Osprey Combat Aircraft 2 : B-26 Marauder Units of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces

The medium bomber 'workhorse' of the Ninth Air Force, Martin's much-maligned B-26 Marauder recovered from its poor start with the Eighth Air Force to go on and equip no less than eight bomber groups in the ETO. Although initially dubbed 'the widow maker', a change of tactics from low- to medium-level bombing for the Marauder soon improved the crews' chances of survival - indeed, by war's end it boasted a lower loss-per-sortie ratio than any other twin-engined bomber in the USAAF. The B-26 was one of the first American-manned combat aircraft to see action in Europe, with the first bomb groups arriving in East Anglia in the spring of 1943. From that point on, Marauders bore the brunt of the medium bomber effort in the ETO, proving particularly effective in the lead up to the D-Day invasion. This book covers all aspects of Marauder operations in Western Europe, featuring first hand accounts from surviving B-26 crews, plus an analysis of the tactics employed. Unit histories are also included, plus detailed appendices covering group dispositions and locations. Finally, 34 specially commissioned colour profiles and 1/72 scale drawings complete the package. Text by Jerry Scutts with illustrations by Tom Tullis.

Contents

• Author's Introduction
• A Phoenix Rising
• Honing the Technique
• The New Ninth
• D-Day to the Ardennes
• Battle of the bulge
• Deadly Adversaries
• Appendices