This propaganda film from the early 1940’s depicts the Martin B-26 Marauder’s construction and assembly. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska.This medium twin engine bomber created by the Glenn L. Martin Company saw extensive service during WWII. The film was presented and produced by the Office for Emergency Management (:09). Employees of the Glen L. Martin Company are seen working on B-26’s on the factory floor (:48). Workers stationed near the foundry wear protective gear (1:29). Here the metals are cooked (1:38) and casts are formed from this which will shape the precision parts (2:05). Lead punches and zinc dyes are moved to the big hammers (2:28). Sheet metal is pressed into a reversed curve (2:45). A Yoder hammer is used to form curved surfaces (3:26). A moving drill press is utilized (3:49). The hanging drill basket is zoomed in on (4:21). A high speed riveter (5:11) stitches together parts. The revolving jig was employed to help combat worker fatigue as it enabled upright speedy work (6:40). The crown section of the bomber appears (7:49). The outer stealth of aluminum is set onto the frame (8:04). The wings of the planes are captured on the assembly line (9:57). Self sealing gas tanks were installed and first created by Americans (10:04). The complete unit of the after tail section follows (10:32). Center sections are seen here nearly completed (11:05). A conveyor belt moves aircraft parts down the assembly line (12:01). One type of flaw detectors is noted as the Magnaflux (13:02). The great front wheel is seen (14:03). The nose section arrives from sub assembly (14:49). The wings are then spliced into the fuselage (14:56). A skilled mechanic checks the gas line connections (15:39). Bombers are seen nearly completed as the turrets and secret bomb site is installed (15:52). The craft is sprayed for camouflage (16:06). The bomber is seen completed here (17:01) with a new factory plant in the background. The film concludes as pilots load in (18:01) and the B-26 takes off (18:28).
A total of 5,288 B-26s were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any U.S. Army Air Forces bomber.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
