The Martin B-26 Marauder
The last American nominee for the title of Best Allied multi-engined bomber of World War Two, the B-26 had a shaky start in service due to the high demands placed on its crews when landing, especially with engine damage. Nicknamed ‘the Widowmaker’ the B-26 underwent structural changes whilst aircrew were given more specialised training in handling the Marauder’s landing characteristics. Additionally the change in tactics (from low level bombing to medium altitude) saw a drastic reduction in losses until by the war’s end the B-26 Marauder had the lowest loss rate of any US bomber. Used mostly in the ETO, some Marauders were used in the Pacific, whilst lend-lease B-26s of the RAF, SAAF and Free French Air Force flew missions in the Mediterranean and Balkans.
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Wings of War December Poll: The Best Allied Multi-Engined Bomber Of WWII
December’s poll looks at what WoW visitors and followers may consider to be the best multi-engined bomber of World War Two. When making your selection keep in mind such issues as importance to the Allied war effort, damage inflicted on the enemy and the performance vis-a-vis speed/bomb-load/weight/serviceability.
First voting option is the legendary Avro Lancaster, mainstay of RAF’s Bomber Command and night offensive against Germany from early 1942. The ‘Lanc’ was involved ion all the major Bomber Command raids of the second half of WWII, including Cologne and the 1000 bomber raid, Hamburg, The Battle of The Ruhr, The Battle of Berlin, Dresden, the sinking of the Tirpitz, the raids on Peenemunde and most famously the Dambuster Raid.
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