Description
MARTIN B-26 MARAUDER “The Widowmaker”BOMBERPILOT TRAINING FLIGHT MANUALThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. MartinCompany. First used in thePacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theaterand in Western Europe.After entering service with the U.S. Army, the aircraft received the reputation of a “Widowmaker” due tothe early models’ high rate of accidents during takeoff and landings. The Marauder had to be flown atexact 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 muchslower speeds, and whenever they slowed down below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stalland crash.The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (anincrease of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a largervertical stabilizer and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itselfas “the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front” according to a United States Army AirForces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAFbomber.A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by theRoyal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was createdas an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from USservice. The Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation — before officiallyreturning tothe earlier “A for Attack” designation in May 1966These are scans of original manuals, at times inks were thin and some might have some damages sosome text may not be readable, but if any very little.has 202 pages. |