by Daniel Glaeske

The Martin Maryland is indeed largely forgotten - and unappreciated - today. Few Marylands survived the Great War intact, and none survive today. Even pictures of the Maryland are few and far between. Even in a recent History of the RAF, the Maryland was only briefly mentioned, whereas other obscure aircraft, like the Vildebeest and the Whirlwind ranked their own pages. The Maryland was a twin-engined light bomber/attack aircraft that fought in the Battle of France, and soldiered on for years in Africa with the Commonwealth forces. Its service in France, Africa, and as a reconnaissance aircraft in Britain all demonstrate the worth of the plane, but the Maryland, largely because it was not used by the USAAF, was soon relegated to nothing but a footnote.

The Martin Maryland began life on the drawing board as a successor to the venerable and successful Martin B-10. During its early stages, Martin was actively pursuing foreign contracts. When the US Army Air Corps issued a call for a new attack bomber, Martin modified its design and entered it in the competition as the XA-22. This was built I 1938 and flew in 1939. The quality of the aircraft was exceptional; no major problems existed between the prototype and production models. In comparison, the Douglas A-20 had early teething problems that belied its later successes. France, desperate for modern aircraft, was impressed enough that they ordered 115 Martin 167A-3 (for Army support, 3 seat) before the prototype had actually flown! Unfortunately, the USAAC was more impressed by the much larger Douglas entry and chose the A-20 as its close support aircraft.

Production of the French aircraft went remarkably smoothly and the initial order was completed in a few months. The aircraft were held up in the US because of an embargo on military weapons to Europe but most were ultimately delivered by December 1939. While the French Groupes were equipping with the "Glenn" (as they called it), even more were ordered. During the Battle of France, four Groupes with Glenns saw combat. Although designed more for close support, the Armee de l’Aire used the Martins as level medium bombers, and worked them hard in that role. Despite the workload, the Martin 167A-3’s had the lowest loss rate (around 5%) of any French bomber.

After the Armistice with the Germans, the remaining French Martin 167’s were largely sent to Africa and Syria, with the Aeronavale keeping some in France and Algeria. A few Vichy aircraft, because of their speed, range, and handling, were used as long-range liaison or mail aircraft. Many, however, defected to the Allies, mainly in Africa. Two such aircraft joined British forces in East Africa and were shot down by Italian fighters in the battle for Ethiopia. Other French Aircraft joined the Free French push up from the south, seeing combat in Madagascar and Chad before joining up with Allied forces in North Africa. The Vichy Martins saw action against the Allies, at Gibraltar, West Africa, and Syria. They suffered heavy losses in Syria, and also during the Allied landings in West Africa. The Vichy aircraft were also victims of a high rate of attrition due to lack of spare parts.

The undelivered French order of some seventy-five aircraft were appropriated by the British and christened the Maryland Mk I. Impressed with the basic qualities of the machine, a further hundred or so were ordered with minor modifications as the Maryland Mk II. Of the Mk I’s, most were earmarked to North Africa, where they looked decidedly modern against the Gladiators, Gauntlets, and Vickers Wellesleys then in action there. A few Marylands were dispatched to Malta to aid in that island’s defense. Their outstanding performance led to their use as fighters alongside the well-remembered Gladiator (one, in fact, claimed seven air-to-air kills) as well as reconnaissance bombers (one spotted the Italian fleet at Taranto, enabling the Fleet Air Arm to disable it). Maintenance eventually became a serious problem, and more modern aircraft slowly replaced the Marylands in Africa.

Only a very few Marylands saw service in Britain. Most were used by the Fleet Air Arm as target tugs, though one reconnaissance squadron was fitted with Marylands. In fact, it was a Maryland of No. 771 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, which noted the Bismarck missing from its Norwegian mooring, setting off the dramatic hunt for the Bismarck.

The Martin Maryland must be judged against other light bomber aircraft of the early war. It lacked armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, but most American-designed aircraft did at this stage. Its speed, bombload, and handling characteristics were superior to the Blenheim and Hampden. It was certainly better than the Italian light bombers of the period, and carried a heavier bombload than comparable French types. Even the early Bostons were not any more capable performers. Perhaps only the German Ju-88 was clearly superior in most respects. The Maryland had no serious design flaws and would have been an excellent platform for future development. The only progress made was a larger, faster variant named Baltimore by the British, and it, too, gave dependable service as a light bomber until the end of the war. The likely reason why it was virtually ignored was the fact that the USAAC never ordered it. With a small production base (only 441 were ever built), it is very difficult to toy with improvements. Certainly, the Maryland’s chief designer, James McDonnell, used his skills honed on the Maryland to great success on other projects.

What, then, is the Maryland’s legacy? The Maryland was an aircraft designed for a specific job early in the war, and, to all reports, accomplished the job successfully. It was a fast, modern light bomber in the Mediterranean that gave stellar performance in stemming the Axis advance there. It filled the gap for a long-range, fast reconnaissance aircraft for the British until more modern types arrived. It operated under harsh circumstances and difficult odds admirably. It is regrettable that the Maryland has never received the recognition it deserved. The Martin Maryland - forgotten, but certainly not forgettable!