B-25 vs. B-26: ¿Cuál era mejor?

Video from the channel Red Wrench Films about North American B-25 Mitchell, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 14:25. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

A comparison between the two twin-engine medium bombers of the USAAF in World War II, the North American B-25 Mitchell and the Martin B-26 Marauder, based on contemporary statistics on accidents, losses, cost and accuracy.

Both met the March 1939 requirement: more than 300 mph (preferably 350), a 2,000-mile range and 3,000 pounds of bombs. The Martin 179 won over North American's NA-62, but both were ordered without building a prototype first. The B-25, derived from the NA-40, aimed for stability and a low stall speed, with R-2600 engines of about 1,700 hp and around 287 mph. The B-26 bet on speed, with a small wing and R-2800 Double Wasp engines, reaching 321 mph.

Between July 1942 and March 1943, the B-26 suffered 1.355 accidents per thousand flight hours, versus 0.85 for the B-25, and 0.46 fatal accidents versus 0.26. In the Mediterranean it flew 2.8 sorties a month versus 5.1 for the B-25, lost 5% of aircraft per sortie versus 2.4%, and cost around 40% more. The problems are attributed to the early R-2800 engines, electric constant-speed propellers that failed when the battery ran down, and the short wing. Doolittle evaluated the B-26 and drafted a new training program. Afterward came battery carts, R-2800-41 or -43 engines and, under pressure from the Truman Committee, a wing lengthened by about 3 feet per side and a larger tail, starting with the B-26B-10 in February 1943. Between March 1944 and May 1945, the B-26 had the lowest loss rate of any American combat aircraft in Europe. From 1943 onward, the B-25 served mainly in the Pacific. 9,816 B-25s and 5,157 B-26s were built.