13.08.2008, 00:39
HundertzehnGustav Wrote:no, no the B-26 is a bad plane, it was called widowmaker... forget that thing... couldnt even fly on one engine... small wings, high load per squre foot wing area... no ball turret... a bad bad plane i tell you
*runs for cover*
even though i know you're semi-joking, the B-26 got an unfortunate rap earlier in the war as the widowmaker for a couple main reasons. Marauders were delivered from the factory without their radio equipment, making them very nose heavy. They also had a pretty high landing speed as a result of the wing design. The combination of these 2 factors led to very high loss rates in training exercises, thus earning the B-26 that nickname.
IIRC, they had one of the lowest loss rates per sortie of allied bombers during the war due to enemy action.