B-26 Marauder

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:See A-26 Invader for the plane known as the B-26 from 1948 to 1962.

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The B-26 Marauder was a twin-engine medium bomber of the Second World War, built by the Glenn L. Martin Company under the design team leadership of Peyton M. Magruder after winning a 1939 U.S. War Department bid. 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force.

Related Topics:
Medium bomber - Second World War - Glenn L. Martin Company - Peyton M. Magruder - U.S. War Department - February - 1941 - March - 1945 - Royal Air Force - South African Air Force

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The first bomber in the Pacific theater and Aleutian Islands beginning in 1942, it was also used in the European Theater of Operations and in the North African Campaign. The plane distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to an Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946, and also because the B-26B maintained the lowest loss record of any combat aircraft during World War II. Its loss record stands in sharp contrast to its unofficial nickname "The Widowmaker" – earned due to its high rate of accidental crash during takeoff for the B-26A variation.

Related Topics:
Pacific - Aleutian Islands - European Theater of Operations - North African Campaign - Western Front

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However it should not be confused with the Douglas A-26 Invader, which also carried the designation B-26 from 1948 to 1962.

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