B-26 Marauder - Flak Bait
Info on Flak Bait/ Built by Phil Clark/England
The B-26 Marauder was a medium bomber built by the Glen L. Martin Company. It made its maiden flight on November 25, 1940. The B-26 was the first aircraft I WWII that used four bladed propellers. The “Flak Bait” was the first Allied bomber, which was amazingly used over 200 operational missions in the European Theatre of War. One of the most popular nicknames of the “B-26 Marauder” is “ the flying Torpedo.” It is also the first aircraft that had an aerodynamically perfect fuselage. It was used to test the bicycle type landing gear, which was later adopted by the Air Force on B-47 and B-52 jet bombers. The B-26 Marauder or “Flak Bait” is perhaps the most dominant and famed Marauder of all . In history, it is said to have absorbed over 100 enemy hits! Undoubtedly, no other aircraft in WWII can compare to its reputation.
The B-26 Marauder used weapons pods. In addition to this, it was the first aircraft, which incorporated all plexi-glass bombardiers’ nose. The designers of Flak Bait used butted seams for the skin covering as opposed to the conventional seams. Thus, this enhanced the flow of air over the streamed lined torpedo like fuselage of the B-26 Marauder. This combat also employs an all-electrical bomb mechanism.
As its regular equipment, it has rubber self-sealing fuel tanks installed. To transfer ammunition from the bomb bay storage back to the tail gun position, the Flak Bait employed the first flexible tracks. Moreover, the B-26Marauder was the first combat aircraft that used plastic materials as metal substitutes on a grand scale. Another of its wonders is , it was the very first and last bomber to use torpedoes in war conflicts. This was made possible by the external rack installed along the kneel that carries a standard 2,000 lb. naval aerial torpedo.
In 1945, when B-26 production was halted – 5,266 Marauders had been built.
*Holds the record for the number of bombing missions survived during WWII
*Assigned to 449th Bombardment Squadron, 322nd Bombardment Group / England
*Saw action in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France
*Supported bombing missions on D-Day and during the Battle of The Bulge
*Returned to the U.S. – Dec. 1946
* Front portion of the aircraft is on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s Air & Space Museum
Specifications: Wing Span: 71 ft./21.63 meters
Length: 58 ft. 3 in. / 17.76 meters
Height: 21 ft. 6 in./6.55 meters
*2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43
18 cylinders, air -cooled radial engines with 2 speed superchargers
*Produced 1,920 HP at takeoff
*1,490 HP at 14, 300 ft.
*Used a Curtiss 13 ft.6 in. 4 bladed propeller
*Maximum speed 282 MPH
*Pilot: Captain Sherman Best/U.S.A.F Retired
Lives in Connecticut
*Pilot: Buck Rodgers / Retired-Texas
Books of Interest: Flak Bait: Story of B-26 Marauder and the Men Who Flew Them
Zenger publications co:ISBN:0892010444 Reprint Edition:Dec ‘83
