About Mr Shorty
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A Giant Returns:
A Giant Returns:
The UK’s Largest Marauder Fuselage Joins Boxted Airfield Museum
The UK’s Largest Marauder Fuselage Joins Boxted Airfield Museum
Marks Hall
The Boxted Airfield Historical Group is proud to announce the acquisition of the largest surviving section of a B-26 Marauder in the UK. This 10-foot fuselage piece, located behind the mid-upper gun turret, includes couplings for the tail plane and fin, as well as the power-assisted tail gun turret assembly and ammunition feeds.
It was formally donated to the museum in July 2023 by the Trustees of Marks Hall, from whom it had been on loan for several years. Marks Hall served as the 9th Air Force HQ and the Operations Room for the 323rd Bomb Group, to which this particular aircraft was allocated in Spring 1944.
Behind the Name of a Marauder Legend
Behind the Name of a Marauder Legend
Mr. Shorty was named by Dick Gray, who became its captain over here. He was the co-pilot of the aircraft which flew on the northern route. He named it after his first born son, who was Dick Gray Junior.
Nose art was often painted on the aircraft. It was dependent on there being an artist on the squadron. As far as it's known, there wasn't an artist on the particular squadron that Mr. Shorty was allocated to.
Had there been then the nose art that Dick wanted was to have been a little boy in an old fashioned hunting outfit with an old fashioned rifle, almost like the Davy Crockett scenario, if you like.
Saved from the Smelter: The Resurrection of "Mr Shorty"
"Mr Shorty" was rediscovered in 1974 by Ken Ellis
After surviving a scrap yard in Warrington, the B-26 Marauder "Mr Shorty" was rediscovered in 1974 by Ken Ellis. Despite its fragile state, the aircraft was salvaged and moved initially, to Duxford and then to Andrewsfield.”
“Its survival honours the 323rd Bomb Group and all who operated Marauders, as well the unique history of Andrewsfield, the only UK airfield named after a person and the first to be constructed by a US Engineer Battalion (Aviation).
From Scrap to Sanctuary:
The Last-Minute Rescue of "Mr Shorty"
From Scrap to Sanctuary:
The Last-Minute Rescue of "Mr Shorty"
After moving through a number of locations and storage, "Mr Shorty" was in 2011, loaned to Boxted Airfield Museum.
Originally displayed on a trailer, it now resides in a purpose-built facility featuring a reconstructed cockpit layout with its original throttle box and control column.
In 2023 ownership was transferred to the museum.
Steel, Scars, and Survival: The Legend of "Mr Shorty"
Key Highlights:
Key Highlights:
The surviving tail section of "Mr. Shorty" offers a rare look at the B-26 Marauder’s defensive systems.
Despite the fuselage's thin, "baked bean tin" construction, the tail was reinforced with half-inch steel plating and an M6 Bell servo power turret housing twin .50 calibre guns.
A Lucky Escape:
Tail gunner Roy Bozych once survived a shrapnel strike thanks to his flak jacket; he kept the metal fragment as a family heirloom for years.The Bozych Legacy:
Roy Bozych's son later became the historian for the 323rd Bomb Group, collaborating with the museum to preserve the data and history of the very aircraft his father once manned.
Battle Damage:
The aircraft bears physical scars from combat, likely from oblique attacks designed to avoid the tail's direct line of fire.
From Warbird to Waste:
The Tragic Fate of the "Forgotten" Marauders
Despite completing a remarkable 96 combat missions, Mr. Shorty and its crew survived the war only for the aircraft to be scrapped at Burtonwood in 1945.
Most Marauders were destroyed with explosives in Germany their remains recycled to rebuild industry because the cost of returning them to America was prohibitive.
Target Practice or Combat?
Target Practice or Combat?
The Secrets of Marauder Armour Glass
The Secrets of Marauder Armour Glass
Armoured glass
The Boxted Airfield Museum features specimens of Armour Glass, illustrating the defensive engineering of the B-26 Marauder.
Unlike modern safety glass, this multi-layered material was designed to shatter upon impact, though this often rendered it opaque.
Interestingly, one showcased piece bears damage that was identified by a Norwegian arms expert as target practice rather than combat injury.
The expert noted that the regular points of impact suggest someone took "pot shots" at the glass while it was on the ground, rather than an enemy pilot attacking from the rear, which would have produced oblique points of impact as he would have been avoiding the tail guns defensive firepower.
The Mechanical Anatomy of "Mr.Shorty"
The surviving fuselage of "Mr Shorty" provides a rare, physical look at these cramped defensive positions. Specifically, the museum display features:
Ammunition storage and feed rails:
The interior remains show part of the feed for the tail guns, as well as where the ammo boxes for the waist guns were stored.The "Kneeling" Floor Plates:
You can see the limited floor space where a gunner would have had to kneel to operate the waist guns.Side Door Tracks:
The remains include the original metal rails that allowed the protective doors to slide upward, exposing the guns for combat.
"Mr Shorty" a surviving B-26 Marauder tail section at the Boxted Airfield Museum, serves as a powerful testament to wartime resilience. The remains feature an M6 power turret with twin .50 calibre guns and protective half-inch steel armour plating. Despite the fuselage’s "baked bean tin" thinness, these defences were vital against enemy fighters.
The section bears visible battle damage, possibly linked to an incident involving tail gunner Roy Bozych. During a mission, shrapnel rattled through the tail; though Bozak was saved by his flak jacket, he kept a thick piece of the projectile as a "family heirloom."
The legacy of the aircraft was preserved by Bozych's son, Roy Bozych Jr., the former historian for the 323rd Bomb Group. Before his passing, he collaborated closely with the museum, providing extensive data and visiting the very remains of the aircraft his father once manned.
Today, "Mr Shorty" stands as one of the most significant Marauder artefacts in the UK, bridging the gap between mechanical history and personal sacrifice.
Acknowledgements
This series of videos was been filmed by Bob and Joseph Usher in July 2025.
All production including web design has been completed by
Bob Usher with historical input and photos by John Camp.
Additional photos and input by Alan Crouchman, Bob Barnett and Richard Turner.
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