The Legendary B-26 “Flak Bait”: The Marauder That Refused to Fall

In the skies above war-torn Europe in 1944, few sounds inspired as much trepidation among Allied bomber crews as the staccato thump-thump-thump of German anti-aircraft artillery—flak, as it was ominously dubbed. For the bomber crews of the USAAF, every daylight mission meant braving flak bursts, enemy fighters, and treacherous weather. Flying into this crucible of danger was the B-26 Marauder, a sleek, powerful twin-engined medium bomber. And among the hundreds of Marauders that roared out of English airfields, none would prove more legendary—or more stubbornly unbreakable—than the B-26 known as “Flak Bait.”

Forged for Battle: The B-26 Marauder

The Marauder, designed by Glenn L. Martin Company, was an advanced aircraft for its time. Fast, with a top speed surpassing 300 miles an hour, and able to carry over 4,000 pounds of bombs deep into enemy territory, it quickly earned a reputation for survivability—despite a rocky introduction plagued by high accident rates during training. But once crews mastered its quirks, the B-26 boasted one of the lowest combat loss rates of any US bomber in World War II.

Introducing Flak Bait

Serial number 41-31773, a B-26B-25-MA, rolled out of the Martin factory in Baltimore destined for war. It joined the 449th Bombardment Squadron, part of the 322nd Bomb Group, stationed at Andrews Field Aerodrome (which later became RAF Andrews Field) in Essex, England. The plane carried a nose art moniker chosen by its first pilot, James J. Farrell, whose beloved family dog at home was named Flea Bait. But since the B-26 spent its life dodging German flak, the punning “Flak Bait” fit its mission—and destiny—too well.

Into the Inferno

From 1943 through 1945, the 322nd Bomb Group waged relentless bombing campaigns across northern France, the Low Countries, and Germany itself. Andrews Field buzzed with constant activity, as ground crews patched up battered birds after every mission. But none returned as dented, scorched, and torn as Flak Bait—and still kept flying.

During its operational career, Flak Bait logged 207 combat missions, more than any other American bomber in Europe during the war. It survived not only direct flak hits but also attacks by enemy fighters, crash landings, belly landings, and mid-air near-disasters. Its camouflage skin was soon patched and re-patched, until it resembled a patchwork quilt of war.

To the men who flew her—pilots, bombardiers, radio operators, and gunners—Flak Bait was far more than just another airplane. She was a lucky talisman, a trusted warhorse, and a survivor with a spirit of her own. Crews rotated, but Flak Bait endured, each bombing run adding fresh scars to her fuselage. With every successful return, her legend grew.

The Missions

The tales that attached themselves to Flak Bait stretch from the harrowing to the heroic. On one mission over France, the bomber took a direct hit from 88mm flak that tore a hole through the fuselage, narrowly missing the crew. Another time, with control cables nearly severed, the pilot managed—against all odds—to coax the crippled aircraft back to base for a wheels-up landing on the grass, saving everyone aboard.

Flak Bait bombed railway yards at Rouen, U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, and ammunition depots deep within the Reich. In June 1944, during the massive air campaign supporting the D-Day landings, she made repeated trips to pummel German coastal defenses and roadways, braving swarms of tracers and jagged shards of flak in the sky.

A Name Written in Holes and Explosions

By war’s end, Flak Bait bore the scars of 1,000 holes from flak and more than 700 replacements of major parts—testament to just how often she came under fire. Her mission tally, chalked on the nose by ground crews, became a symbol of grit. While newer aircraft and squadrons came and went, the battered Marauder always seemed to come back home.

When news spread that Flak Bait was the only medium bomber in the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces to complete over 200 missions, she became an instant celebrity across the airfields of England.

Retirement—But Not Forgotten

After the victory in Europe, most American bombers were scrapped or sold. But Flak Bait’s record-breaking story saved her. The Smithsonian Institution requested that she be brought back to America for preservation. In September 1946, she went on display, a battered, authentic survivor, much as she appeared at Andrews Field in 1944—complete with nose art, patched aluminum, and a cockpit that still smelled of hydraulic fluid, sweat, and gunpowder.

The Legend Lives On

Today, more than 75 years after her last mission, Flak Bait is being meticulously restored at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Her torn panels and patched fuselage are painstakingly preserved to tell the story of the men who flew her—and the millions who never came home.

As countless visitors stand in awe beneath her tattered wings, they are reminded not only of the chaos and courage of air combat, but also of one airplane’s improbable survival. Flak Bait’s battered frame is a monument not to perfection, but to perseverance.

The Spirit of Endurance

There are many legendary planes from World War II—the Memphis Belle, the Enola Gay—but Flak Bait stands apart. She is not celebrated for a single historic mission, but for hundreds of harrowing journeys through enemy fire. Her true legacy lies with the everyday courage she embodies: the grinding, relentless resolve to see the mission through, come what may.

In 1944, as B-26 crews at Andrews Field watched Flak Bait stagger in after yet another close call, more than a few swore she was “un-killable.” Some said she carried a charmed life, others thought it was only sheer luck. But perhaps, in her streaked and battered hide, they simply saw hope—that survival against all odds was possible.

As historians, aviation buffs, and veterans come together to honor the 322nd Bomb Group and their “lucky” Marauder, the legend of Flak Bait continues to inspire. She is a powerful reminder that even in the darkest storms of war, endurance, teamwork, and a little luck can carry you home.

Flak Bait’s story is ultimately ours—a tale of never backing down, and of keeping aloft even when the flak is at its fiercest.