Martin Baltimore?

[RyanShort1]

Does anyone have any cool Martin Baltimore stories - with photos of an aircraft? Any cool paint schemes?

Ryan

[Invader26]

RAAF squadrons flew Baltimores in Desert campaign as well as Sicily and in Italy.....
http://www.454-459squadrons.org.au/martin.html

[John Dupre]

Any idea on survivors out there? It is a shame that there are no Marylands or Baltimores surviving but who knows there might be some hiding somewhere.

[RyanShort1]

RAAF squadrons flew Baltimores in Desert campaign as well as Sicily and in Italy.....
http://www.454-459squadrons.org.au/martin.html

Thanks for that link. Looking for some good story with enough pictures to make a good model setup.

Ryan

[SaxMan]

There may be pieces of one at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay. There is a record of a Baltimore crashing into the Chesapeake on January 22, 1944. I don't know anything else about this. One of these days, I'll go ahead and order the accident report. It would probably make for a nice excuse to spend the day on the Bay in a boat.

Another Baltimore was hurled off the cliff at the end of the runway at Hal Far (IIRC) in Malta. Not sure if it is still there. Two freighters loaded with Baltimores were sunk by U-Boats as well.

There also may be crash landed Marylands and/or Baltimores in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts. Given the instability of the governments there, any kind of expedition would likely be foolhardy at this point.

[Invader26]

A list and a few pics of all RAAF Baltimores...

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/baltimore.htm

My high school Maths teacher, Kev O'Brien flew in Baltimores...

[Warbird Kid]

Two freighters loaded with Baltimores were sunk by U-Boats as well.

This… this right here. We're they torpedoed in the depths of the Atlantic? Or are they elsewhere? Is the location known or are they still missing? Or what ship they were?

Last edited by Warbird Kid on Mon Oct 06, 2014 11:54 am, edited 2 times in total.

[SaxMan]

No other info on the U-Boat sinkings. Got that from a Google search.

[Mark Allen M]

Always a favorite

[Invader26]

The Baltimore was quite the looker!

[tom d. friedman]

the french air force was slated to get them. i don't know if they did before the surrender to germany. if they did get them they may had gone to the puppet vichi french government. not sure, but it's a good theory!!

[John Dupre]

There is a photo I have seen in a few books about the German occupation of France that shows a huge aircraft scrap yard near Paris with the fuselage of one of the Martin types that looks a kids toy the place was so huge.

[SaxMan]

I don't believe the French ordered or received any of the Baltimores. They did get the earlier Martin Maryland (Model 167). The Baltimore was the response to the RAF's suggestions for improvements to the Maryland.

The Wiki article tantalizingly says about the Baltimore "Although the Baltimore was produced in greater numbers than any other Martin design except the B-26 Marauder, with over 2,100 produced, not one aircraft has survived intact, although the wreckage of several is known to exist." Any of the WIX brain trust know anything about this?

[JDK]

The Wiki article tantalizingly says about the Baltimore "Although the Baltimore was produced in greater numbers than any other Martin design except the B-26 Marauder, with over 2,100 produced, not one aircraft has survived intact, although the wreckage of several is known to exist." Any of the WIX brain trust know anything about this?

I believe there are some small parts in collections, but I'm not aware of any substantial remains anywhere.

Yes there *could* be a survivor somewhere, but there isn't a single one known. Effectively, like the 167 / Maryland, extinct.

Martin are the other end of the line to North American Aviation. You could argue that NAA is over represented by survivors (against the wartime proportions of NAA vs other manufacturers of fighters, trainers and medium bombers) while Martin really only have a couple of types extant, including the Martin JRM Mars (two survivors from a tiny production run of seven) and too few B-26 Marauders.

Regards,

[Invader26]

Don't forget the Martin Mariner and post-WW2 [just] Marlin. A couple exist...

The Maryland was also a good looker...