‘Flak Bait’ B-26B

322nd Bombardment Group

On April 26, 1943, the B-26B-25-MA bomber with serial number 41-31773 rolled off the assembly line at the Glenn L. Martin Company plant in Middle River. By the end of May that year, the aircraft and its crew arrived in England, where they were assigned to the 449th Bombardment Squadron of the 322nd Bombardment Group. During combat missions, American bombers faced significant threats from German anti-aircraft guns, collectively known as Flak. As they approached their bombing targets, crews often had to break through waves of anti-aircraft fire. According to American pilots, many of their planes seemed to attract large amounts of shells fired by the Flak guns. Based on this, Lieutenant Farrell, a crew member of bomber 41-31773, coined a nickname for their plane – ‘Flak-Bait’. This name was a playful adaptation of the nickname of the Farrell family’s dog, who supposedly attracted hordes of fleas and was called ‘Flea Bait’. The plane oddly began to live up to its name, receiving hits from anti-aircraft shells in almost every mission. Every control surface was replaced at least once, and the hydraulic and electrical systems sustained damage. Twice, the plane returned with only one functioning engine. Despite these challenges, ‘Flak-Bait’ completed 206 combat missions – more than any other US aircraft during World War II.