Subject: Col. Tibbets on the B-26 Marauder
From: (WalterM140)
Date: 6/8/04 12:28 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Tibbets was tagged to "look into the B-26 problem" solve it and teach other
pilots to fly it. His first comment after flying it for the first time was,
"
That Marauder is one nasty airplane".


Art, didn't Jimmy Doolittle get involved in the B-26 program? What did that
do?

Walt

It did a lot of good. It convinced everyone that any good pilot could fly qa
B-26. Doolittle did a remarkable demo. He made low passes on single engine and
pulled up and went around. And did it several times throwing the B-26 around
impressively in the process. The pilots watching the demo were impressed saying
"if he can do it so can I". By this time the B-26 was called the B-Dash Crash,
the Baltimore Whore, the Widow, The widowmaker and the flying coffon. And let's
never forget "One a day in Tampa Bay" But Doolittle was nobody's fool. The
plane he used was not combat loaded. No bombs, no waist guns, no full crew and
only enough fuel to do the demo. So he essentialy solved the wing loading
problem before he even took off. Smart guy. The demo was not just a success it
became famous and an intergral part of the Doolittle legend. But the day after
the war ended my pilot got himself transferred out of Marauders to ATC flying
nice safe DC-3's A lot of guys flew them, damn few loved them. But one thing
about being in B-26's, when anybody heard you were in them, they looked a you
with awe and pity as though you were a very brave man but not long for this
world..They got a look about them that said,:"better you than me".




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer