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Martin Maryland

1940 WORLD WAR 2

History of Maryland Martins

The Maryland series was produced by Martin and was classified as a light bomber and served as a photographic reconnaissance aircraft throughout World War II. Originally designed in response to a request from the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) for a light bomber, the model was designated the "Type 167".

When the Martin design was defeated by the Douglas aircraft design, the Type 167 survived thanks to foreign export orders, first by French troops fighting the German invasion and later by British troops in Europe and North Africa. The system was only used for a few short yearsessentially during the war years before it was decommissioned in 1945and was quickly replaced by the changing face and needs of wartime.

Martin Maryland is a simple twin-engine design with engines mounted on a low-wing monoplane. Power comes from two Pratt & Whitney engines, each producing up to 1,200 horsepower. All-metal construction to meet the requirements of modern aircraft design, the system consists of three people - a pilot, a bombardier and a gunner.

Armament consisted of a mix of offensive and defensive machine guns with four wing-mounted systems and two dorsal turret-mounted machine guns. However, the design promises a lot, as performance is above average in terms of speed.

France ordered around 200 early Martin 167 prototypes for the imminent war with Germany. Its outdated arsenal of planes, tanks and small arms forced the French nation to seek some modern adversary abroad to stop the Germans. With the arrival of the Type 167, the French renamed the M. 167 A-3.

By the time of the German invasion, the M. 167 was in limited use, but performed well against the design and tactics of Germany's top aircraft.

By convention, other systems shipped from the US to France after the fall of France, all remaining Maryland orders were shipped to the UK. There, the system received the British designation Maryland and appeared in several emblems of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Aviation. In the hands of the British, the system worked equally well given its limited participation and capabilities.

Maryland played a vital role in the pursuit of the German super battleship Bismarck, and proved to be a capable reconnaissance aircraft during other photography activities.