B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company from 1941 to 1945. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe.
After entering service with the US Army, the aircraft received the reputation of a “Widowmaker” due to the early models’ high accident rate during takeoffs and landings. The Marauder had to be flown at exact airspeeds, particularly on final runway approach and when one engine was out. The 150 mph (241 km/h) speed on short final runway approach was intimidating to pilots who were used to much slower speeds, and whenever they slowed down to speeds below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stall and crash.
The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (an increase of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger vertical stabilizer and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as “the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front” according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber.
- Tactic
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- Pros & Cons
- Pros
- Torso gun turret and front, rear .50-caliber machine guns
- Excellent bomb load
- Tricycle landing gear
- Cons
- High speed
- High durability
- Pros
- Engine
- Default: Twin R-2800-6 Double Wasp (1,850 hp)
- Upgrade 1: Twin R-2800-41 Double Wasp (2,000 hp)
- Upgrade 2: Twin R-2800-43 Double Wasp (2,200 hp)
- Armament
- Default:
- 11 x .50 cal machine guns
- 48 x 100 lb bombs
- Upgrade 1:
- 20 x 250 lb bombs
- Upgrade 2:
- 12 x 500 lb bombs
- Default:
- Stats
- Max speed:287 mph (250 knots, 460 km/h)
- Max dive speed: N/A
- Durability: 3500
- Internal fuel capacity: 602 US gallons (2280 litres)
- External fuel capacity: N/A
- Empty weight: 24,000 lb (11,000 kg)
- Wing area: 658 ft2 (61.1 m2)
