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| Martin 167 Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Name | Martin 167 Maryland |
| Type | Light bomber/twin-engine attack aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| First flight | 1938 |
| Introduced | 1939 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Primary user | French Air Force; Royal Air Force; Aviation militaire de l'Armée de l'Air (Vichy) |
| Produced | 225 |
| Number built | 225 |
Martin 167 Maryland The Martin 167 Maryland was an American twin‑engined light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the late 1930s produced by the Glenn L. Martin Company. Purchased in significant numbers by the French Air Force and later operated by the Royal Air Force and South African Air Force, the Maryland served during the early stages of World War II in European, North African, and Mediterranean theatres. The type is noted for its modern all‑metal monoplane construction, its role in prewar export sales, and its operational adaptation under combat conditions during the 1939–1943 period.
The Maryland originated from the Martin Model 167 family developed by chief designer Glen L. Martin's team at the Glenn L. Martin Company facility in Baltimore, Maryland. Influenced by contemporaries such as the Douglas B-18 Bolo and the Lockheed Hudson, the Model 167 combined a mid‑wing cantilever layout with twin Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines and a glazed nose reminiscent of the Avro Anson. In response to an export market led by France and later orders from Persia and Turkey, Martin offered variants with different powerplants and defensive armament packages inspired by Fairey Battle and Hawker Hector design trends. Prototype trials took place alongside evaluations by the United States Army Air Corps although no US service procurement occurred due to competing designs like the North American B-25 Mitchell and the Martin B-10 lineage.
The Maryland featured an all‑metal stressed skin fuselage and retractable main landing gear similar to the Boeing Model 299 concept, with a crew of four including pilot, co‑pilot/navigator, bombardier and radio‑gunner. Powerplants varied: French US‑contract examples used Wright R-1820 Cyclone variants, while later export sets employed Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines in some conversions. Defensive armament typically included dorsal and ventral machine guns firing Browning rounds, paralleling armament layouts used on the Vickers Wellington and the Handley Page Hampden. Bombload capacity and range placed the Maryland in the same class as the Bristol Blenheim and the Heinkel He 111 for short to medium range reconnaissance and tactical bombing missions. Avionics suites for navigation and radio communication reflected interwar standards with equipment comparable to that installed in the Dornier Do 17 and the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79.
Export orders delivered to the Armée de l'Air arrived in 1938–1939, and the Maryland saw action during the Battle of France where it conducted reconnaissance and light bombing sorties against Wehrmacht ground forces. Following the armistice, several aircraft were absorbed by Vichy France units while others escaped to France Libre streams similar to those of Free French Forces who later operated aircraft alongside Royal Air Force squadrons. The Royal Air Force impressed some examples into service, deploying them in North Africa and the Mediterranean theatre where they undertook reconnaissance and anti‑shipping patrols akin to missions flown by No. 113 Squadron RAF and No. 69 Squadron RAF. The South African Air Force operated Marylands in the Western Desert Campaign against Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica units, performing tactical reconnaissance in coordination with formations such as 8th Army (United Kingdom). Attrition from flak and fighter interception by types like the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Macchi C.200 limited survivability, and by 1943 the Maryland had been largely supplanted by newer types including the Martin Baltimore and the Douglas Boston.
- Model 167F: Export variant built to French specification with Wright R-1820 engines and enhanced glazing similar to the Potez 63 reconnaissance versions. - Model 167M: Military export batch re‑engined and modified for tropical operations, comparable in role to the A-20 Havoc in terms of regional adaptation. - Maryland Mk I: RAF designation for impressed French aircraft modified with British radios and defensive fitments, akin to conversions performed on captured Heinkel He 111 airframes. - Maryland Trainer: Limited conversions for crew training paralleling adaptations carried out on types like the Fairey Battle.
- French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) — principal prewar operator. - Vichy France (Aviation militaire de l'Armée de l'Air) — operated surviving home‑based examples after the 1940 armistice. - Free French Forces — units flew escaped aircraft in conjunction with Allied formations. - Royal Air Force — impressed ex‑French examples and used them in North African Campaign roles. - South African Air Force — operated in the Western Desert Campaign. - Limited commercial and evaluation use by Turkey and other Neutral country purchasers in prewar export cycles.
Few, if any, complete Marylands survive in museum collections; remnants and structural components have been studied by preservation groups similar to organizations conserving Avro Lancaster and B-17 Flying Fortress relics. Fragments reportedly exist in restoration archives in France and South Africa, and documentation including technical drawings is held by aviation heritage institutions such as the Imperial War Museum and the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace. Enthusiast organizations devoted to interwar and early WWII types occasionally display reconstructed bays and replica cockpits comparable to exhibits for the Bristol Blenheim and De Havilland Mosquito.
Category:1930s United States bomber aircraft Category:Glenn L. Martin Company aircraft