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Martin Maryland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Model 167 Maryland | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| RAF Marylands c. 1941 | |
| Type | Light reconnaissance bomber |
| Manufacturer | Martin |
| Maiden flight | 1939 |
| Introduced | 1940 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Status | Out of service |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Fleet Air Arm Armée de l'Air Aeronavale |
| Number built | 450 |
| Variants | Martin Baltimore |
The Martin Model 167 was a US-designed light bomber, first flying in 1939, that saw action in World War II with France and the United Kingdom where it was called the "Maryland".
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In response to a US Army Air Corps light bomber requirement issued in 1938, the Glenn L. Martin Company produced their Model 167 which was given the official designation XA-22. Martin's design was a twin-engine fully-metallic monoplane, capable of around 310 mph (447 km/h) and carrying a crew of three. The bombardier sat in the nose below the cockpit, and self-defense was provided by a mid-upper twin-machine gun turret, as well as four forward firing light machine guns in the wings.
The XA-22 was not adopted for operational service in the US as the contract was won by Douglas with its A-20. But Martin received foreign orders, and eventually about 450 of these relatively fast, twin engined planes were built.
Facing German arms buildup and desperate for modern aircraft, the French Air Force purchased US aircraft of numerous types in the late 1930s. Martin received an order for more than 200 167 Fs which incorporated French-specific equipment such as metric instruments. French officials expected the deliveries to begin in January 1939 but the type, locally designated Glenn Martin 167 A-3 only entered service in early 1940. Notably, because of the US embargo on arms exports after the beginning of World War II, many planes were impounded for two months before being shipped to Europe. When the Germans eventually invaded France there were only four Groupes de bombardement (bomber squadrons) equipped. The Glenns were quickly sent to the frontlines where they performed honorably with their sufficient speed and excellent maneuverability for an airplane in this class, they sometimes had a chance to avoid enemy fighters. In more about 350 sorties versus the Germans they suffered a loss rate of only 4%, much better than the 16% endured by LeO 451s and their crews above the same targets.
Immediately before the June 1940 Armistice, units flying the Glenn Martin 167 were evacuated to French North Africa to avoid capture by the Germans. Some examples were transferred to the Aéronautique Navale. During the Vichy rule on the French empire, French Martins occasionally clashed with British Commonwealth forces, most notably during the Syria-Lebanon campaign of 1941. As French North Africa got back in the Allied camp in 1943, M.167s were phased out of service and replaced with more modern Allied types, including the Martin B-26 Marauder.
Approximately 215 Martin 167s were delivered to France.
After the Franco-German Armistice, all remaining planes on the French order were shipped to the United Kingdom where they received the designation Maryland Mk.I. Many of the planes were eventually shipped to Egypt and Malta in time for the 1941 fighting there. In the British Fleet Air Arm, at any rate, they seem[1]to have seen little combat, being used for spotting and drone-towing duties.[2] The RAF used the aircraft to some effect for photo-reconnaissance operations in North Africa. A Maryland bomber was the aircraft sent to gather pre and post strike photographs of the Italian Fleet at Taranto on 11 November 1940.[3] The pilot of that Maryland was the famous ace Adrian Warburton. The Maryland also brought back the pictures that alerted the British that the battleship Bismarck had left harbor on 22 May 1941.[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 46 ft 8 in (14.2 m)
- Wingspan: 61 ft 4 in (18.7 m)
- Height: 16 ft 3 in (5.0 m)
- Wing area: 537 ft² (49.9 m²)
- Empty weight: 10,586 lb (4,802 kg)
- Loaded weight: 15,297 lb (6,939 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine, 1,200 hp (900 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 316 mph (275 knots, 508 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 31,000 ft (9,500 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,400 ft/min (12 m/s)
- Wing loading: 28.5 lb/ft² (139.1 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.157 hp/lb (259 W/kg)
Armament
- Guns: 6× machine guns
- Bombs: 1,250 lb (970 kg)
- ^ Martin Maryland
- ^ Mondey 2006, p. 175.
- ^ Bishop 2004, p. 90-91.
- ^ Munson 1969, p. 278.
- Bishop, Chris. "The Encyclopedia Of 20th Century Air Warfare". London: Amber Books Ltd, 2004. ISBN 1-90468-726-1.
- Cuny, Jean. "Glenn Martin 167 in French service". Journal of American Aviation Historical Society Spring 1965, Volume 10 N°1.
- Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4.
- Munson, Kenneth. Fighters and Bombers of World War II: 1939-45. London: Blandford Press Ltd, 1969. ISBN 0-96371-104-0.
Related development
Designation sequence
YA-19 - A-20 - XA-21 - A-22 - A-23 - A-24 - A-25
Related lists
See also
List of military aircraft of the United States
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