MARTIN B-26 MARAUDER “The Widowmaker” PILOT TRAINING FLIGHT MANUAL

MARTIN B-26 MARAUDER “The Widowmaker”

BOMBER

PILOT TRAINING FLIGHT MANUAL

The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin

Company. First used in thePacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater

and in Western Europe.

After entering service with the U.S. Army, the aircraft received the reputation of a “Widowmaker” due to

the early models’ high rate of accidents during takeoff and landings. The Marauder had to be flown at

exact 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 much

slower speeds, and whenever they slowed down below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stall

and crash.

The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (an

increase of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger

vertical stabilizer and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself

as “the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front” according to a United States Army Air

Forces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF

bomber.

A total of 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. By the time the United States Air Force was created

as an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from US

service. The Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation — before officiallyreturning to

the earlier “A for Attack” designation in May 1966

These are scans of original manuals, at times inks were thin and some might have some damages so

some text may not be readable, but if any very little.

has 202 pages.