Where to Find the Remaining Martin B-26 Marauders

Premiering on PBS Western Reserve, MARAUDER MEN: IN THEIR OWN WORDS takes you to MAPS Air Museum in Canton, Ohio, where one of only seven remaining Martin B-26 Marauder planes in the world is on display. Observed in person, this midsize bomber is impressive to behold. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the plane was powered by a 2,000-horsepower engine, boasted a wingspan of 65 feet and could carry 4,000 pounds of bombs! If you are planning a trip to the other B-26 planes on display, prepare for a cross-continental excursion. Here’s a list of where you can find the other remaining B-26 Marauders across the globe:

• Normandy, France
  Once flown by Captain Robert Harris, the Dinah Might is displayed at the Utah Beach Landing Museum. The Dinah Might exists today because it was recovered from a crash during military action. On a mission targeting a storage dump in St. Wendel, Germany, the plane was taken down by enemy flak, resulting in its crew members being taken by the Germans as prisoners of war. 
   
• Dayton, Ohio
  Ohio — “The Birthplace of Aviation” — is home to two of these rare bombers. The plane known as Shootin In is painted as a 9th Air Force B-26B assigned to the 387th Bombardment group and rests proudly at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. Like the Dinah Might, it was recovered from the Air France training school and flown in combat near the end of the war by the Free French.
   
• Chantilly, Virginia
  On display at the National Air and Space Museum, Flak-Bait survived more operational missions over Europe than any other American aircraft during the war — 206 to be exact. It was assigned to the 322nd Bombardment Group, nicknamed “The Annihilators.” The plane was named by its longest-serving pilot, Lt. James J. Farrell of Connecticut, who used the nickname of his family dog — “Flea Bait” — and modified it to describe the plane’s magnetic-like attraction to enemy fire. 
   
• Polk City, Florida
  Of the seven in existence, Fantasy of Flight in Florida is home to the only airworthy Marauder. Retrieved from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. — the main training base for initial B-26 crews — this plane was the last B-26 to ever leave a MacDill runway as it made its way to its permanent home at Fantasy of Flight in 1998. 
   
• Murrieta, California
  Aircraft Restoration Services LLC is working on the restoration of two B-26s, one of which will be housed at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Ariz., upon completion. In MARAUDER MEN: IN THEIR OWN WORDS, we learn that restoring aircraft now roughly 80 years old — especially those rescued from the rubble of a crash — is a time-consuming process. If you’re interested in a more in-depth look at the elbow grease it takes to bring an old Marauder to life, this is the stop for you.

For MARAUDER MEN: IN THEIR OWN WORDS airdates, and information about a free screening event and tour of the B-26 at MAPS Air Museum, visit PBSWesternReserve.org.