My dad flew the B-26. Training for the 26 took place in Tampa, Fl. He said the plane was known there as, "One a day in Tampa Bay"! The fuel could also be dumped accidently while transfering from wing to wing into the plane if one of the valve was not properly set. The first 26 squadrons bombing Italy out of N. Africa had the highest attrition of any bombers at the time. They were sent to Lebanon for 30 days of formation flying...came back to be some of the least shot up of bombers after that.
The B-26 was known as the Baltimore Whore because it had no visible means of support,meaning the area of the wing, later increased. jimmy Doolittle proved it WAS a safe plane to fly IF YOU DID IT RIGHT! It turned out the B-26 had the lowest loss ratio of bombers in Europe. It had a great payload and was very useful in france and Italy. kermit Weeks Museum has the only one left flying and they drop watermelons at the Ft Lauderdale Air and Sea show...Sumpin to see!
At 23:50 when the Co-pilot says "Uhhh yea." he is really thinking.. "seriously...how in the hell am I supposed to remember what you just spouted out for the last 30 seconds"
Thanks to whoever for posting these historic training films. Informative and entertaining. At least taxpayers get to know a little of what their dollars 'might be' used for. Even though it's 70 years and a few generations on it's a fascinating insight. Well produced and acted.
Did you notice that the prop hubs were bare for most of the flight but seemed to grow spinners just after engine start and after the landing run?
The numbers and limitations show how this plane scared the pilots, flaps up at 800 feet, no side slips, no power on stalls, 155 (mph) with full flaps. The small wing gave it is speed but it carried a price at the slow end. The prop feathering was leisurely. ? thanks to electric props - no need for hydraulic feathering from decaying engine oil pressure?
My Dad was an Aircraft Commander of many of the WW2 US bombers (including B-17, B-29, and the B-26) and was later a Flight Instructor in bombers (including the B-47)It was a great experience for me to watch this very well made, Authentic, Army Air Forces training film (with professional actors doing a very good job), Thank You so much.
Correction on the last entry: Checked further on Jack Webb story attributed to an
e-mail I received from a friend. Not true. Jack Webb washed out of pilot training and was later discharged on a medical profile. Did find out that 1950's-1960's comedian
George Gobel did fly B-26's, but only as a stateside AAF flight instructor at Frederick Field, OK.
The Marauder took off hot and landed hotter. Known as the 'Widowmaker', many were lost in takeoff and landing accidents. Incidentally, Don Porter, who portrayed the pilot, co-starred in the 'Ann Southern Show'. His co-pilot in the film was portrayed by Craig Stevens, who loater was best known as TV's 'Peter Gunn'. Both were authentic USAAF flying officers in WWII. The best known Hollywood personality who actually flew B-26 Marauders in combat was Jack Webb, TV's ' Sgt.Joe Friday in 'Dragnet'.
I'm an aviation buff, was in the military, and I love 40's and 50s nostalgia so there are 3 reasons for me to say thank you for these films. They are very interesting and entertaining.
The 26 was a hot little number. I recall an article back in the 60's likening it to a fuel dragster. A good comparison. Oh, and don't forget guys, that wing you speak of, got it the nickname of "Baltimore Whore", in reference to it 'having no visible means of support'.... IMHO It's a great 'nick' for one of Martin's most fantastic achievements. And after Jackie C's girls started ferrying 'em around, the men lost their reluctance to wanna' take one up.
@WizardOfChicamunga The '26 became a favorite air base 'hack' as soon as war was over because once it was stripped of unneeded weight (many pounds) the Martin bomber became even more of a hot rod impressing pilots that got to fly it . Many many Marauders were destroyed in the latter year of '45, taken down by the torch at some scrap yard in Germany.
Marauders had unusually high wing-loading, and a landing approach was essentially made out of a dive. Martin lowered the wing-loading in successive models, only to have the AAF demand higher operational loads (i.e., more mandatory crap piled on board the airplane). Marauder pilots and crews were caught in the middle.
"nice" LOL....and remember..."step on the ball".....now pull up into a full power stall and kick rudder right or left to enter a spin. blind flying hood....I got a plastic visor gadget. I wonder how they simulated a fuel leak. I wonder how vicious that thing was if you lost an engine on take-off. I've heard that some pilots feather the GOOD engine....bad. The small wing on that thing reminds me of the F-104. I'll bet it had the glide ratio of a brick.
@Brasstacks11 I believe you might be thinking of the Douglas A-26/ B-26 Invader, it saw service from WWII to Vietnam, not this Martin B-26 which was done after WWII. Because of the shared designations, they are often confused. Both very nifty aircraft though. You may want to read General James Doolitle's autobiography, it includes how he showed the true capabilites of the much maligned Martin, a hot ship that because of trainee inexperience and crashes caused the saying "one a day in Tampa Bay".
This video could have saved my life!!! My dad flew in one of the few Navy B-26's during the war. A bright yellow unarmed utility version Belle of the Utron for squadron VJ-13. He told me that once during a typhoon they lost an engine and by the time they made it to Pearl Harbor they were so low they buzzed Admiral Nimitz's house waking him up. So they were met by MP's but quickly released.
Yep he always said it was a hot plane and hard to handle. Thanks so much for posting this!!!
"Conventional gear" means a tail dragger? I guess tricycle gear were "weird" back then.
toogoodbw 19 hours ago
This is awesome!!!! Where did you get this?
toogoodbw 19 hours ago
My dad flew the B-26. Training for the 26 took place in Tampa, Fl. He said the plane was known there as, "One a day in Tampa Bay"! The fuel could also be dumped accidently while transfering from wing to wing into the plane if one of the valve was not properly set. The first 26 squadrons bombing Italy out of N. Africa had the highest attrition of any bombers at the time. They were sent to Lebanon for 30 days of formation flying...came back to be some of the least shot up of bombers after that.
maxfieldo 3 days ago
The B-26 was known as the Baltimore Whore because it had no visible means of support,meaning the area of the wing, later increased. jimmy Doolittle proved it WAS a safe plane to fly IF YOU DID IT RIGHT! It turned out the B-26 had the lowest loss ratio of bombers in Europe. It had a great payload and was very useful in france and Italy. kermit Weeks Museum has the only one left flying and they drop watermelons at the Ft Lauderdale Air and Sea show...Sumpin to see!
chasyes1 3 days ago
At 23:50 when the Co-pilot says "Uhhh yea." he is really thinking.. "seriously...how in the hell am I supposed to remember what you just spouted out for the last 30 seconds"
SimSamurai 1 month ago
Or maybe not, i´m too old anyway .
nejsig 1 month ago
WOW, already checked out on Bergfalke 53 and Mucha STD; with this vid, ready to fly a B-26 Marauder !!!!
nejsig 1 month ago
Well they don't make movies like that anymore!
theoph3777 1 month ago
The instructor/actor seemed to have a good screen presence I have never seen him in anything else.
matrix49A 1 month ago
Now we know how "Airman Snuffy" got his name -- he is named after Private (formerly Corporal) Smith!
TheYodoc 1 month ago
This makes me want to fly! And I do want to fly!!
vexviper 2 months ago
The co-pilot appears to be a young Craig Stevens who stared in the popular 50s TV show Peter Gunn.
robertstolte 2 months ago
Thanks to whoever for posting these historic training films. Informative and entertaining. At least taxpayers get to know a little of what their dollars 'might be' used for. Even though it's 70 years and a few generations on it's a fascinating insight. Well produced and acted.
cr4zyu 2 months ago
My dad flew the B-26 in WW2 really great to see how it was done. Thanks for posting it!
patchas2546 3 months ago
Thanks for posting. Very good!!
p61guy 4 months ago
Did the coporal get his flogging?
kwalliander 4 months ago
Did anyone else notice the Capt walk through the prop arc? I wonder if that was even restricted back then....
PhoenixInversion 4 months ago
I didn't know "Off We Go" was an Air Corps song! Great video. Hard airplane to fly.
dirac33 6 months ago
Thanks, because of this great video I feel confident that I can now fly a b26!
srvfan454 6 months ago 3
Let's just hope there are not any B-26 aircraft laying around in Afghanistan. With this video the Taliban would be a real fighting force!
Where are the real militarily to fight in the world....
michaelpilot1000 6 months ago
If I'd known in advance this training film was this good ... I would have made popcorn.
DDSeever 7 months ago 11
"I think what we need on the next model are more switches and gauges - oh, and some more of those levers with knobs on.."
zekezero12345 8 months ago
Great footage. Is it just me or is it supposed to pause for 'buffering' about every five minutes?
budgienation 8 months ago
is it me or does this B-26 look weird.. The wings are to high on the fuselage O.o
evildeathmonkey1 8 months ago
If I ever need to check out in a b-26 I got er covered
MrROTD 8 months ago
Did you notice that the prop hubs were bare for most of the flight but seemed to grow spinners just after engine start and after the landing run?
The numbers and limitations show how this plane scared the pilots, flaps up at 800 feet, no side slips, no power on stalls, 155 (mph) with full flaps. The small wing gave it is speed but it carried a price at the slow end. The prop feathering was leisurely. ? thanks to electric props - no need for hydraulic feathering from decaying engine oil pressure?
HiWetcam 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Gotta love 44:56, these guys just stepped off an aircraft powered by high-octane aviation fuel (which was leaking), then light up a few smokes.
waverly24 10 months ago
Comment removed
waverly24 10 months ago
This is easily the most relaxed, natural-feeling 'how to fly' video I've ever seen.
barkon 10 months ago 10
My Dad was an Aircraft Commander of many of the WW2 US bombers (including B-17, B-29, and the B-26) and was later a Flight Instructor in bombers (including the B-47)It was a great experience for me to watch this very well made, Authentic, Army Air Forces training film (with professional actors doing a very good job), Thank You so much.
elmerhdga 10 months ago
@madcitymcflyer George Gobel talks about his war flying experience - search "Why the Japanese didn't bomb Oklahoma" in YouTube. Its quite funny
mabroussardii 10 months ago
Indeed this film is such a brilliance! Thank you for sharing.
Fujy10 10 months ago
STR 1964
finnpepe 11 months ago
Correction on the last entry: Checked further on Jack Webb story attributed to an
e-mail I received from a friend. Not true. Jack Webb washed out of pilot training and was later discharged on a medical profile. Did find out that 1950's-1960's comedian
George Gobel did fly B-26's, but only as a stateside AAF flight instructor at Frederick Field, OK.
madcitymcflyer 1 year ago
The Marauder took off hot and landed hotter. Known as the 'Widowmaker', many were lost in takeoff and landing accidents. Incidentally, Don Porter, who portrayed the pilot, co-starred in the 'Ann Southern Show'. His co-pilot in the film was portrayed by Craig Stevens, who loater was best known as TV's 'Peter Gunn'. Both were authentic USAAF flying officers in WWII. The best known Hollywood personality who actually flew B-26 Marauders in combat was Jack Webb, TV's ' Sgt.Joe Friday in 'Dragnet'.
madcitymcflyer 1 year ago
Jeez!!! She sinks like a bathtube but she is lovely!
Cavelson 1 year ago
Neat but I love my A-26....
tbm3e309 1 year ago
I'm an aviation buff, was in the military, and I love 40's and 50s nostalgia so there are 3 reasons for me to say thank you for these films. They are very interesting and entertaining.
Turdbuckethat 1 year ago
My grandfather was one of the designers on the 26. Thanks for posting this.
Drivedigital 1 year ago
The 26 was a hot little number. I recall an article back in the 60's likening it to a fuel dragster. A good comparison. Oh, and don't forget guys, that wing you speak of, got it the nickname of "Baltimore Whore", in reference to it 'having no visible means of support'.... IMHO It's a great 'nick' for one of Martin's most fantastic achievements. And after Jackie C's girls started ferrying 'em around, the men lost their reluctance to wanna' take one up.
WizardOfChicamunga 1 year ago
@WizardOfChicamunga Good call Mate, nice to hear the ladies get some credit, they flew everything the guys did.
klesmer 1 year ago
@klesmer Yes, and some even ferried the mightiest of 'em all, the awesome and often prone to engine fires B-29!
WizardOfChicamunga 1 year ago
@klesmer But I love the B-26 ! It's just a gorgeous hot rod of the sky!
WizardOfChicamunga 1 year ago
@WizardOfChicamunga For sure. They were the fastest of our bombers in WW11 and had the lowest losses of all our bombers.
klesmer 1 year ago
@WizardOfChicamunga The '26 became a favorite air base 'hack' as soon as war was over because once it was stripped of unneeded weight (many pounds) the Martin bomber became even more of a hot rod impressing pilots that got to fly it . Many many Marauders were destroyed in the latter year of '45, taken down by the torch at some scrap yard in Germany.
kolbpilot 3 months ago
Marauders had unusually high wing-loading, and a landing approach was essentially made out of a dive. Martin lowered the wing-loading in successive models, only to have the AAF demand higher operational loads (i.e., more mandatory crap piled on board the airplane). Marauder pilots and crews were caught in the middle.
jrcadet4 1 year ago
"nice" LOL....and remember..."step on the ball".....now pull up into a full power stall and kick rudder right or left to enter a spin. blind flying hood....I got a plastic visor gadget. I wonder how they simulated a fuel leak. I wonder how vicious that thing was if you lost an engine on take-off. I've heard that some pilots feather the GOOD engine....bad. The small wing on that thing reminds me of the F-104. I'll bet it had the glide ratio of a brick.
SpeedyNeutrino43 1 year ago
Corporal Smith is so F_cked!
grooveclubhouse 1 year ago
I also heard that this was a flying coffin.However,it survived all throught the Vietnam War
Brasstacks11 1 year ago
@Brasstacks11 I believe you might be thinking of the Douglas A-26/ B-26 Invader, it saw service from WWII to Vietnam, not this Martin B-26 which was done after WWII. Because of the shared designations, they are often confused. Both very nifty aircraft though. You may want to read General James Doolitle's autobiography, it includes how he showed the true capabilites of the much maligned Martin, a hot ship that because of trainee inexperience and crashes caused the saying "one a day in Tampa Bay".
spectapiece 1 year ago
This video could have saved my life!!! My dad flew in one of the few Navy B-26's during the war. A bright yellow unarmed utility version Belle of the Utron for squadron VJ-13. He told me that once during a typhoon they lost an engine and by the time they made it to Pearl Harbor they were so low they buzzed Admiral Nimitz's house waking him up. So they were met by MP's but quickly released.
Yep he always said it was a hot plane and hard to handle. Thanks so much for posting this!!!
llleverette 1 year ago
Thx
CCG26 1 year ago
We had 26s in Baton Rouge Harding Field during the war.....great video....
BarryAir 1 year ago
Comment removed
TheWordOfBod 1 year ago
makes me want to dust off my old b-26...
TheWordOfBod 1 year ago
thanks!
nicolas1842 2 years ago
This rocks. Awesome flying skills.
gazstaf 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
first!!
sib1981 2 years ago