Strafing B-26??

[frank3]

Our B-26 packs some good forward firepower, but was the Marauder ever used for strafing? I've always considered the B-26 as a mid-alt bomber, I can't think of any occasions were its 5x.50's would come in handy!
If so, is there any more information about it?



Thanks!

[Urchin]

I think in the Pacific everything was used for strafing.

[SmokinLoon]

I think in the Pacific everything was used for strafing.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the B26 was supposed to replace the A20, and be able to do strafing attacks, shallow dive bomb, and level bomb better.  All the while being faster, having a better climb rate, and better defensive guns.

[Oldman731]

I think in the Pacific everything was used for strafing.

There were some early B-26s based out of Port Moresby in New Guinea during 1942.  They may have been used for strafing, although I think that was very incidental.  The strafer B-25s weren't developed until early 1943, and had their first big test at the Battle of Bismarck Sea in March of that year.  I believe all of the B26s had been withdrawn from the Pacific by then.

I've never heard B-26s being used on strafing missions anywhere else.

- oldman

[Soulyss]

I think in the Pacific everything was used for strafing.

I can't say for certain yet, but I don't think B-26's were used in this way in the SW Pacific the 22nd BG was based in Australia and flying some of the early missions to Rabaul, they would fly up stage out of Port Moresby then hit Rabaul and come back.  The raids were pretty small and the low level skip bombing techniques hadn't been developed yet (if memory serves the first skip bombing attack was made by a B-17 in Simpson Harbor at night) so I would be surprised if the B-26 did any low level strafing attacks, they were just starting to figure out that medium and high altitude bombardment wasn't going to kill shipping quite as easily as some of the theorists said it would during the pre-war years.

[lyric1]

Best B-26 Strafing story I am aware of. No blister packs on there 26's though.

[Rebel]

Yes.

My great uncle flew them- he preferred the A-26 over the B-26, but they did strafe quite a bit, from what I remember of his stories.

[Ack-Ack]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the B26 was supposed to replace the A20, and be able to do strafing attacks, shallow dive bomb, and level bomb better.  All the while being faster, having a better climb rate, and better defensive guns.

A-26 was the plane designed to replace the A-20, not the B-26 Marauder.

ack-ack

[Delirium]

In the Pacific, a lot of things were done differently.



http://www.johngreavesart.ca/b26.htm

edit: it looks like Lyric beat me to it.

[Angus]

What else would the purpose of the guns be?
Even the B25 was used for strafing

[Oldman731]

What else would the purpose of the guns be?
Even the B25 was used for strafing

ESPECIALLY the B-25 was used for strafing!  That was the plane that invented it, really (well...you know what I mean).

For some reason B-26s just weren't used in the Pacific after early 1943.  I imagine that the later B-26s - the ones with the cheek gun packs - were so equipped so that they COULD be used for strafing if the opportunity presented itself.  In the ETO it generally did not.  Early attempts by A-20s to mimic the low-level attacks which were so successful in the Pacific proved disastrous against the much better ground fire which existed in Europe.

- oldman

[Krusty]

Whether it did or not, they clearly built them with the ability. You look back and even the Boston III has 3x .303 nose guns. It was self defense as well, to ward off any of the common head-on attacks, which were effective against level bombers with glass, unarmored, nose areas.

4x .50s in the snout will discourage HO runs, no doubt?

[Angus]

A HO attack is a hard one on a fast aircraft. But a good point, - if the other head has teeth....

[ScottyK]

In the Pacific, a lot of things were done differently.

(Image removed from quote.)

http://www.johngreavesart.ca/b26.htm

edit: it looks like Lyric beat me to it.

 

 if i remember correctly the gentleman who flew that planes lives here in billings MT, not 100% certain, i'll have to go check.

[EagleDNY]

The interesting thing I see (that i never knew) was that the B-26 could be armed with a torpedo.