B26 Marauder, US Air Force medium bomber. Aviation art print by Robert Taylor
showing B26 Marauder bombers of 386th Bomb Group,. Aviation art print available
from Cranston Fine Arts.
The
B-26 Marauder, dubbed the widow maker by its detractors, was developed
by the Glen L. Martin Company beginning in 1939. The first B-26 was
completed in November of 1940. The early models had very high wing
loading, and were tricky to fly. Added armament increased weight even
further leading to an alarming rate of accidents during training.
Increasing engine power, wingspan and rudder height solved many of the
problems. The B-26 was capable of speeds in excess of 320-MPH, and with
a normal crew compliment of six and a bomb load of 4,000 pounds the
aircraft, had a range in excess of 1100 miles.
Despite the controversy surrounding the B-26, the aircraft served
admirably during WW II, and in fact had the lowest loss ratio of any
American aircraft. The 386th Bomb Group was organized on December 1,
1942 under the command of Lt. Col. Lester J. Maitland. The 386th, known
as The Crusaders, trained at MacDill Field near Tampa Florida. The
accident rate during training of earlier B-26 units was alarmingly high,
leading to the phrase one a day in Tampa Bay.
With improved training methods for both flight and maintenance
crews, and with improvements to the B-26s engines and electrical
systems, the accident rate began to decline, and the 386th attained
10,000 flight hours of training without an accident. The Crusaders went
to Lake Charles, Louisiana for the second phase of their training. On
April 20, 1943 the Crusaders completed their training and crews were
dispatched to either Selfridge Field in Michigan or the Martin plant in
Omaha to pick-up their B-26Bs and Cs for the long flight to England. The
386th had an incredible combat record, flying 409 combat missions
against Axis targets such as bridges, railroad yards, and other tactical
targets. Most bombing missions were done at an altitude of 10,000-13,000
feet. On 11/29/43 the Crusaders flew a mission which was very memorable
for the crew of Sexation. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting,
appropriately entitled Mauled by Marauders, the Sexation was attacked by
several German Fw-190 and Bf-109 fighters. With the loss of one engine,
significant wing damage, and hydraulic system failure, Sexation was a
sitting duck. However, Bill Norris, the tail gunner on the B-26, kept
the fighters at bay, shooting down 3 enemy fighters and one probable on
the mission. This made Norris the top gun of the 386th. The crew was
able to nurse the aircraft back to England where they made a belly
landing. Both Norris and the aircrafts commander, Pete LaFramboise,
received the Silver Star for this mission. This print is dedicated to
the memory of Col. Maitland and the 191 Crusaders who made the ultimate
sacrifice for their country during WW II.
