|
| Designed to meet a US Army Air Corps specification for an attack bomber, the Martin XA-22 prototype was a twin-engine cantilever low/mid-wing monoplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear and accommodation for a crew of three. It was flown for the first time on 14 March 1939, but following official tests was rejected by the USAAC. However, the company had received a first production order for 115 aircraft from France even before the prototype had flown, but the start of delivery was delayed until the US arms embargo was lifted in October 1939; by that time France had contracted for an additional 100 aircraft. Only 140 of these Model 167F aircraft were delivered before the French armistice in June 1940, having the French designation Martin 167A-3 and seeing action against Axis forces until June 1940 and subsequently, with Vichy forces in West Africa and the Middle East, against the Allies.
With the collapse of French resistance in Europe, the outstanding 75 aircraft on order were diverted to the UK for service with the RAF and these, together with an additional 75 ordered by the RAF,
were designated as Maryland Mk 1.
All were powered by 783kW R-1830-SC3G Twin Wasp radial engines with single-stage superchargers. Further British orders followed for an improved Maryland Mk II with more powerful engines and two-stage superchargers, a total of 150 of this version being delivered to the RAF. Marylands were deployed initially for target towing and long-range reconnaissance, proving to be particularly valuable in this latter role, and were also used as light bombers. The first operational unit to receive the Maryland, in September 1940, was No. 431 Flight (later No. 69 Squadron) formed at Malta, and the type saw service in the Western Desert with Nos 39 and 223 Squadrons. Some 72 of the RAF's Marylands were re-allocated to serve with Nos 12, 20, 21 and 24 Squadrons of the South African Air Force. Marylands also saw service with the Fleet Air Arm. Among the notable operations of the type were the reconnaissance sorties that preceded the successful Fleet Air Arm attack in November 1940 on the Italian fleet in harbour at Taranto. Another FAA Maryland
reported that the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were at sea in May 1941.
| MODEL | Maryland Mk II |
| ENGINE | 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4G Twin Wasp radial piston engines, 895kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 7624 kg | 16808 lb |
| Empty weight | 5086 kg | 11213 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 18.69 m | 61 ft 4 in |
| Length | 14.22 m | 47 ft 8 in |
| Height | 4.57 m | 15 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 50.03 m2 | 538.52 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 447 km/h | 278 mph |
| Ceiling | 7925 m | 26000 ft |
| Range | 1738 km | 1080 miles |
 | A three-view drawing (2653 x 1450) |
| Anthony Cottrell, e-mail, 17.09.2020 23:44 Further to my email above. From my dad's logbooks I get the impression that he spent far more time on coastal command Hudsons and Blenheims. Certainly in 459 squadron iit was hudsons then blenheims according to his log. in '43 to early '44 he was with 58 squadron then 172 before transferring to 201 squadron Sunderlands at Castle Archdale in 44 /early 45. He also spent quite a bit of time on strike Libs and Halifaxes. I keep on seeingthe word 2secial2 for certain trips. I know three of them involved Daks in and oout of Palestine AFTER Israel had declared independence. I remember him telling me when I was a nipper that they picked up the last squaddies out of (maybe) Lydda and that the message was if someone flashed them from the end of the runway then they carried out the pick up but if there was no signal, just go. By then, in addition to his varous signals qualifications he had got his jumpmaster ticket and was checked out on cannister drops etc. Oh,I also spotted that one "special" (just the one word) involved looking for paratroops (our own). It's an interesting trawl. My dad talked about lots of stuff and sadly died about two years after I took him down to the flying boat reunion in '95. Not long after the trip (where he met up with two of his best mates from 201 (one of whom was Jerry Moreby who had been (before he re-joined 201 in 51) the wireless operator on the Sunderland that flew up the Yangtse at silly feet taking a doctor to the ship and taking off her casualties. In fact, yesterday, whilst going through stuff, I found the info from the reunion day and "uncle" Jerry had written down his address on one of the leaflets. Amazing character. Tiny. They used to send him up into the wings to stow contraband. He hated it but he was always the smallest. Sorry, I'm rambling. reply | | brotherdoc, e-mail, 19.03.2016 22:58 I just finished doing a great, very challenging 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of Allied Air Command World War II Bombers. The Martin Marylander is one of the planes on the puzzle, in the same side-view as in this article. But, on the puzzle it is mislabeled as a Lockheed Hudson. I knew it was wrong because there is another quite different plane that really is the Lockheed Hudson. I have had quite a time finding the right name to go with the silhouette, but this is it! reply |
| Dave Bettany, e-mail, 08.01.2016 20:52 New one on me but nice to know we had modern fast bomber at the start of the war. Didnt we need more? Bet the four wing guns gave a few Luftwaffe pilots a surprise. reply | | John Watkins, e-mail, 06.07.2012 01:15 Just finished building the 1950s Frog model of this A /C in 1 /72 scale. Poor moulding, but not a bad result. Did this A /C have a wire aerial from the tail to the pylon,behind the cockpit? reply | |
| | Klaatu, e-mail, 31.05.2011 00:44 "he said we (the U.S. Army Air Force) should have used the maryland (sic) also,very fast, agile,good gun platform,a little space limited inside."
The USAAF rejected the Maryland in favor of an equally, if not more, successful competing airplane, the Douglas DB-7, known to the USAAF as the A-20 and by the British under the names "Boston" and "Havoc". reply | | tiberio riva, from italy, e-mail, 08.03.2010 01:31 dears sirs, I'm looking for detailed photos /manuals due modelling a contrail vacu 1 /48 Maryland. Can anyone help me?
thanks a lot in advance
tiberio reply | | iain campbell, e-mail, 29.08.2009 16:49 my friend of many years worked at the glenn martin factory when the martin maryland was being built. when the war started he enlisted in the usaaf going on to fly and fight in martin maruaders. he said we should have used the maryland also,very fast, agile,good gun platform,a little space limited inside.i would have liked to have had a ride in one reply | | Bismuth, e-mail, 11.06.2007 16:57 good afternoon
I would like to know wich model of propellers equiped the Maryland by ex. Standard Hamilton ?
thanks a lot for you answer reply |
|
Do you have any comments?
|
| 
COMPANY
PROFILE
All the World's Rotorcraft
|
Sorry to butt in. I am in the process of putting stuff together for my kid sister and her son who is doing a project on my dad who was Coastal Command aircrew throughout WW2. He crewed on both Marylands and Hudsons, both in the battle of the Atlantic (Hudsons but not Marylands) and North Africa in 1942 when he was in an Australian squadron (459) which started out with Hudsons and Bristol Blenheims. I am going through his log books at the moment (literally right now) and was just looking for a decent picture of a Maryland to send to my nephew when I stumbled across your conversation. Apologies for butting in. He went on to stick with Blenheims and was, in fact, shot down by a Kittyhawk over Tobruk (hit in the tanks and crash landed. My dad was a young W /OP A /G.
reply