This American Medium Bomber Was So Accident Prone it Got the Nickname the 'Flying Coffin'

The Martin B-26 Marauder, a twin-engine medium bomber from the United States, saw extensive use during World War II. It took part in missions across every theater of the conflict. Although early models had a high accident rate, this problem was addressed with crew retraining and several key modifications. Consequently, over 5,200 B-26s were manufactured and remained in service with American and Allied air forces until the war concluded.

Development of the Martin B-26 Marauder

In March 1939, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) published requirements for a twin-engined medium bomber. The aircraft needed to have a maximum speed of 350 MPH, a range of 3,000 miles and the ability to carry up to 2,000 pounds of ordnance.

On July 5, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design , the Martin Model 179. It was decided the aircraft was the greatest submission, and Martin was given a contract for 201 units, to be referred to as B-26 Mauraders. It took approximately two years for the bomber to become operational. Despite this, another order for an additional 930 was placed in September 1940.

The first flight of the B-26 took place on November 25, 1940, and the USAAC received its first in February 1941. In March of that year, the service began testing the B-26 at Patterson Field , Ohio.

An accident-prone aircraft

Initially, the B-26 Marauder was an accident-prone aircraft. At MacDill Field , Florida, 15 crashed over the course of 30 days. This led to the saying, "One a day in Tampa Bay." In addition to the crashes at MacDill, another 13 B-26s crashed in Tampa Bay over the course of 14 months. This led crews to give the bomber a number of rather unfortunate nicknames , including "Widowmaker," "Martin Murderer," "Flying Coffin" and "B-Dash-Crash."

In 1942, then-Missouri Sen. Harry S. Truman was chairman of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program - also known as the "Truman Committee." During one hearing, he asked Martin representatives why so many B-26s had crashed or had issues. Their answer was that the wings were too short.

Truman replied that, if such negligence continued, the contract would be canceled. Ensuring it wasn't, Martin added six feet to the wingspan, along with upgraded engines, more armor and heavier guns. Pilots were also retrained to understand the unique flying requirements of the B-26.

By February 1943, the bombers being produced were problem free.

Martin B-26 Marauder specs

The B-26 Marauder was a shoulder-winged monoplane made entirely of metal. It featured two bomb bays situated in the mid-fuselage. Typically, the forward bay was designated for ordnance, while the rear bay housed extra fuel tanks, although both bays could be fully loaded with bombs.

Regarding its dimensions, the B-26 measured 58 feet 6 inches in length and had a wingspan of 71 feet. The bomber's weight was 37,000 pounds. Later models were outfitted with eleven .50-cal. M2 Browning machine guns and could carry up to 4,000 pounds of bombs. While it could hold up to 5,800 pounds of ordnance, this capacity reduced the aircraft's range.

The bomber was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 Double Wasp radial engines, each delivering between 2,000 and 2,200 horsepower. The bomber had a cruising speed of 190 MPH and a top speed of 285 MPH. The aircraft had a range of 1,100 miles and a service ceiling of 19,800 feet.

Sending the Martin B-26 Marauder to the Pacific

The B-26 Marauder saw service in all theaters of war, although it was used primarily in Europe. Despite its early accident record, the aircraft went on to become one of the most successful American medium-range bombers. By the end of WWII , it'd been flown by the Americans, British, South Africans and Free French on more than 110,000 sorties .

The first B-26s arrived in the Pacific in February 1941, replacing the Douglas B-18 Bolo . Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , more were sent to the South West Pacific.

During the Battle of Midway , two B-26s were stationed at Midway Island to attack the Japanese fleet. While the torpedoes they dropped didn't hit any ships, they did kill two sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Akagi with their machine guns and shoot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero .

In 1943, the B-26 began to be replaced in the Pacific by the North American B-25 Mitchell . This process took a while, with the final B-26 combat mission taking place on January 9, 1944.

Martin B-26 Marauder in the Mediterranean

While a lesser part of the B-26 Marauder's history, the bomber's service during Operation Torch and in the Mediterranean is still notable. During the Allied invasion, three bombardment groups were deployed, which lost 80 aircraft over 1,587 combat sorties. Outside of North Africa, the B-26 flew with the Twelfth Air Force during operations in Sicily, southern France and Italy, providing much-needed aid for the various Allied advances.

It was during these missions that the bomber received its biggest praise, with Air Marshal John Slessor, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, commenting on the B-26's " astonishing accuracy ."

Service in the European Theater

In Europe, the first B-26 Marauders began fighting with the Eighth Air Force in early 1943. One of the first attacks made by the bombers was an unescorted attack against a power station in the Netherlands. The whole of the attacking force, 11 B-26s, fell victim to Luftwaffe -flown Focke Wulf Fw 190s and anti-aircraft fire.

B-26 missions were far more successful when Allied fighters accompanied them and they bombed targets at a medium altitude. In this improved situation, the aircraft proved to be very successful. Flying with the Ninth Air Force, the B-26 experienced the lowest loss rate in the European Theater of any aircraft, at less than 0.5 percent .

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The B-26 was also used throughout the Second World War by the Royal Air Force, South African Air Force, the Balkan Air Force and the Free French Air Force. The French were the last to operate the bomber, with two remaining in service as a testbed until 1958.