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THE UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES

IN WORLD WAR TWO

IN HONOR OF THE VETERANS

FORTRESS UNDER FIRE

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BOMBERS	FIGHTERS	TRANSPORTS	RECON-TRAIN	ATTACK

THE
ENEMY THE
AUTHOR THOSE
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DAD'S WAR

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B-26 DEVELOPMENT

AND

GEN. JIMMY DOOLITTLE

THE BIRTH OF THE MARTIN MARAUDER CAME ABOUT DUE TO SPECIFICATIONS ISSUED BY THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON JANUARY 25 th OF 1939. THESE SPECIFICATIONS SOUGHT A TWIN ENGINE BOMBER WITH GREAT EMPHASIS PLACED ON SPEED, RANGE AND OPERATIONAL ALTITUDE. THE MARTIN COMPANY PRESENTED A DESIGN IN LESS THAN SIX MONTHS THAT MET ALL REQUIREMENTS PERFECTLY, ON PAPER. THIS WAS ACCEPTED BY THE A.A.C. AND THEY PRESENTED THE COMPANY WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED ORDER FOR 1,000 AIRCRAFT SIGHT UNSEEN.

THE FIRST PROTOTYPE OF THE MARAUDER FLEW ON NOVEMBER 25 th OF 1940. AS OPERATIONAL USE OF THE B-26 BEGAN PROBLEMS THAT WOULD FOLLOW IT THROUGH ITS CAREER SURFACED QUICKLY. THE LARGEST OF THESE PROBLEMS WAS IN TRAINING THE FLIGHT CREWS AND THEN MAINTAINING THEIR TRUST IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE CREWS WERE DISCONCERTED BY CERTAIN FEATURES OF THE PLANE, PRIMARILY THE UNUSUALLY HIGH WING LOADING THAT NECESSITATED DANGEROUSLY HIGH LANDING SPEEDS. AFTER A NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS PRODUCTION WAS ACTUALLY STOPPED AND A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY WAS APPOINTED. IT WAS DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH PRODUCTION AFTER CERTAIN MODIFICATIONS, WHICH PROVED TO BE OF LITTLE ASSISTANCE.

DURING THE EARLY WEEKS OF OPERATION IN NORTH AFRICA THE MARAUDER WAS GAINING A REPUTATION AS A KILLER OF FLIGHT CREWS. IT WAS KNOW BY A NUMBER OF UNFLATTERING NICKNAMES, SUCH AS THE BALTIMORE WHORE AS IT HAD NO VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE HAD RECENTLY TAKEN COMMAND OF THE 12 ^TH AIR FORCE AND WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION. FIRST OF ALL DOOLITTLE DID NOT WANT HIS CREWS TO FEEL THAT HIGH COMMAND DID NOT CARE. SECONDLY THE GENERAL HAD TESTED THIS PLANE THOROUGHLY BEFORE MOST OF THE COMBAT CREWS HAD EVER SEEN ONE. HE KNEW IT WAS A PLANE THAT COULD MAKE A CREDITABLE MARK ON THE WAR EFFORT.

TO PROVE HIS POINT THE GENERAL STARTED TO TOUR UNITS WHILE FLYING A B-26 WITH NO COPILOT, ONLY A CREW CHIEF TO SERVICE THE CRAFT. JIMMY WOULD FLY OVER THE BOMBER UNITS DOING THINGS THAT MOST THOUGHT WOULD BRING CERTAIN DEATH. TO ILLUSTRATE THIS I AM GOING TO BORROW A BIT FROM GENERAL PAUL TIBBETS' MEMOIRS. THIS WAS WRITTEN AFTER A RIDE WITH DOOLITTLE DURING ONE OF HIS PERFORMANCES. I HAVE BORROWED THIS FROM DOOLITTLE'S BOOK, I COULD NEVER BE SO LUCKY AGAIN .

I should have suspected that Doolittle knew
more about the B-26 than he admitted when he said,
"It's just another airplane. Let's start it up and play
with it."

That is exactly what we did. We got in the air and
circled to 6,000 feet, remaining close enough
to the field to reach the runway if we had trouble.
But everything went smoothly.

Doolittle then shut down one of the engines,
feathered the propeller. He got the plane trimmed and
we did some flying on one engine, turning in both
directions, climbing, making steep banks. The
Marauder was a tame bird with Doolittle at the
controls.

Suddenly he put the plane into a dive, built up
excess speed, and put it into a perfect loop�all with
one engine dead. As we came to the bottom of the
loop, he took the dead propeller out of feather and it
started windmilling. When it was turning fast enough,
he flipped on the magnetos and restarted the engine
as we made a low pass over the airfield. We came
around in a normal manner, dropped the gear and the
flaps, and set the B-26 down smoothly on the runway.

The pilots and operations people who had been
watching us were impressed. The flight was an important
start toward convincing them that the B-26 was just
another airplane.

THE MARAUDER, 5157 OF THEM, AND THEIR CREWS PROVIDED FINE SERVICE TO OUR NATION AND A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE WAR EFFORT.

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DID YOU KNOW?

I FEEL PEOPLE MUST KNOW AND MUST REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING.

IN EXCESS OF 60,000,000 PEOPLE DIED WORLD WIDE DURING THE WAR YEARS.
OF THE 33,021 AMERICAN MILITARY CAPTURED BY THE JAPANESE, 12,526, (40%),DIED IN CAPTIVITY.
OF 96,614 AMERICANS HELD BY THE GERMANS, 1,121, LITTLE OVER 1%, DIED IN CAPTIVITY.
MORE THAN 6,000,000 JEWS DIED DURING THE WAR IN WHAT IS NOW CALLED AN ETHNIC CLEANSING IN PARTS OF OUR WORLD. MANY OF THESE JEWS DIED AT THE HANDS OF NON GERMANS, PEOPLE OF THE OCCUPIED NATIONS.
ALONG WITH THE JEWISH CIVILIANS, ANOTHER 4,000,000 CIVILIANS DIED IN EASTERN EUROPE ALONE.
450,000 JAPANESE WERE KILLED WHILE DEFENDING THEIR POSITIONS WHEN THE UNITED STATES LIBERATED THE PHILIPPINES .
JAPANESE KAMIKAZE PILOTS SANK OR DAMAGED MORE THAN 300 U.S. NAVAL SHIPS, CAUSING NEARLY
15,000 CASUALTIES.
THIS WORLD WIDE CONFLAGRATION COST THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD APPROXIMATELY ONE TRILLION DOLLARS.
MERCHANT MARINE LOSSES BY COUNTRY.
GREAT BRITAIN: 4786 SHIPS
JAPAN: 2346
GERMANY: 1595
UNITED STATES: 578
U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE CASUALTIES TOTALED 120,000, OF WHOM 40,000 DIED IN COMBAT. ANOTHER 15,000 DIED IN TRAINING OR IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. AIRCRAFT LOSSES WERE 65,200, ONE THIRD OF THESE WERE DESTROYED IN CRASHES IN THE STATES.

THE MORAL OF WAR

IN WAR: RESOLUTION

IN DEFEAT: DEFIANCE

IN VICTORY: MAGNANIMITY

IN PEACE: GOODWILL

WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL

I HAVE BEEN A LIFE MEMBER OF THE FIFTEENTH AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION
FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. IF YOU ARE TRYING TO LOCATE SOMEONE
CONNECTED WITH THE 15TH YOU MIGHT TRY CONTACTING THESE FINE PEOPLE.
ASK IF THEY WOULD PUBLISH YOUR LETTER IN OUR
PUBLICATION CALLED, "SORTIE."

15TH AF ASSOC

THEY CAN BE REACHED AT.

FIFTEENTH AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION
BOX 6325
MARCH AIR FORCE BASE
CALIFORNIA 92518

AN ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP IS $20.00, LIFE MEMBERSHIP IS $150.00

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