Flak-Bait

[bru888]

Flak-Bait, the American B26 Marauder bomber that survived the most missions of World War II: 200 combat missions and six decoy operations. Its fuselage was patched over 1,000 times to cover holes from shrapnel. Now undergoing restoration at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Actually, "preservation" is a better word; they are "cleaning and stopping any corrosion ... future generations of museum visitors will be able to see the beat-up old bomber ... its battle-damage patches, its chipped and splotchy paint, and all the exhaust and mud stains that it wore during its days of battle."

Flak-Bait in flight.jpg (293.14 KiB) Viewed 1275 times

Flak-Bait being restored.jpg (488.86 KiB) Viewed 1275 times

Flak-Bait interior.jpg (510.06 KiB) Viewed 1275 times

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithson ... 180974690/

[StuccoFresco]

Absolutely impressive.

[bru888]

Absolutely impressive.

In war, the superstitious among us tend to think in terms of "lucky" ships and planes. Men of that persuasion who flew in this bomber must have felt lucky, indeed.

[Shards]

All the right holes in all the right places

[Miranda23]

Flak-Bait, the American B26 Marauder bomber that survived the most missions of World War II: 200 combat missions and six decoy operations. Its fuselage was patched over 1,000 times to cover holes from shrapnel. Now undergoing restoration at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Actually, "preservation" is a better word; they are "cleaning and stopping any corrosion ... future generations of museum visitors will be able to see the beat-up old bomber ... its battle-damage patches, its chipped and splotchy paint, and all the exhaust and mud stains that it wore during its days of battle."


Flak-Bait in flight.jpg
Flak-Bait being restored.jpg
Flak-Bait interior.jpg


https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithson ... 180974690/ retro bowl

Over 200 flights were flown by Flak-Bait and its bomber lads. As they prepared for the Allied invasion of France and assisted the army on the ground as they advanced east toward Berlin, they assaulted cities, airfields, road, rail, and canal connections, bridges, supply depots, fuel and ammunition dumps, gun emplacements, and even V-1 flying bomb launch sites.