The Martin Model 167 Maryland was an American
light bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...
[ Martin Maryland](_blank)
Military History Encyclopedia on the Web that first flew in 1939. It saw action in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
with France and the United Kingdom.
Design and development
In response to a December 1937
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
requirement for an attack aircraft capable of carrying a bombload of over a range of at a speed of , the
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company, also known as The Martin Company from 1917 to 1961, was an American aircraft and aerospace industry, aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many impo ...
produced its Model 167, which was given the official designation XA-22, competing with designs from
Bell Aircraft
The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many i ...
(the Model 9),
Douglas (the
Douglas DB-7
The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.
Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...
),
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...
(the
NA-40) and
Stearman Stearman is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Josiah Stearman (born 2003), American chess master
* Lloyd Stearman (1898–1975), American aviation pioneer
* Richard Stearman (born 1987), English footballer
* William Stearman ( ...
(the
Stearman XA-21). Martin's design was a twin-engine all-metal monoplane, capable of around 310 mph (500 km/h) with a crew of three. The XA-22 was not adopted for operational service in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, because the contract was won by the
Douglas DB-7
The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.
Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...
, which became the A-20 Havoc, but Martin received foreign orders, and about 450 of the fast, twin-engined bombers were built.
The prototype Model 167W was powered by twin-row
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
R-1830-37 Twin Wasp engines, which were replaced in French production aircraft by single-row nine-cylinder
Wright R-1820 Cyclone
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...
engines, although the Twin Wasps were then restored for the British Maryland. All versions of the Model 167 were armed with six machine guns, four fixed guns in the wings (mainly for ground-attack), one dorsal gun and one ventral gun. In the prototype, these guns were all 0.30 in
Browning machine guns. The dorsal gun was mounted in a fully retractable turret. The French aircraft used license-built Belgian
Fabrique Nationale
, trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe .
FN ...
FN-Brownings, and used a lighter semi-retractable dorsal turret. The weight saved helped to increase the top speed to .

The Model 167 was a fairly typical twin-engined bomber of the period. The most unusual feature of the Model 167 was the very narrow fuselage, although it was shared with a number of late prewar contemporaries. The crew of three was carried in two isolated compartments: the
bombardier sat in the nose below the pilot and the gunner was in the mid-upper twin-
machine gun turret in a separate rear compartment, isolated by a bulkhead.
Glenn L. Martin doubled the size of the Baltimore factory, and built all 115 aircraft in six months, but they were prevented from delivering them by a US government
arms embargo
An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:
* to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor
* to maintain ...
. Despite that, the French placed an order for an additional 100 aircraft. The embargo was lifted in October 1939, and the 115 aircraft from the first order were delivered by late November 1939. Deliveries then slowed, and only 25 of the second batch reached France before the
French surrender to the Germans.
Operational history
French service

Facing a massive
German arms buildup and desperate for modern aircraft, the
French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
purchased U.S. aircraft of numerous types in the late 1930s. Martin received an order for more than 200 167 Fs which incorporated French equipment such as metric instruments. French officials expected deliveries to begin in January 1939 but the type, locally called the Glenn Martin 167 A-3 entered service only in early 1940.
Because of the U.S. embargo on arms exports after the beginning of the war, many aircraft were impounded for two months before being shipped to Europe. When the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
began, there were only four ''Groupes de bombardement'' (bomber squadrons) equipped. The ''Glenns'' were quickly sent to the front lines where they performed well with their adequate speed and excellent manoeuvrability for an aircraft in this class. In about 400 sorties, they suffered a 4 per cent loss rate, much better than the 16 per cent endured by
LeO 451 crews against similar targets.
Immediately before the
June 1940 Armistice, units flying the Glenn Martin 167 were evacuated to
French North Africa
French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...
to avoid capture by the Germans. One of them landed in Spain and was interned, being tested by the
Spanish Air Force
The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces.
History
Early stages
Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Al ...
. Some examples were transferred to the
Aéronautique Navale. During
Vichy rule of the
French empire, French Martins bombed
British Commonwealth forces, most notably during the
Syria–Lebanon campaign
The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the invasion of Syria and Lebanon (then controlled by Vichy France, a vassal state of Nazi Germany) in June and July 1941 by British Empire forces, during the Second World War.
...
of 1941. Following
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...
in 1943, M.167s were replaced with more modern Allied types, including the
Martin B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in ...
. Approximately 215 Martin 167s were delivered to France.
British service

Just before the
Franco-German Armistice, the remaining 75 aircraft on the French order were signed over to the United Kingdom; 32 Marylands had been completed to French specifications and were converted to British requirements in the UK. Engines were changed from the
Cyclone 9 to the
Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp and various weapons and instruments were replaced. The last 43 of the order were completed as required by Glenn Martin. All these aircraft became the Maryland Mk.I. A further 150 aircraft had been ordered directly by Britain with two-speed
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement (engine), displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically ...
s on their Twin Wasps as the Maryland Mk.II.
Many of the aircraft were shipped to
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
in time for the 1941 fighting there. The RAF used the aircraft mainly for photo-reconnaissance operations in
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and East Africa, it being faster than the
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...
. A Maryland bomber photographed the Italian fleet before and after the
Battle of Taranto on 11 November 1940. The pilot,
Adrian Warburton, scored his five confirmed kills with the Maryland's forward-firing guns.
Seven Maryland Mk.Is were transferred to the British
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
and were mainly used for
target towing duties.
[Mondey 2006, p. 175.] On 22 May 1941, a Maryland of
771 Naval Air Squadron based at
Hatston in the
Orkney Islands
Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...
, reported that the German
battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
had left
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
, confirming that she was breaking out into the Atlantic.
Operators
;
* ''
Armée de l'Air
The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
''
* ''
Aéronavale''
*
Free French Air Force
The Free French Air Forces (, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's force ...
;
*
Vichy French Air Force
;
*
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...
**
No. 12 Squadron SAAF
**
No. 16 Squadron SAAF
**
No. 21 Squadron SAAF
**
No. 24 Squadron SAAF
;
*
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
**
No. 39 Squadron RAF
**
No. 69 Squadron RAF
**
No. 203 Squadron RAF
**
No. 223 Squadron RAF
*
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
**
771 Naval Air Squadron
Specifications (Maryland Mk I)
See also
Notes
Bibliography
* Bishop, Chris. ''The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Air Warfare''. London: Amber Books Ltd, 2004. .
* Cuny, Jean. "Glenn Martin 167 in French Service". ''Journal of American Aviation Historical Society.'' Volume 10, No. 1, Spring 1965.
*
*
*
*
* Mondey, David. ''American Aircraft of World War II'' (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. .
* Munson, Kenneth. ''Fighters and Bombers of World War II: 1939–45''. London: Blandford Press Ltd, 1969. .
*
*
*
* Wagner, Ray. "American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition". New York: Doubleday & Company, 1982, pp. 178–179. .
External links
*
"The French Martin"a 1940 ''Flight'' article
{{USAF attack aircraft
1930s United States attack aircraft
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1939
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear