This series is dedicated to the gallant service performed by the brave airmen of World War 2 who risked all so that we may enjoy our American way of life. The phrase “Big Brother, Little Brother” refers to the way the heavy bomber and fighter escort aircraft pilots called each other on the radio chatter.
On a personal note, my father “John” served as a flight engineer on a B-25 Mitchell out of Italy in 1944 and 1945. He made it back alive, as did my father-in-law “Danny” who served as a belly gunner on a B-24 Liberator out of Libya. “Danny” was one of the few airmen who flew in both Ploesti oil field raids to Romania (June 1942 and August 1943) and did so without so much as a scratch. He flew his 25 missions and returned to the US as a gunnery instructor (Lead, Dammit, Lead!).
Finding all the caches will display a GeoArt form of the Big Brother, Little Brother relationship on your map. The caches were not meant to be difficult to find. If you can’t find a cache, it’s probably missing. Send me a picture of the location by email, I’ll accept the find and replace the cache.
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe.
After entering service with the U.S. Army, the aircraft received the reputation of a "Widowmaker" due to the early models' high rate of accidents during takeoff and landings. The Marauder had to be flown by exact airspeeds, particularly on final approach and when one engine was out. The 150 mph speed on short final was intimidating to pilots who were used to much slower speeds, and whenever they slowed down below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stall and crash.
The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained and after aerodynamics modifications (increase of wing span and incidence, to give better take off performance, and a larger fin and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber.
Martin B-26G Marauder Technicals
General Characteristics-
Crew: 7: (2 pilots, bombardier, navigator/radio operator, 3 gunners)
Length: 58 ft 3 in
Wingspan: 71 ft 0 in
Height: 21 ft 6 in
Wing area: 658 ft2
Empty Weight: 24,000 lb
Loaded weight: 37,000 lb
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 radial engines, 1,900 hp each
Performance-
Maximum Speed: 287 mph at 5,000 feet
Cruise Speed: 216 mph
Landing speed: 114 mph
Combat Radius: 1,150 mi
Ferry Range: 2,850 mi
Service Ceiling: 21,000 ft
Wing Loading: 46.4 lb/ft²
Power/Mass: 0.10 hp/lb
Armament-
Guns: 12 x .50” Browning machine guns
Bombs: 4,000 pounds
Survivors
Airworthy-
B-26 s/n 40-1464, part of the Fantasy of Flight collection in Polk City, FL.
On display-
B-26B s/n 41-31773 “Flak Bait”. The nose section is on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. The remainder (mid and tail fuselage sections, wings, engines, and empennage) are stored at NASM's Paul E. Garber facility in Suitland, MD. This aircraft survived 207 operational missions over Europe, more than any other American aircraft during World War II and will, one day, be restored and displayed at NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport, VA.
B-26G s/n 43-34581 “Shootin In” is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH. This aircraft was flown in combat by the Free French during the final months of World War II. It was obtained from the French airline Air France training school near Paris in June 1965. It is painted as a 9th Air Force B-26B assigned to the 387th Bomb Group in 1945.
Under restoration-
B-26 s/n 40-1370 by the Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill Air Force Base, UT.
B-26 s/n 40-1459 by the MAPS Air Museum in Akron, OH.
B-26 s/n 40-1501 by the Military Aircraft Restoration Corp. in Anaheim, CA.