The Boxted Marauder
The Boxted Marauder
B26 Marauder Collection - Boxted Airfield
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The Story of the Marauder Men of Essex
Introduction to the Marauder Collection
John Camp, curator at Boxted Airfield Museum, introduces the UK’s largest collection of B-26 Marauder remains. The exhibit features the tail section of a Marauder(one of only two extant Marauder exhibits in Europe) as well as a reconstructed cockpit layout, designed to tell the personal stories of the crews who operated these historic aircraft.
The Marauder: Innovation without a Prototype
The Marauder: Innovation without a Prototype
The B-26 Marauder, developed from the Glenn Martin Model 179, was a revolutionary medium bomber produced without a prototype, leading to constant field modifications. It pioneered integrated hydraulics, electrical systems, and self-sealing fuel tanks to prevent mid-air fires.
Defensive and Offensive Power
Defensive and Offensive Power
The aircraft was a "flying fortress" of its class, featuring:
Heavy Armament:
Twelve 0.5 calibre machine guns (significantly more powerful than standard RAF .303s).Specialised Turrets:
A dorsal turret and an evolved M6 power-operated rear turret for rapid defense.Flexible Layout:
Ground-strafing guns for pilots and lateral fuselage guns (still visible on the "Mr.Shorty" remains).Nose Configuration:
Included a bombardier-operated gun, though it was often removed to provide space for the Norden bombsight.
Production problems
Problems with aircraft as a result of being built without a prototype resulting in hundreds of fixes as problems arose.
Problems with P & W engines -Exhaust pipes cracking.
The Curtiss Electric props would fail and go into fine pitch causing a sudden torque roll in the early days.
A lively aircraft which needed two pilots to fly it - orders were issued that a minimum of 3 flight crew must be present on every flight -Pilot, Co-pilot and Flight Engineer.
Problems with the Marauder
Lester Maitland, CO of 386th BG, achieved great improvements and a reduction in accidents.
Initially flew as low as 300 feet but after losses at Ijmuiden when they had to return 3 days later and were slaughtered, height increased to 10-12000 feet, except on D -Day reduced to 3500 feet.
Developed a bad reputation known as the “Widow Maker” or “Martin Murderer”.
Training needed to be improved & Lester Maitland, CO of 386th BG, worked hard on this and achieved great improvements and a reduction in accidents.
Eventually proved its worth but too late as the A26 Invader was viewed as its successor and Omaha production line closed.
The Boxted Airfield Historical Group is honoured to have in their custody the largest surviving piece of a B-26 Marauder in the UK. In July 2023 it was donated to our Museum, having been on loan to us for a number of years by the Trustees of Marks Hall, which was the HQ of the 9th Air Force and the Operations Room for the 323rd Bomb Group to which it was allocated in Spring 1944.
The remains comprise the section of fuselage to the rear of the mid-upper gun turret, about 10 feet in length. It includes the couplings for the tail plane and fin and contains the power-assisted tail gun turret assembly and ammunition feeds.
It's story is one of survival. It ended the war with 96 combat missions, survived being broken up at RAF Burtonwood in June 1945 and a subsequent transfer to a scrap yard in Warrington where it was discovered and recovered in 1974. It then survived storage at the Imperial War Museum Duxford to be acquired by the Rebel Air Museum then operating at Andrewsfield airfield and subsequently at Earls Colne airfield. It survived that museum's closure in 1997 and entered a period of storage until 2011.
This aircraft was assigned to the 454th Bomb Squadron, 323rd Bomb Group, and took part in the 323rd's last mission of the war to Erding Aerodrome on April 25, 1945. The aircraft was given several names over the years, including "Black Magic IV" and "Mr. Shorty" at various points of time. It's Battle number (painted on the side of the fuselage) was RJ-S. Its prime crew was captained by Lt. Dick Gray who named it “Mr. Shorty” after his first son. It is now the star attraction in our Marauder collection at our airfield museum.
We also have a growing number of interesting items in our collection of B-26 Marauder parts on display.
This is the most comprehensive display of Marauder items in the UK.
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