Martin B-26 Marauder | WW2 Twin Engined Medium Bomber | Nicknamed The "Widowmaker" Before The F-104

[@Dronescapes]

Click the link to watch more aircraft, heroes and their stories, missions: www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes

[@OdeeOz]

A-26 is was the Best Firefighting Bomber ever... Until Obama defunded the program of Aero-Firebombers

[@bernhardecklin7005]

The USAAF called it an airplane (not an aircraft) and rightly so!

[@XRM123-f5k]

@@OdeeOz Martin B-26 “Marauder”, has NOTHING to do with the North American A-26 “Invader” Two different airplanes.!!!!!

[@OdeeOz]

The A-26 was upgraded, and renamed from the B-26, and it went on through Korea and Vietnam. @@XRM123-f5k

[@entouarnt4817]

Different planes, but yes they to have much to do with each other. And the B-26 crews switched to the A-26 in the pacific during the last year of the war. B-26 very much a precursor to the A-26.

[@todd3285]

There is only one airworthy example of a B-26 flying today . It's in a private collection at the " Fantasy of Flight" near Tampa Florida. I took my Dad to see it on his 80 birthday 20 years ago . My dad was in the 9th Air Force, 391st Bombardment Group flying out of Matching Green England from January to October of 1944 . My dad did 78 missions as a bombardier/navigator in a plane named " MISS BEHAVIN " . That plane got its crew home every time . Three times on D-Day. My dad was awarded the "Distinguish Flying Cross" and has just celebrated his 100th birthday. He is and will always be my hero .

[@Dronescapes]

thank yoy for letting us know Todd. Good information! Thank you for your Father's service as well, he was indeed a hero. Have a great weekend. Incidentally we just posted Bud Anderson's interview on his 100th birthday. Great generation! kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZTcdpivebloaMU

[@todd3285]

@@Dronescapes Just a quick side not . My dad is a very humble guy. The day I took him to see the B-26 was when I found out he was awarded the DFC and he handed it to me . I cherish that medal 🏅 and before I pass I'm going to pass it on to my niece. It means more to me than anything I have in my life .

[@Dronescapes]

Great, keep the memories alive in any way you can.

[@SGBlackstar]

Total respect from Bedford England to your father and his fellow airman

[@todd3285]

@@SGBlackstar Thanks for the compliment Martin . I will definitely show my dad your post . My dad told me a few stories about being stationed in England. His bomb group was tasked with destroying V-1 launch sites and he told me about the blitz and how intimidating the sounds of the Buzz Bombs engines where . My siblings and I sent our parents to England for their 50th wedding anniversary. My mom said my dad cried when they went to Matching . I guess there are things that I guess we can't comprehend the struggles this generation went thru . THE BEST GENERATION EVER . WE WILL FOREVER BE INDEBTED TO THEM . 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦

[@tsmiljanich]

My dad was a tail gunner on a B-26 ("Sheezabeech II") on missions over Northern France. His plane had an engine shot off and still made it back to England, barely making it across the Channel and crash landing, killing the bombadier. Common men were heroes then, and heroes were common men.

[@Dronescapes]

Thank you for sharing your memories Terry! May God bless them

[@wes11bravo]

Ha! I love the name and the crew's sneaky work-around so they could give The Finger to their squadron commander! Similar to how we have to play games with symbols and spaces to fake out an algorithm that seeks to stifle us (although I have virtually no chance of having an 88mm anti aircraft warhead explode near me as I compose this - I'm well aware I couldn't shine the boots of the brave kids who crewed these planes!)

[@daffidavit]

My uncle was a nose gunner on a B-24. He never talked about it and I never asked. His brother earned the Silver Star as a tank commandar during Operation Torch. I didn't know about that until after he died of old age. After the war, they came home and worked as machinists and in general maintenance. Normal guys doing heroic things.

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤ the best

[@Lobo-tommy10]

My grampa Austin was a tail gunner over France too. I wish I knew more about his service.

[@danstromness5165]

Little Rita was my Dad's plane. He was the pilot, flying 62 missions in the European theater. Part of the 432'nd. He was absolutely in love with his B-26.

[@markputnam4902]

40 minutes in, that man said he wasn't a hero he just showed his hands. Sir as far as I'm concerned the first time you climbed into that airplane and flew towards enemy territory you became a hero to me. God bless America and God bless each and every one of you soldiers then and now Thank you Amen.

[@JohnnySmithWhite-wd4ey]

If you ask WW 2 vets about heros, they'll tell you the real heros never came home.

[@LonnieVScott]

I agree 100%

[@jesseDelisle]

Troops today won’t accept the title of hero. It’s a common theme. I was decorated, but I don’t feel I did anything more than my job, and what I’d hoped anyone else would have done if I was that far up shit creek. My hero’s the men that I still admire their courage are some of the guys that didn’t get to come home. The stories of how that happened often these men deserve the honors. I don’t feel as though I do, I got to come home.

[@larryjohnson1966]

I liked the bomber growing up and built a model of it. As I got older I found out about the widow maker stories so I read a couple books on the plane. Found out like everyone else, you had to learn to fly it to understand just how good a plane it was. Thank You for the story.

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍

[@jeffsiegel4879]

Over the years I've watched everything I can about the Marauder and I think you've done a GREAT job in telling of the saga. What a plane!

[@Dronescapes]

🙏👍♥️

[@williamblue602]

What this video needs is a few more commercials.

[@Dronescapes]

@@williamblue602 dear William, perhaps you want to check out KZbin Premium option. Among the many services and perks you will also never see a single ad again on the platform

[@susanjones2701]

As a person who once in her life time was a student pilot and loved to fly this video was a gift of flying lessons well told.A great video and some pilots to forever to be remembered and admired.

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍

[@colvinator1611]

Another great piece of American aviation history. Thanks a lot, Colin UK 🇬🇧

[@glenndotter5065]

Wonderful video. You guys are all heros. One thing I find interesting is that any pilot will tell you whatever plane they flew, that it was a great airplane and they loved it when it got them home. My dad flew C-47 over the hump. He loved that airplane. He cried later in life when he saw a static display of one and he just ran his hand all over it in tears. God Bless you all

[@yanniskouretas8688]

My late father also flew the C47 for 35 years - when I joined the air force I've had the rare privilege to fly 6 sorties with him as PIC and me as flight mechanic right before his retirement .

[@glenndotter5065]

@@yanniskouretas8688 Wow! Wish I could have. Last time dad flew the C47 was in support of the 1955 flood in eastern PA. I was 3. But I never tired of hearing his stories of flying the Hump

[@yanniskouretas8688]

@@glenndotter5065 yeah the stories . They shape our childhood aren't they ? My eye sight wasn't good enough to be a pilot in the air force but I also manage to have an pretty active career . As I'm closing to retirement myself I wish I've had the stories of my father to tell to my own children . Some funny - some seemingly unbelievable and some sad - about lost comrades .....

[@t.j.payeur5331]

Not quite..my dad was a glider pilot..5 invasions..Sicily, Normandy, Southern France, and 2 in Market-Garden..his airplanes Never got him home...

[@edwardramirez8550]

I grew up in Pacoima CA! We have an airport Whiteman airport during the 70's it had 3 A20 and 4 B26 bombers in storage! We would climb in these bombers and play all day!

[@Robert-ff9wf]

I only got the pleasure to see a B 26 fly once but the sound of those engines are like a drag racers dream!!! It sounds like the biggest big block engine ever created!!! It sounds like a hotrod for sure!!!

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

I believe this was the first model of a bomber I made as a kid. Loved the looks. God bless the brave that flew it. Thanks for sharing this vid, and greetings from an old gratefull Dutch man, T.

[@danielressler6153]

My grandfather passed away in '54 so I never got to meet him. He moved his family to MD from PA during the war years and he was a welder for Martin Aircraft in Middle River near Baltimore. I believe he welded a lot of Marauders while there. We found airplane building manuals in boxes several years ago and donated the manuals to the Glenn L Martin Museum. While working at the factory, my grandfather made a Christmas tree Star made out of airplane aluminum and to this day, that star goes on the top of our tree every Christmas!

[@Rusty_Gold85]

whats MD and PA?

[@jimfinlaw4537]

Very nice video on the B-26 Marauder. My father was an instructor pilot in B-26's at MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida in 1944. Its true to land a Marauder you had to put the airplane into a shallow dive and flare it out at the right time or else the plane would crash land with bad results usually. Dad said most times they landed the Marauder at around 142 mph indicated airspeed on touchdown and never around 125 mph as the tech manual recommended due to the airplane's high wing loading. There was a sign over the entrance to MacDill Field that read "Two a day in Tampa Bay," but to be fair they were averaging aircraft losses of two a week and not all aircraft lost were Marauders. Dad admitted he was a little afraid of flying the Marauder because there were so many things that could easily go wrong if you didn't stay on top of what you were doing with your student pilots in teaching them how to fly it. The airplane was truly a hot rod for its time and you had to keep your brain well ahead of the Marauder. One thing the video didn't mentioned is the Marauder was also used to tow targets for the gunnery students at Buckingham Field in Ft. Meyers, Florida, that shot live anmo from B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberator heavy bombers over the Gulf of Mexico. Dad also towed targets with the Marauder for those gunnery students and his B-26 was never hit thank goodness.

[@Dronescapes]

thank for sharing your memories Jim, much appreciated! A very interesting first hand insight

[@jimfinlaw4537]

My father was a 2nd lieutenant in the US Army Air Force during WWII. In addition to being a instructor pilot in B-26 Marauders, he was also an instructor pilot in B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. He flew 5 combat missions as a co-pilot in B-24 Liberators for the 512th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force which included the raid on the synthetic oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Over the target at Ploesti, dad's B-24 was hit with 88mm flak that damaged the right wing and had punctured a fuel tank. Dad quickly transferred as much fuel out of the damaged fuel tank to conserve as much fuel as possible. Dad pulled the mixture controls beyound limits to conserve more fuel. All four engines were running on the verge of detonation, but dad felt it was necessary to conserve fuel. His B-24 Liberator landed safely at their alternate airbase in Italy. All four engines were junk by the time they landed, but the airplane got them home safely thanks to my father's ingenuity and dispite all the damage the wing had sustained over the target. I am very proud of what my father achieved and he will always be my hero.

[@irish89055]

I thought it was," one a day, in Tampa Bay"

[@RT-mm8rq]

In his book Samurai, Saburo Sakai mentioned the bravery of the Allied medium bomber crews in the Pacific. On a couple of occasions he talkes about the B-26. It would of been nice to mention there use in that theater of WW2.

[@TonyWhiting-vy7tz]

My Grandparents had a farm between two USAAF bases in Hertfordshire (I think). A B-26 crashed into the house destroying every room in the house apart from two rooms, one of which was the dining room where my Grandparents and their two youngest children were eating, they were totally unhurt. My Grandmother tells of running out of the dining room through a (non-existent) hallway and front door. Luckily there was not a full crew on board I believe there were 4 or 5 on board two survived the crash though one died shortly after being found. One person survived and (I believe) survived the war and returned to the USA. I was told that the USAAF built a new house for my family and supplied all new furniture and appliances (as everything that survived the crash had been looted) This was a fascinating doco, thanks for posting. And thanx to those brave men that flew, far to many of them did not return or took wounds, physical and mental, home with them

[@Dronescapes]

Thank you for sharing your memories Tony, they are priceless, and fascinating to learn

[@johnsmith-gk4td]

Awesome video! My grandfather flew on every surviving airframe that we know of. And thats just because after the war he was on the detachment that ferried B-26's to staging areas or maintenance facilities. What wasn't mentioned is a number of B-26s were stationed at Luke AFB after the war as tow planes for the target sleds. He told me once he really preferred the B-26 over the B-25 because he thought the Mitchell was gutless.

[@mlester3001]

A waist gunner on a B26, my father served and was shot down and almost killed in the Marauder. I found a photo online of the actual plane in flight formation he served in. She was called Battle #77 "Porky".

[@xman6432]

This time the images are great. The documentary itself is already amazing. I watched the insatiable nostalgic black and white images in real crystal clear HD, many thanks DroneScapes..

[@larrymcgill5508]

One of the great blunders of WWII was the bombing of Monte Cassino. The German commander forbade his troops from entering the monastery due to the civilian relief the monks were providing to the citizens displaced by the war. As it turned out, destroying the monastery allowed the Germans to rescind this humanitarian order and took over the ruins. That doubled the effort the Allie’s had to make to defeat the Germans. It was a tragedy of epic proportions.

[@atomicwedgie8176]

Yep, they could have gone around and cut the Germans off from supply lines. We also dropped the 2 atomic bombs on the 2 largest populations of Catholics in Japan. FDR and Truman were freemasons and hated Catholics! Most US presidents are freemasons.

[@JeffK1962]

Sir you took the vow to give your life if that was asked of you. To keep our way of life and protect our country and its people. You are a hero. You went in harms way and you did what was needed to win the war. You are a hero. If that is only me that feels this way, I feel you are a hero. And thank you for all you went though for our freedom. 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@phillipclark5798]

My Dad was a radio operator, gunner on this plane. On their 51st mission, they took on German flak and ditched near Corsica on Christmas Eve 1943. Dad was 20, and got busted up pretty bad. He survived and was picked by a French PBY plane. He recovered in Libya. After a while he was back up in the air for a few more missions. I can't imagine how brave these men were. Daddy was just a country boy doing what many did at that time. Fighting the Nazi's.

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him!

[@yannberte8291]

Hooo..., my father was bomber/navigator as a french crew on a B26 - based on Big Spring Texas airfield 🙂 The "widow maker" was very well for frenchies 👌+🙏

[@steveconly4811]

My Uncle Stanley Conly went 62 missions without a scratch. Lucky Guy! My father, Jack Conly also got his wings and went to the South Pacific and back without a scratch. Lucky men.

[@jamesross1799]

A truly underrated aircraft . She was beautiful.

[@nickrus358]

My Grandpa was in "Blue Grass Betty". Never talked about the war to my Dad, but when he was at the end of his life, my grandpa told him he'd do it all again for us if he had to.

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him Nick

[@edstein5642]

At last, a comprehensive doc on the B-26. Great footage & interviews. Such a shame that the surviving aircraft were scrapped at war’s end. I suppose under the conditions after the war, the incredible devastation & suffering, that saving (already obsolete) aircraft for posterity had no level of priority.

[@aaaht3810]

Good video. BTW, the student pilot in the "How to Fly the B-26" training film was actor Craig Stevens, TV's Peter Gunn.

[@brianivey73]

Fabulous video. Excellent footage we dont see much of! Thank you for posting!

[@Dronescapes]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@garyraines7511]

A few 26''s were used after the War to test the experimental Tandem Landing gear that would be used on the B-47, probably because its short wing would keep in on the ground longer .

[@graciehogue6166]

My grandfather was a radio operator in a B-26 over Germany with a company called “The Bridge Busters.” On one of the missions, the plane adjacent to them blew up and a piece of shrapnel went through the plane. My Papa just so happened to be sitting with his foot on his seat, his knee up by his chin. Because he was sitting that way, the shrapnel went into his leg and not through his chest where it would’ve instantly killed him. He went up to the front and asked if the pilots were okay, and they said they were fine but said, “Myers, you’ve got blood all over you,” and he hadn’t even realized that he had been hit. I miss him and hearing him talk about his experiences in the B-26, and I’m so glad to see a good doc on this airplane. I would love to see one (and even step into one) in person one day.

[@chrisdavis3642]

I watched a test on the 88 flack where the projectile was placed upright on a barrel. Then surrounded by sheets of plywood at a 100ft diameter.. After seeing how that munition splintered!! Its amazing that anything could survive it!!

[@dukecraig2402]

It killed a family member of ours who was a navigator on a B24. It absolutely was deadly and effective.

[@chrisdavis3642]

Yes I saw that test too !! It really changed the way I viewed flack in general

[@air2air]

So many memories, thank you

[@Frank-mm2yp]

During WWII MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL was used to train new pilots to fly B-26 bombers'. The Marauder was not an easy plane to master and was considered to be a "hot airplane". Accidents were not uncommon so some wit coined the phrase: "One a day in Tampa Bay."

[@daniellastuart3145]

from the internet British Commonwealth In 1942, a batch of 52 B-26A Marauders (designated Marauder I by the RAF) were offered to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease. Like the earlier Martin Maryland and Baltimore, these aircraft were sent to the Mediterranean, replacing the Bristol Blenheims of No. 14 Squadron in Egypt. The Squadron flew its first operational mission on 6 November 1942, being used for long range reconnaissance, mine-laying and anti-shipping strikes.[32] Unlike the USAAF, 14 Squadron made productive use of the equipment for carrying torpedoes, sinking several merchant ships with this weapon. The Marauder also proved useful in disrupting enemy air transport, shooting down considerable numbers of German and Italian transport aircraft flying between Italy and North Africa. In 1943, deliveries of 100 long-wingspan B-26C-30s (Marauder II) allowed two squadrons of the South African Air Force, 12 and 24 Squadron to be equipped, these being used for bombing missions over the Aegean Sea, Crete and Italy. A further 350 B-26Fs and Gs were supplied in 1944, with two more South African squadrons joining No 12 and 24 in Italy to form an all-Marauder equipped wing, while one further SAAF squadron and a new RAF squadron (39 Squadron), re-equipped with Marauders as part of the Balkan Air Force supporting Tito's Partisans in Yugoslavia. A Marauder of 25 Squadron SAAF, shot down on the unit's last mission of World War II on 4 May 1945, was the last Marauder lost in combat by any user.] The British and South African aircraft were quickly scrapped following the end of the war, the United States not wanting the return of the Lend-Lease aircraft.

[@MegaBloggs1]

god bless them all -what they did for us just floors me!

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍🇺🇸

[@tesmith47]

For our capitalist ruling class

[@malcolmmccaleb2638]

My father, was a co-pilot on B-26 stationed in England. He told me B-26's could take a heavy pounding. Tough bomber.

[@moragmacgregor6792]

My father-in-law George H Gibbens Jr flew 2 tours out of North Africa in B-26 Marauder. I believe his plane Starduster. He crash landed her in the desert on his son's birthday, June 17, 1943. Afterwards he didn't apply the usual sand-n-spinach paint, preferring the lighter silver with no camoflage. Amazing man.

[@davidsike734]

That last plane @43.51 is not a Marauder but an A-26 Invader

[@Tam0de]

5:44 - Plenty Peed Off Patootie First use of alliteration in an aircraft nickname that i've seen (fighters or bombers). Very cool.

[@Thunderer0872]

Funny making kits of WW2 planes with D Day markings (black & white stripes) the transfers were solid clean lines, then you watch archive film to see it was hand painted and not always clean and straight.

[@Dronescapes]

🙂

[@kennedysingh3916]

If my idea goes as plan, I will be visiting the crash site of a Marauder in my country,Jamaica and put it on KZbin early next year.

[@7989maw]

My great uncle was a crew chief on a B-26 named "Home Stretch"

[@Dronescapes]

👍🇺🇸❤

[@usernamesreprise4068]

The pilot Lee Richter stated (and probably believed whole heartedly to be honest) that when THEY bombed Monte Casino they bombed it flat and in his words on this video - "left not a single fighting age man alive". The actual truth was that both the RAF and the American Army Air force intensively bombed the place incessantly day after day for weeks and did indeed manage to reduce it to rubble. But unbeknownst to those there at the time, during every single air raid the Germans were infact way way deep underground and in absolute safety, as our attacking groundforces were to find out greatly to their cost in the weeks afterward. The only thing the bombing actually achieved - with great success, was to create half a million safe little hiding places in amongst the millions of tons of rubble to enable the defenders to succesfully snipe at the attacking forces in comparative safety, those same attacking forces lost hundreds and hundreds of troops in the weeks after the bombing and it has since been said with the benefit of hindsight it would have been easier and safer to have left the damn place standing thereby offering less opportune places for the defenders to rally to and defend.

[@Dronescapes]

You are right, I don't think they knew how the Germans were hiding and protected in (Montecassino).

[@usernamesreprise4068]

@@Dronescapes Thanks for the correction lol I totally overlooked it.....not like me normally. edited to add : the whole escarpment the place was sat on was a solid sandstone hill and over the centuries was hewn out with dozens of deep underground chambers, perfect to hide in and safe from shelling/bombing.

[@Dronescapes]

@@usernamesreprise4068 no worries, it happens to me all the time :)

[@One.eyedfisherman]

My pepere was a bombardier in a b26, his went down during a bombing mission where the were taking out bridges. Not sure what countey but he was helped by some locals to escape capture. Ssg Earl King. He got a purple heart, air medal and 2 OLC. Never got to meet him, died from cancer in the 1968. I would have loved to hear his stories.

[@bitsnpieces11]

Just a helpful hint for people: When you see the three (3) wide strips on each wing, all the way around, and the same for the rear fuselage, that is an identifying mark for all allied planes participating in the D-Day invasion.

[@Dronescapes]

Thanks for the useful information!

[@jr5113]

The pic at 43:50 is a Douglas A-26. Note the three blade prop.

[@Dronescapes]

You are right, noted. Thanks

[@jr5113]

@@Dronescapes Only knew that because the A-26, along with Marauder, are two very underrated wwiiplanes, imo. BTW, great video, congrats.

[@fredkitmakerb9479]

A good video about the B26. Very interested in mention of Squeak Burnett demonstrating that it could be flown with an engine out. I was hoping they'd touch upon the account of Burnett challenging Joe Foss to a dogfight between the B26 and the F4U Corsair at a war bond tour event. I've only found one account of it and that's in a B26 book, but apparently Foss and his Corsair and Burnett in the B26 when at it over Galveston. When it was done, the dogfight was declared a draw. Later Burnett challenged anybody to a mock dogfight in any airplane against him and his B26, and supposedly nobody accepted the challenge.

[@Dronescapes]

👍🙏👍

[@fredkitmakerb9479]

A month has gone by since I commented. Time flies when you're having fun. I just remembered another unusual dogfight; DroneScapes owner, I will remove this comment if you would like. On Saipan, the army Air Force based P-47s. They also brought in P-61 Black Widows. Apparently the Thunderbolt pilots were making fun of the "fighter pilots" and their Black Widows, and the P-61 squadron challenged the P-47 squadron to a dogfight. Each side selected their champion and off they went to meet head on over the airport. Both aircraft had R-2800 engines (I have never looked to see if a P-61 "only weighed twice as much" as a P-47, but the P-61 had spoilers, and apparently that gave it an unexpected edge. Turns out that they came back and developed the gun camera footage and the P-61's showed frame after frame of P-47 tail feathers. If anybody can find some information of that event, now that would make a really cool video to dissect it!

[@kenibnanak5554]

My Dad was crew on a Marauder. N. Africa, Sicily and Italy, then back to the states to train in prep for the invasion of Japan. He never talked much about it, but enjoyed the unit (320th) reunions.

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him

[@englishpassport6590]

Swap you your B26 Marauders for our Armstrong Whitworth Whitley's which our RAF boys were busily nightflying over Germany. When I look at the Marauder it reminds me of the De Havilland Mosquito our star player which we had some identical initial teething problems with landing and taking off. During the twenties and thirties we on this Island and you 3000 miles away had been sleepwalking. We were disarming while Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Romania rearmed on the sly. From 1938 onwards we knew we were bound to experience all kinds of severe problems with our high speed rearmament programmes it cost us lots of lives but we had no choice but to continue. Obviously it was exactly the same with you... No aircraft built during a war can be free of design and assembly faults even the most successful front line aircraft will need all kinds of addon support.

[@ImGoingSupersonic]

My Grandpa Jake was in one of these, the reason im watching this. He flew over Germany and was 25 at the time. The crew called him "Gramps."

[@joeracer883]

My granddad was a tail gunner in one. He was shot down and was a pow. We have a scrapbook of all of it and the dr papers where he was in the hospital.

[@robertbraun600]

There were a few B26s in Alberta when I was growing up. They used them for water bombers.

[@Dronescapes]

👍

[@RockerWasRight]

My parents met each other on the line building these beauties in Baltimore. Him waiting for his commission to come through. B 24 bombardier 35 missions. Never flew the birds he built.

[@Lobo-tommy10]

My Grampa Austin survived his missions as a tail gunner. Halfway thru he was even shot down over France and made it back to the allied line to finish them. Thanks Grandpa. God bless America

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him

[@philipgreen6085]

My dad was a navigator bomb, Amer on a B26 with the RAF he flew from Italy to Yugoslavia, bombing the railways I think he was on D-Day as well he trained in South Africa and Zimbabwe, which was Rhodesia he heard about planes without propellers. He didn’t believe it. he sounded on the troop ship to South Africa on his return. The captain died of natural causes. He was buried at sea years later he married his daughter, which is my mother. my mum only met her father once.

[@toomanyhobbies2011]

The B26 was used extensively in the Pacific to great effect. Doolittle's modifications made it an effective bomber in that theater.

[@michaelburke9153]

As the nose gear wouldn't extend in his B26, my father the bombardier, had to pull his legs up into his chest as the pilot kept the nose up as long as he could. After the nose came down, the plexiglass was being eaten by the runway. It came to a stop and my Dad had to wait. You see the pilot and co-pilot had to exit before he could as he was below them in that greenhouse. He had already been a POW in WWII and had been in Korea. He said it was the scariest event in his flying career despite having bailed out of 3 other aircraft previously. He crapped his flight suit. This was a training flight in I think 1955. LT Col. USAAF/UASAF 1939-1967

[@bobmcguirk7272]

My dad was an engineer/gunner in the B-26 in WWII.

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍🇺🇸

[@jonunya3128]

my uncle was a bombardier in those. a brave and good man!

[@santiagocantuborjas9060]

Absolutely Beautiful P-47D Razorback

[@dsgp7835]

The RAF flew the B-26. My mother, a London resident, had a cousin who flew a Marauder, she also lost a cousin who flew a Spitfire. My father, an American B-17 mechanic, told me stories of the Warbirds of WWll, I hung on every word.

[@SandyRavaged]

Great uncle was a bombardier in one during the war. He never really talked about it save a few photos while at base.

[@artfrontgalleries1818]

When I was very young in the late 1950'sI would be a passenger on American Airlines going from Syracuse to Chicago and back. I saw the Air National Guard fly the B26. My Father, who had been a Navigator and top turret gunner on B17s in the 8th Army Airforce in Britain told me what horrible airplanes the B26 were. In the late 1960S i was at a location on Skaneateles lake on July 4 and watched the same National Guard do a low flyby which I think ran the whole 19 mile length of the lake. Things progress

[@todd3285]

Well I hate to say it but your father was wrong . The B-26 had the best return rate of any Allied bomber in the war . My dad was a Bombardier/ navigator and did 78 missions over France and Belgium in a B-26. 3 missions on D-Day. He was a recipient of The Distinguish Flying Cross and was so glad he wasn't in a B-17 . The 8th AF just by itself lost more flyers due to combat losses thsn the total Marine combat losses in the war . Imagine that . Your dad was a very brave and lucky man .

[@keithstudly6071]

All Marauders were retired by 1947. If you saw B-26's then they were Douglas Invaders. Their has always been confusion between these two planes, both of which went under the B-26 designation.

[@wbertie2604]

​@@todd3285at one point the loss rate was quite high but tactics were adjusted and the loss rates plummeted. At 0.5% it was slightly better than even the Mosquito bomber versions at 0.63%. This is quite amazing as the B-26 wasn't especially fast. B-26 crews were also the most effective on D-Day.

[@teotwaki]

Nice video. At 43:50 looks like maybe an A-26 Invader photo slipped in

[@jasonrusso151]

@13:12 that is not a wreckage of a B-26, it is an A-26 Invader made by Douglas. notice the tailfin is flat a top not rounded like the Martin B-26.

[@billrey8221]

I love those guys who flew those planes! Americas greatest generation! Not Z, not X, not millennials,.....the greatest generation!!!

[@tesmith47]

Not really, I say everyone who fought the civil war were the civil war folks

[@MarkFish-tk3mn]

Have always loved the planes of WWII but the B26 is my favorite medium bomber of the war

[@Maldoror200]

💀..REALLLY GREAT JOB..Thank You..!! EXCELLENT VIDEO, AMAZING Story..!!!

[@Dronescapes]

🙏

[@Maldoror200]

@@Dronescapes ..✌️😉

[@paul_mumford]

Too many ads spoil the documentary for me.....

[@Dronescapes]

Dear Paul, did you consider KZbin Premium? among the many features, you will also have the benefit of not seeing any ad at all! You might want to take a look at the upgrade

[@paul_mumford]

@@Dronescapes You might want to reduce the number of ads on your video!

[@cennsa140driver]

I went to Montecassino in 2023. They have beautifully rebuilt it. Definitely something to see if you can.

[@ervinthompson6598]

The "Martin Murderer"- Engine out and can't feather , you die( One A Day In Tampa Bay, and i don't doubt there's undiscovered wreckage still out there) 170 knots on final or die- great airplane IF flown exactly by the numbers.

[@wes11bravo]

My grandfather, a 22 year old 2LT pilot had orders for a B-26 squadron in Europe. These were changed en route, which he felt was a Divine Act, until he saw his new assignment - China-Burma-India, flying The Hump, haha.

[@halburke9115]

My dad was a bombadier/navigator and few on “Flak-Bait in France in WW2. The actual plane was in the Smithsonian along with my dad flak jacket.

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him

[@halburke9115]

@@Dronescapes 👌

[@hectortorrezseeezss3462]

I salute those brave men who flew the maurader on this 7th of december pearl harbour day,i love this bomber,i have the b-26plastic model by monogram flak bait 1/48 s cale

[@garyknight3]

Amen...

[@skinner5334]

Great stuff- I never knew anything about this bomber. Thx!

[@Dronescapes]

👍🙏♥️

[@martindice5424]

The Germans were not in the Monastery . They were after the raid. General Freyberg requested this (a New Zealander) However, reasons for the attack are understandable at the time. By it’s very nature history is hindsight.

[@Dronescapes]

I agree Martin

[@bobfeller604]

A proper initial testing period would have eliminated the teething problems.

[@Dronescapes]

Yes, you are probably right

[@AZTexian5]

At 28:28 my grandfather was the Bombardier / navigator for the Jolly Rodger. bottom right

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him!

[@perniciousprogressive8333]

My grandfather was my hero growing up, and he had been a B-24 waist gunner in the 8th flying out of England. He had a chest full of medals (including DFC) and wouldn't speak of anything about the war til in his late 60's. I never saw him ever take a drink, but he said that if it weren't for whiskey he'd have never flown all of the missions that he did. He was there for "Big Week" and other than his flight jacket his only momento was a piece of flak shrapnel that almost killed him. His entire crew made it (a stunning accomplishment) except one who got impatient to go home and volunteered to fly w/ another crew. He didn't make it. I managed to stand in the window of the "Strawberry Bitch" at the USAF Museum when I was 14 (just 4 yrs. younger than he had been) and the image will stay with me forever. My Pop was the greatest man I ever knew. He came home and lived the rest of his life as the hardest working and nicest man I could have ever wished to be. I've often wondered if I could have done what he did, and I doubt it. Because of him I volunteered to become a SERE Instructor when I enlisted, which he was never happy about, but always supportive. Greatest man I'll likely ever know. I'm just glad the B-24 brought him home. 😊

[@lorenzo6mm]

From May, 1943 to May, 1945 My Father glew 153 missions in his B-26 Martin Marauder. "Patty's Pig" 12 - 50 calibers. Two PW WASP 2800 HP engines 5,000 poinds of bombs 400 MPH/ knots capable in a dive. 300 ++ mph cruising speed 10,000 ft. Tactical bomber The heart of 88 Flak battery Hell. Luftwaffe described Marauders As the worst bombers to fight. They could out run FW's and Messerschmits un loaded. His crew survived the ETO without a scratch. The Marauders Were the most effective and survivable Bomber in WWII history. My Fathers plane was living proof of these facts. And, he never let me forget. 153 times what was effectively surviving D Day, June, 6 .......153 times.....!!!!

[@rsmith2160]

What was the dog the crewman was carrying? Mascot?

[@Cander509]

..actually the bombing campaign on Monte Casino turned the monastery in to a hell scape and the perfect defensive position for the German Paratroopers defending..

[@Dronescapes]

Monte Cassino. I know that most likely a spell checker automatically messed the name. Yes, you are right about it! today it is a wonderful place to visit.

[@edbaker4260]

I flew air crew in the Navy in the same plane it was called the JD-1 we towed targets for ships going to Vietnam also what was called Jackstay hops we flew vectors for air traffic control school in Southern Calif. we flew out of North Island Air Station San Diego.

[@keithstudly6071]

Wrong plane the Navy designation for the Marauder was the JM-1. You were in a Douglas Invader or Airforce A-26/B-26. The 'M' stands for Martin (JM-1) and 'D' for Douglas (JD-1). After WW2 the Airforce renamed the A-26 Invader as the B-26 Invader, causing no end of confusion.

[@brucelamberton8819]

I've always liked the look of the B-26

[@michaeltelson9798]

The Germans didn’t enter Monte Cassino until after it was bombed, but they were dugged in right against it (court yards, etc.), They were practically inside it. I believe that 3 attacks failed against it until it was figured out that there was a way around it.Furst the NZ and Ghurkas, then Americans and finally the Poles who first tried to assault it then found the away around it. In the European theatre the B-26 accumulated records of missions accomplished. The front section of Flak Bait that had the top honors is located at the Smithsonian. I believe that 2 of the top 5 aircraft with missions flown were B-26’s 100+ missions.

[@nick6779]

Astronaut Deke Layton,one of the Mercury 7, America's first 7 astronauts piloted a B-26 bomber during World War 2

[@rickerb7196]

Great video except it failed to recognize that the b26 also was used by the c-a in vietnam. It had a massive cannon sticking out the front cupola that according to the pilots I heard from would slow the marauder down so much that they had to limit the number of rounds fired at a time or it would stall.

[@keithstudly6071]

Invader, not Marauder the former A-26 that was redesignated B-26.

[@tomtrostel4091]

2 different planes were called “B-26”. The Martin and the Douglas. In WW II the Martin was the B26 and the Douglas was the A26. After WWII, the Martin disappeared and the Douglas became the B26 and was used in Korea and Vietnam.

[@jamesburns2232]

Samuel Clemmons, AKA Author Mark Twain, was alive and still giving interviews at 1:00 into the video. 🤠

[@pablonylos8022]

Bardzo dobry materiał. Ciekawy. Są napisy pl. Duży plus. Pozdrawiam.

[@Dronescapes]

👍🙏♥️

[@girohuang5196]

B26 vs B25,which is better?

[@snickersberet4792]

My great aunt was a rosie,riveter Baltimore on the B 26. She stayed on after the war., was promoted time and time again. She did well.

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍

[@Ron-b7g]

MY FATHER IN LAW WAS A TAIL. GUNNER , FLEW 54 MISSIONS OUT NORTH AFRICA, AND RECEIVED 5 AIR MEDALS, ONE FOR SHOOTING DOWN A 109 FIGHTER .

[@Dronescapes]

Bless him

[@donalhynes-ic9op]

Excellent - thank you

[@krautyvonlederhosen]

The Baltimore Whore. No visible means of support was how many described the B26, with a short wingspan and reputation that didn’t lend confidence in the new pilots expected to fly them into combat. One per day into Tampa Bay from McDill. Once the bugs were worked out, she had a reputation as one tough bird and loved by the crews. Kermit Weeks has the only flying example and he occasionally spreads her wings and wrings it out. It is an impressive sight. Dad flew one, only once.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

Was that the same Air Force General than slowed down all the B-17's with extra .50 cal Machine Guns that added extra weight to the Marauder ? Probably turned down on acquiring the Very fast and accurate ,highly liked Mosquito

[@williamsnellen4901]

❤thanks for the info 🇺🇸🇺🇸👍🤚🤔😎

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

Knew a gent back in the late 1960s. He had become a pilot prior to WW2. Physical ailments the military wouldn’t take him. He became a ferry pilot. You name it he flew it. He told me they had women ferry pilots fly the B-26 into forward operating bases in the Pacific and North Africa. They wanted the male combat pilots see a lady climb out of the cockpit. He stated some of the lady pilots talked their way into flying with the crews on a few combat missions.