Martin XB-48 Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

WWII witnessed striking headways in aircraft propulsion, aerodynamic, and production technologies. And a resulting 1944 USAAF jet-propelled medium bomber competition produced four diverse contenders.

North American’s XB-45 entered limited service as America’s first operational jet bomber. Boeing’s sleek, swept-wing XB-47 sired a truly legendary warplane line. But Consolidated Vultee’s XB-46 and Martin’s XB-48 remain somewhat staid failures in the fog of history.

Having released meaty monographs on the XB-45 and XB-46, Ginter Books now subject the XB-48 to its typically outstanding level of informative detail.

And what a job author Steve Ginter does.

Contents span just 52 pages – including cover. An understandably anemic modeling section – with one 1:144-scale and one 1:72-scale kit, both from Anigrand – kick-starts coverage. And a précis of the related Martin 247-1 turboprop derivative consumes the inside back cover.

But those bracket a picture-packed product with dozens of B&W photos, close-ups, drawings, archival illustrations, and tech-manual excerpts. Three color shots also grace covers.

In typical “Ginter fashion”, text and captions methodically explore XB-48 minutiae – nose-to-tail, tip-to-tip, inside-out.

Crew stations. External details. Engines. Landing gear. Armament. Even Martin’s innovative, but unsuccessful nacelle design with “by-pass ducts” to cut airflow drag. It’s all here.

Martin XB-48 adds perfect perspective to Ginter’s B-45 and XB-46 books. Now how about finishing 1944’s foursome with B-47 treatment?

With thanks to GINTER BOOKS!