B-26 Marauder - Combat Operations
The B-26 saw early combat action in the Pacific Theater. The 22 Bombardment Group, the first combat-ready B-26 group, was the first bombardment group to depart the US for a war theater after Pearl Harbor. Their first aircraft arrived in Australia on 25 March 1942; they had 48 aircraft on hand within a month. The 22 BG’s operations in the Southwest Pacific focused primarily on halting the Japanese advance by attacking supply depots, airfields and shipping convoys.
The Marauder’s medium range proved problematic in the Pacific. Because basing out of the airfield at Port Moresby, New Guinea was too dangerous due to repeated Japanese air raids, the B-26s were based further away at Townsville, Australia. With their initial missions to attack the Japanese supply depot at Rabaul, Marauders could not make the 2,600 mile round trip from Townsville without refueling.
Loaded with bombs and extra internal fuel, B-26 crews flew 600 miles to Port Moresby where they refueled for the bombing mission, usually flown the next day. After bombing Rabaul, they returned to Moresby with minimal fuel reserves. The 22d flew 16 missions and 80 sorties against Rabaul. They claimed hits against three transport ships, two merchant vessels and one aircraft carrier along with the destruction of 16 Japanese aircraft on the ground and ten in the air. Although the Marauders struck vital targets at Rabaul, the missions clearly called for the longer-range capabilities of heavy bombers.
The Japanese plan to assault Port Moresby shifted the 22d’s focus to new and different missions. The B-26s teamed with B-25s, B-17s and A-20s in attempting to disrupt convoys bringing troops and supplies to north shore of New Guinea. Marauders were the first aircraft to locate the initial convoy headed for Buna on 21 July. Five B-26s reported one direct hit on a transport but were unable to stop the Japanese landing.
In June of 1942, B-26 crews assumed a much less familiar role as torpedo bombers at both the Battle of Midway and in the Aleutian Islands of the Alaskan Theater. At Midway, two crews each from the 22d and the 38th BGs attacked Japanese ships in the massive naval battle. Heavy defenses by Japanese fighters and surface to air flak downed two of the four Marauders prior to their attacks. The remaining two aircraft released their torpedoes but did not sink any Japanese ships.
Eventually, the 22nd developed tactics of action effective for the Pacific theater: a blow at high speed from a flying flight. This made it possible to prevent fighters from attacking from the least protected zone under the bottom of the aircraft, and provided a surprise approach to the target. In the absence of a clear front line, the Japanese largely neglected fire of anti-aircraft guns.
By early 1943, the AF decided to stop sending additional B-26s to both the Pacific and Alaskan theaters with the intention of converting all medium bombardment groups to B-25 Mitchells. In July 1943, the survivors of the Pacific Ocean B-26 were brought to the 19th squadron, which received the nickname "Silver Fleet": to improve the speed of its aircraft washed away the protective paint. They fought in the southwestern Pacific until January 1944.
The B-26 crews in the Pacific faced a significantly different operational and threat environment than crews in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (ETO). Thus, only some of the lessons learned fighting the Japanese would prove applicable elsewhere.
While B-26 operations in the Pacific and problems at home continued, the AAF directed three Marauder groups to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations [MTO]. The 17th, 319th and 320th Bombardment Groups were to become part of the newly formed Twelfth AF, commanded by Brigadier General Jimmy Doolittle. Early Marauder operations in North Africa proved to be valuable but costly experiences. Recognizing the obvious perils of low altitude flying when faced with intense German flak, the Marauders sought to transition to medium altitude tactics. Medium bombardment tactics evolved to use formation bombing, with one bombardier locating the target using the Norden bombsight and other bombardiers in the formation releasing simultaneously.
After the Allied landings on the Italian mainland, Marauders continued bridge attacks with the intent of both stopping resupply and halting retreating forces. Bridges remained a primary target for B-26 crews through the spring of 1944 as Marauders continued to isolate battlefields and interrupt enemy supply lines.
With increased experience, B-26 crews improved their bombing accuracy considerably. In November 1943, B-26s on average required 59 sorties and 106 tons of bombs to hit a bridge. By the end of March 1944, those numbers were nearly cut in half to 31 sorties and 68 tons respectively. They earned particular distinction on 15 March during the colossal air raid on the town and abbey at Cassino, Italy. The last to bomb among 275 heavy and 200 medium bombers, the B-26s put close to 90% of their bombs on the target.
The shift to medium altitude had proven beneficial. Although German flak still posed a significant threat, medium altitude operations reduced its lethality. Operations in the MTO also demonstrated the effectiveness of fighter escort. Larger formations employing the Norden bombsight enabled vast improvements even against difficult bridge targets. Marauders attacked targets traditionally considered both “strategic” and “tactical” and operated in conjunction with both heavy bombers and fighter-bombers. Their primary limitation, therefore, was not target type but rather range.
The B-26 did not enter combat in Northwest Europe until the spring of 1943. The 322nd BG became the first of four initial B-26 groups to join the Eighth AF’s Third Bombardment Wing. The Marauder’s re-attack at Imjuiden on 17 May 1943 proved tragic. The Marauders flew unescorted at “zero feet.” They met stiff fighter defenses and heavy concentrations of flak. In the chaos, three of the aircraft collided. Others fell prey to flak and fighters. None of the ten returned. Thirty-four of the sixty men on the mission perished. After a failed mission and a tragic loss, the Marauder’s future was again in question. Eighth AF grounded all B-26s.
General Ira Eaker, Commander of Eighth AF, decided to move the B-26s from his Bomber Command to Air Support Command. In addition to raising their planned employment altitudes, Marauder crews decided to use close formations with larger numbers of aircraft. Originally increasing to about 18 aircraft, Marauder groups later determined 36 aircraft, two “boxes” of 18. The 323 BG flew the Marauder’s return to combat on 16 July 1943. During the summer of 1943, Marauder targets occasionally included coke plants and power stations but consisted primarily of airfields and marshalling yards. The emphasis on airfield attacks, in accordance with the early phases of the Combined Bomber Offensive, sought to destroy Luftwaffe capabilities to gain air superiority.
In October 1943, the AAF transferred all four B-26 groups in England to the Ninth AF, with the mission to serve as the American Tactical Air Force which would cooperate with the ground forces in the Allied invasion of Europe. Rather than continue expansion of the Eighth AF, the AAF determined to establish the Ninth for “tactical” operations while the Eighth continued its “strategic” focus. During November 1943, Marauders missions increasingly attacked targets associated with Germany’s “Vengeance”, or “V,” Weapons programs.
Remarkably, B-26s quickly showed a high survival rate. At the end of August 1943, the AAF calculated a B-26 crew survival rate of 37.35 missions compared to 17.74 missions for a B-17 crew. As the official Ninth AF history relates, by the end of 1944 "the B-26 in this theater had completely dispelled the bad reputation which had so undeservedly clung to this plane.”
The AAF activated the 397 BG on 20 April 1943 at MacDill Field, Florida. The 397th earned the nickname “Bridge Busters” [extending the "Dam Busters" trope] for their prowess in accomplishing the difficult task of attacking bridges to deny their use by German forces. Their contributions, however, went beyond attacking these difficult targets. In exactly one year of combat, the 397th attacked targets including German Vengeance Weapon sites, airfields, railroad marshalling yards, lines of communication, and fuel and weapons areas. They also provided direct support to Allied troop movements.
As the concept of medium bombardment matured, the Marauder settled into its role as a medium altitude bomber against continental targets. However, B-26 units continued demonstrating flexibility by attacking virtually any desired target within their range. Between the 22d and 24th of June 1944, for example, the 397th bombed an enemy strong point, a NOBALL facility, and a rail bridge. In these three days, they provided both direct and indirect support to ground forces and pursued defense of the British homeland. Such flexibility enabled concurrent pursuit of multiple objectives.
At war’s end, the AAF retired the B-26 Marauder from service and ordered all of the Bridge Busters’ aircraft, and nearly all other B-26s in Europe, destroyed for scrap metal. After removing valuable items including engines and radios, salvage workers used TNT to destroy the airframes.
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