. So what I have done, when an aircraft which severed with more than one group I used ‘+’ sign to indicate the additional units it served in. I have given preference to the last known Group to operate the aircraft or the Group which provided the most information about the particular aircraft.

With photos I have tried to identify as many planes as possible by their unique USAAF serial number then by Bombardment Group and Bombardment Squadron hence the BG & BS coding. Out of 5,266 aircraft produced I can only claim to have identified 155 aircraft by serial numbers so far. I you have any additional photo's or information of any of the aircraft featured here please email me a copy so I can make the photo and record list more complete. I am trying to create a photographic and historic database of US aircraft used during WWII. With combining the history of the various ‘veterans websites’ I hoped to get a better understanding of the unique history of each aircraft.

In doing this I hope I haven’t offended anyone. Since the USAAF records where destroyed we all need to try and combine all the information available so we can have a more accurate historical view point of each aircraft and the men who flew them. There courage and sacrifice made our world a better place and as the years roll on the historical accuracy and lack of records makes keeping track of the data harder and harder.