soc.history.war.world-war-ii

Michael Emrys wrote:
> in article 47BDC253.8060105@hotmail.com, Tiger at Lana_sands@hotmail.com
> wrote on 2/21/08 10:30 AM:
>
>>> Sure the B-26 had a 10MPH faster top speed but does that really make any
>>> difference in a bomber?
>
>> When a Zero is on your tail, every litle bit helps.
>
> Your logic is impeccable. However, since the B-26 was withdrawn from the
> Pacific theater after 1942, they were unlikely to meet up with many Zeros.
>
> That said, the B-26 seems to have had other advantages. It suffered the
> fewest crewmen lost on a percentage basis during the war of any American
> bomber and had a very good record for accurate bombing. So it must have
> had
> something going for it.

Foolish me....all these years, I always thought that bombing accuracy was
something bombardiers got credit or blame for, not the airplane they
happened to be riding in.

BTW, the airplane's nickname "One-a-Day in Tampa Bay" evolved from the
frequency with which new pilots transitioning into the plane made
unscheduled landings in the water....it was apparently quite a handful for
inexperienced pilots. OTOH, no one ever said that about the B-25.
>
> Michael