70 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION BOMBERS
(^19182018) MARTIN MARAUDER
Right
Large numbers of
Marauders ordered by
the RAF retained their
USAAF serial on the
fi n and rudder: Mk.II
FB431 wears 135362
showing it was a
B-26C built at Martin’s
Omaha, Nebraska,
factory. Serving with 12
Squadron South African
Air Force FB431 was at
Foggia, Italy, in early
- KEC
Right centre
Approved by King
George VI in May
1937, the badge of 14
Squadron represents a
crusader in association
with the Cross of St
George. The Arabic
motto translates as ‘I
spread my wings and
keep my promise’.‘B
altimore Whore’ or
‘Flying Prostitute’ were
nicknames bestowed upon
the early Martin B-26 Marauders
by American aircrew. With its very
high wing loading producing fast
approach speeds, vicious responses
near the stall and a string of fatal
propeller failures, the bomber from
Baltimore, Maryland, was also
known as the ‘Martin Murderer’,
‘Crew Killer’ or the ‘Widow Maker’.
The names relating to ‘ladies of
the night’ were concerned with
aerodynamics, not morality. With its
all-up weight of 30,000lb, a B-26A
was close to that of a Wellington
I, but the Martin had a wing area
of 602sq ft (55.92m^2 ) and a span
of 65ft 0in (19.8m) whereas the
Vickers product measured up at
840sq ft and 86ft 2in, respectively.
With that relatively small wing
doing all the work, the Marauder
looked as though it had “no visible
means of support”!
The first Marauders for the RAF
were the equivalent of the short-
span B-26A, but the Mk.IIs and
IIIs featured the extended 71ft
span. This, along with engine and
propeller improvements, turned the
aircraft into a very capable medium
bomber. Many Marauders were
handed on to the South African Air
Force and these worked alongside
their RAF colleagues in North
Africa, into Sicily and through the
Italian campaign.
Only two RAF frontline units flewthe Marauder. Replacing Bristol
Blenheim Vs, 14 Squadron took its
first examples in August 1942, but
it was not until October 28 that the
unit became operational. As well as
medium-level bombing, the unit
carried out torpedo attacks, mine
laying, anti-submarine patrols and
shipping reconnaissance sorties
across North Africa and to targets
as far as Italy and Greece. The last
Marauder operation undertaken
by 14 was on September 21, 1944
after which Wellington XIVs were
introduced.
In December 1944 at Biferno
in Italy, 39 Squadron convertedto Marauders, having previously
flown Bristol Beauforts. The unit’s
main task was to support partisans
in Yugoslavia, across the Adriatic
Sea, but anti-shipping strikes were
also staged. The last ‘op’ was flown
on May 4, 1945 and 39 Squadron
redeployed to Khartoum, Sudan,
where its Marauders were retired in
September 1946 and de Havilland
Mosquito FB.26s were adopted.
For a brief while, both 14 and 39
Squadrons flew anti-shipping strikes
with the 2,000lb (907kg) torpedoes- the B-26 was designed for this task
from the outset. Neither unit had
great success in this role.
Type: Six-crew medium bomber
First fl ight: November 25, 1940, entered service August 1942
Powerplant: Two 2,000hp (1,492kW) Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp R-2800 radials
Dimensions: Span 71ft 0in (21.64m), Length 57ft 6in (17.52m)
Weights: Empty 24,000lb (10,886kg), All-up 37,000lb (16,783kg)
Max speed: 305mph (490km/h) at 15,000ft (4,572m)
Range: 1,200 miles (1,931km)
Armament: One fi xed and one free-mounted machine gun in the nose, two
machine guns in dorsal turret and tail position. One machine gun in
port and starboard beam positions. Up to 4,000lb (1,814kg) of bombs
Replaced: Bristol Blenheim in 1942 (14 Squadron); Bristol Beaufort in 1944
(39 Squadron)
Taken on charge: About 366, plus transfers to the South African Air Force
Replaced by: Vickers Wellington in 1944 (14 Squadron); de Havilland Mosquito in
1946 (39 Squadron)MARTIN MARAUDER III
1942 TO 1946
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MARTIN
MARAUDER