From The Archives: B-26—New Martin Bomber Powered By Double Wasps
The new B-26 Marauder, a twin-engine bomber commissioned by the U.S. Army Air Corps, appeared on our cover dated Feb. 1, 1941, as part of an advertisement for Pratt & Whitney’s newest and most powerful engine, the Double Wasp.
Built by the Glenn L. Martin Co., the B-26 was rushed into battle after the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941.
Flying more than 110,000 sorties and bombing from altitudes of 10,000-15,000 ft., the B-26 had a loss rate of less than one-half of one percent, the lowest of any Allied bomber during the war, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
More than 5,000 were built, but the bomber’s service life was brief. Production was halted at the war’s end in 1945 and the B-26 was withdrawn from service by the new U.S. Air Force in 1948.
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