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American Combat Planes of the 20th Century is an incredible reference for anyone who is interested in any American Combat Plane History. There are 758 pages and 1700 b/w photos in this substantial labor of love by Ray Wagner, who has been passionately researching and writing about aircraft for over 50 years. Whether you are already familiar with his past works, or just discovering this accomplished author for the first time... This is the book that you've been waiting for!

If you'd like to see the book's Table of Contents ... Click here. You can also browse the entire Index Section to get an idea of the extensive amount of information that is covered within this book.

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B-26 Marauder

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Wide-wing B-26B-10 and B-26C-5s replenished the 17th and 319th groups by June 1943. Lend-lease schedules originally designated the Marauder II as a B-26B-1, but no B-26B actually reached the RAF. Instead, the Marauder IIs were 20 B-26C-25, 45 B-26C-30 and 30 B-26C-45 bombers supplied to South African squadrons in the Mediterranean in 1943, and three Free French squadrons had another 50 B-26C-45s in 1944. MARTIN B-26B-25 'Flack Bait'

The first Marauder group to fly a combat mission from England was the 322nd, which made its first sorties May 14, 1943. On the second mission three days later, all ten B-26B-4s crossing the Channel were downed by the enemy. This defeat showed that the low-level attack for which the B-26 crews had trained with D-8 bombsights was impractical against strong German anti-aircraft forces with quadruple heavy 20-mm guns.

New medium-height (10-14,000 feet) tactics with Norden M-7 bombsights were chosen for missions resumed on July 17 by the 323rd Group with wide-winged B-26C-6s, and much reduced losses. The Marauders in Britain were assigned to the Ninth Air Force, which by April 1944 had eight B-26 groups and a pathfinder squadron.

In March 1944, the AAF B-26 inventory peaked at 1,931 aircraft, with 11 groups of 64 planes each, deployed against Germany, and two replacement training (RTU) units in the United States. On June 6, 1944, 742 B-26 sorties were flown in support of the cross-channel invasion. MARTIN B-26B-55

The Last B-26 Models
The lone XB-26D was an early B-26 modified to test heated surface type de-icing equipment. The B-26E designation in September 1943 was used for three Marauders with modified armament, including a stripped B-26C-5 with less weight, and the upper turret moved forward to the navigator’s compartment, as well as a B-26B-40 with six fixed guns paired in the nose and in each wing.

Three hundred B-26F-MAs, ordered September 1942, began appearing in February 1944 with the wing’s angle of attack increased 3.5 degrees to reduce the takeoff run and landing speed. All had four fixed and seven flexible .50-caliber guns. The first 100 went to the AAF and the rest to the RAF.

MARTIN B-26F-1

The B-26G was the last variant, and differed only in mechanical details. Production amounted to 893 B-26G-MA as well as 57 TB-26Gs that went to the U.S. Navy as the JM-2 target tow types in March 1945. Production ceased on March 26, 1945, with the 5,266th Marauder, the last of 56 B-26G-25s diverted in May 1945 to replenish the B-26C-45 and B-26G-10s in six French squadrons. Lend-lease had provided 200 B-26F-2, 75 B-26G-10, and 75 B-26G-21 bombers in 1944-45 as the Marauder III to replenish two RAF and five South African squadrons in Italy.

B-26 costs had dropped from about $261,000 each in 1941 to $192,000 in 1944. A single B-26G-25 modified in May 1945 to try out the bicycle landing gear planned for the B-47 and B-48 jets became the XB-26H. MARTIN B-26G-15

The AAF record against the European Axis powers included 129,943 Marauder sorties, and a bomb tonnage of 169,382 pounds, with a loss of 911 B-26s lost in combat as shown in Table 5. Enemy air bases, transportation, V-1 missile sites, and other targets had been pounded by the medium bomber groups.

A 322nd Group B-26B-25, “Flak Bait”, from August 16, 1943 to April 17, 1945, became the first American bomber to complete 200 combat missions. The last group-sized B-26 attacks in April 1945, were opposed by Me 262 jets, but time was running out for Hitler. The final B-26 mission, on May 3, 1945, was by eight pathfinder squadron planes leading 124 A-26 light bombers against an ammunition plant.

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