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The Martin Maryland was a light bomber originally developed to satisfy a US army specification and which entered British service after the fall of France. The original Martin Model 167 had lost out to the rival Douglas A-20 design in the 1938 bomber contest, but Glenn L. Martin had sold 215 to France. All but 75 of these aircraft had been delivered before the fall of France, leaving 75 which were then take over by the british.
These aircraft were already being built, so the first one reached Britain late in June, the same month that the contract had been taken over. The first 32 aircraft still had French equipment, while the last 43 were given British equivalents.
The Maryland first entered RAF service with No.431 Flight, which formed on 19 September 1940 on Malta as a reconnaissance unit.
It was an aircraft from No.771 Squadron which discovered that the Bismarck had left her Norwegian base at the start of the voyage that would end with her destruction.
The Maryland saw most service in the Western Desert. The Marylands were used in this way to cover the evacuation from Crete in May 1941 and during Operation Battleaxe in June 1941.
The Maryland’s combination of fixed forward firing guns and relatively high top speed meant that it was capable, at a push, of acting as a fighter (it did after all carry the same number of guns and was faster than the Bristol Blenheim IVF). The Maryland was phased out of use as a front line bomber during 1942, often being replaced by the Douglas Boston.
Maryland Mk I
The designation Maryland Mk I was given to the 75 aircraft taken over from the French order. The engines were changed from the Cyclone 9s used on the French aircraft to single-stage supercharged Pratt & Whitney “Twin Wasps”
Maryland Mk II
The Maryland Mk II was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3-G “Twin Wasp” two stage supercharged engine. This greatly improved the performance of the aircraft, lifting its top speed over 300mph. 150 Maryland Mk IIs were produced for the RAF, bringing the total of british service to 225.
Specifications for M. Maryland II
Engines: Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3-G “Twin Wasp”
Power: 1,050hp
Crew: 3
Length: 46ft 8in
Width: 61ft 4in
Empty Weight: 11,213lb
Loaded Weight: 15,297lb
Max takeoff weight: 16,809lb
Max Speed: 304mph at 14,000ft
Cruising Speed: 248mph
Ceiling: 29,500ft
Max Range: 1,300 miles
Bomb load: 2,000lb
Guns: four 0.30in machine guns in wings and one 0.303in machine gun in each of dorsal and ventral positions (sources disagree on the calibre of the wing guns).
from:
historyofwar.org and others
These aircraft were already being built, so the first one reached Britain late in June, the same month that the contract had been taken over. The first 32 aircraft still had French equipment, while the last 43 were given British equivalents.
The Maryland first entered RAF service with No.431 Flight, which formed on 19 September 1940 on Malta as a reconnaissance unit.
It was an aircraft from No.771 Squadron which discovered that the Bismarck had left her Norwegian base at the start of the voyage that would end with her destruction.
The Maryland saw most service in the Western Desert. The Marylands were used in this way to cover the evacuation from Crete in May 1941 and during Operation Battleaxe in June 1941.
The Maryland’s combination of fixed forward firing guns and relatively high top speed meant that it was capable, at a push, of acting as a fighter (it did after all carry the same number of guns and was faster than the Bristol Blenheim IVF). The Maryland was phased out of use as a front line bomber during 1942, often being replaced by the Douglas Boston.
Maryland Mk I
The designation Maryland Mk I was given to the 75 aircraft taken over from the French order. The engines were changed from the Cyclone 9s used on the French aircraft to single-stage supercharged Pratt & Whitney “Twin Wasps”
Maryland Mk II
The Maryland Mk II was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3-G “Twin Wasp” two stage supercharged engine. This greatly improved the performance of the aircraft, lifting its top speed over 300mph. 150 Maryland Mk IIs were produced for the RAF, bringing the total of british service to 225.
Specifications for M. Maryland II
Engines: Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3-G “Twin Wasp”
Power: 1,050hp
Crew: 3
Length: 46ft 8in
Width: 61ft 4in
Empty Weight: 11,213lb
Loaded Weight: 15,297lb
Max takeoff weight: 16,809lb
Max Speed: 304mph at 14,000ft
Cruising Speed: 248mph
Ceiling: 29,500ft
Max Range: 1,300 miles
Bomb load: 2,000lb
Guns: four 0.30in machine guns in wings and one 0.303in machine gun in each of dorsal and ventral positions (sources disagree on the calibre of the wing guns).
from:
historyofwar.org and others
