Peyton M. Magruder
Encyclopedia
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
's B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
. Magruder was also responsible for the design of the Martin B-10
Martin B-10
The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to go into regular use by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934...
and the Martin Model 146
Martin Model 146
|-See also:-References:* Baugher, Joe. "Martin B-10". Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Access date: 4 July 2007.* Taylor, John W. R. "Martin B-10". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.-External links:*...
(note, however, both of these attributions seem to be in error because the B-10's first flight was on February 16, 1932 when Magruder was only 20 years old and apparently still a midshipman at Annapolis and the Model 146's first flight was in 1935 - while Magruder didn't join Martin Company until 1937).
Early life
Magruder was born into a military family; his father was Brigadier General Marshall MagruderMarshall Magruder
Brigadier General Marshall Magruder Father of Peyton M. Magruder was born in Washington, D. C. He served in both World War I and World War II. He retired from the US Army in 1946 as a Brigadier General...
. His early life was a succession of moves from one post to another due to his father's career. This would take him to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and several other posts. Because of his father's career he had to attend four different high schools. However he still won appointments to both Annapolis and West Point.
Magruder chose to attend the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
which he entered in 1930. He studied less — and partied more — than most, but still remained in the upper part of his class. He pole-vaulted for the track team, was a member of the swim team, and once won $350 in bets by running five miles (8 km) in 29 minutes and 37 seconds. He resigned during his senior year of 1934 partially due to a scandal which has now become a part of Naval Academy lore, and partially in order to apply for enlistment in the Army's aviation school. At that time the Army would not give up slots for Navy officers and cadets because the Navy had its own air school.
In order to improve his chances of acceptance Magruder signed up with one of the National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
's air units, and enrolled in the Aeronautical Engineering
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
curriculum at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. However, before completion of his one year at Alabama he was engaged to be married and looking for work.
Early career
Magruder soon obtained a position at the Naval Aircraft FactoryNaval Aircraft Factory
The Naval Aircraft Factory was established by the United States Navy in 1918 at Philadelphia in order to assist in solving the problem of aircraft supply which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I...
in Philadelphia, through an encounter with Adm. Ernest J. King
Ernest King
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the U.S...
, who was then chief of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. Magruder's family had been neighbors with King in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
while Adm. King and his father studied at the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
. Magruder stayed at the NAF for two years, before moving in 1937 to a job at Glenn L. Martin Company
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
, now Lockheed-Martin.
Design of the B-26
Glenn L. Martin assigned the then 27-year-old aeronautical engineer the title of Project Engineer, and the task of designing Model 179 according to Army Air CorpsUnited States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
specifications issued in January 1939. This model would later become known as the B-26 Marauder. Design of the Model 179 was completed in June 1939. On July 5, 1939, the Model 179 was submitted to a review board and was rated the highest of those submitted. On August 10, 1939, the Army issued a contract for 201 Model 179s under the designation B-26.