PBS 'Marauder Men' show to debut Veterans Day, screen at MAPS
A PBS television three-episode series on the Marauder Men who flew the Martin B-26 Marauder during World War II will be screened beginning on Veterans Day.
The docuseries called “Marauder Men: In Their Own Words” can be seen on PBS Western Reserve channels WNEO 45.1 and WEAO 49.1 beginning at 7 p.m. Nov. 11.
MAPS Air Museum in the spotlight: Upcoming documentary looks at B-26 Marauder and young crew members in World War II
The B-26 Marauder, a World War II medium bomber, is one of only six in existence. One of the rarest airplanes in any display of military aircraft, it resides at MAPS Air Museum near Akron Canton Airport.
The men who flew the aircraft developed a camaraderie around their beloved machine of war, formed a historical society and videotaped their oral histories in the 1990s.
Three half-hour programs use these interviews to tell stories of crash landings, attacking a Japanese aircraft carrier off the coast of Alaska, deplorable living conditions in the Pacific, bombing on D-Day and flying during the Battle of the Bulge.
The flight crews also saw planes fall from 12,000 feet with all six crewmen still on board. The B-26 Marauder is often called a forgotten aircraft of World War II because it didn’t get the publicity that others received during the war. It was unlike the heavy bombers such as the B-17 that bombed strategic targets like factories.
The B-26 was used as a tactical aircraft, flying in support of troops on the ground. The plane also was known as a bridge buster because of its use to isolate the battle field by destroying the enemy’s road and railroad networks.
Only 5,288 of the B-26 aircraft were built, and it only was used in World War II. It made it’s maiden flight in 1940 and by 1945 it was outdated. Most were destroyed at the end of the war rather than transporting them back to the United States. But the the planes had the best survival rate of any aircraft in the war.
MAPS volunteers had to stick with the restoration of the airplane for the long haul, according to the MAPS restoration crew chief David Pawski, “It wound up taking about 21 years to where we are today, where it's nearly complete as a static display. A lot of people have touched it along the years.”
The plane, housed at its final duty station at the MAPS Air Museum, has dual nose art to salute every theatre of operation and seems to be one of the favorite airplanes among the people working at the museum.
“It’s such an underappreciated aircraft,” said Rick Johnston, a MAPS volunteer. “That’s why I have such a great affection for it.”
The MAPS website has more than 100 video clips of the B-26 crewmen viewable at MAPSairmuseum.org/b26stories.
MAPS Air Museum will screen the first episode of “Marauder Men: In Their Own Words” during an event at 1 p.m. Nov. 18 at the museum. Guests at the event can get an up-close look at the B-26 Marauder, including inside the machine, and hear from the B-26 restoration crew chief in a question-and-answer session after the screening.
The PBS series was produced by Steve Mitchell of Lake Township, and features Lake High School graduate Chris Billings as the on-air host. Billings, who now is a student at Kent State University at Stark, wears authentic uniforms like the 19- and 20-year-old pilots who flew in World War II. The location shooting at MAPS also was done by Lake Township resident Carl Palmer.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: PBS 'Marauder Men' show to debut Veterans Day, screen at MAPS museum
