Martin bombers: From World War I and beyond

The Army appreciated the large twin-engine bombers produced by friend and foe during World War I and set out to create its own bomber fleet before the war ended.

Diligent Glenn Martin responded to an Army Air Service request for designs and produced a biplane, the MB-1, that flew for the first time in August 1918. In the denouement of the war, this was too late for combat, but the Air Service continued with production of the design in the early post-war era.

The Air Service had not yet evolved its alpha-numeric nomenclature system by which we typically denote bombers, and the MB-1 designation reflected Martin Bomber, First Design. The Air Service technically called it the GMB for Glenn Martin Bomber.

The GMB’s wings spanned 71 feet, 5 inches. A pair of 12-cylinder Liberty liquid-cooled engines gave the GMB a top speed of 105 mph and a cruising speed of 92 mph, measured at sea level. A little over a half ton of bombs could be carried. Range was listed as 390 statute miles.

The GMB’s large airframe handily spawned some variations. The single GMP was a 10-passenger transport version that replaced the warrior snout of the bomber with wraparound glazing in the upper nose and cabin windows in the fuselage. The GMP also flew under the designation T-1.

Torpedo-wielding versions served the Navy and Marines as either MBT or MT models. The two MBTs closely paralleled the Army’s MB-1. Eight specialized MT torpedo bombers for the Marines had the longer MB-1 fuselage and the larger-spanned MB-2 wing.

Six MB-1s were modified for use by the U.S. Post Office carrying air mail. Some of these later reverted to the Army.

Production of all variants of the MB-1 totaled 20 aircraft, 10 for the Army Air Service and 10 for the Navy and Marines.

In 1920 Glenn Martin introduced a revised model of his bomber as the MB-2, or NBS-1 in Air Service parlance.

Essential differences from the MB-1 included larger wings spanning 74 feet, 2 inches, a fuselage shortened by a little more than 2 feet in the nose section, modified nacelles and landing gear, and the ability to fold the outer wing panels to the rear for storage in smaller hangars. Bomb load for the MB-2 was increased to 1,800 pounds stowed internally and as high as one ton carried externally.

The MB-2 sacrificed a bit of speed for the gain of range and bomb load, now put at 558 statute miles and up to a ton, while cruising at 91 mph. Crew of the MB-2 was four, up from three for the MB-1.

The MB-2/NBS-1 set the standard for Army Air Service bombardment aviation through most of the 1920s.

The Air Service parceled out contracts to several builders in the post-World War I era in an effort to keep a viable aviation industry alive. For the 100 MB-2s the service ordered, Martin built 20 and other contractors brought the total production run up to 130 of the bombers.

This design will forever be remembered for its pivotal role in sinking the war-prize German battleship Ostfriesland in July 1921 aerial bombing tests. In the best sense of the phrase, this was Billy Mitchell’s “hold my beer” moment in his vigorous campaign to show the merits of bombardment aviation.

In September 1921, two Martin MB-1s took part in an effort to quell armed confrontation between West Virginia coal miners and mine guards and others who opposed the miners’ desires for unionization.

The Martin bombers acted as transports, carrying extra ammunition and medical supplies for ground troops sent to West Virginia under authority of President Warren Harding. Additionally, single-engine DH-4s flew over the area in contention.

One of the Martins crashed on its way to Charleston, West Virginia, after being blown off course. The second Martin crashed on its return flight from West Virginia to Langley Field, Virginia, killing four on board and injuring a fifth crewman.

There’s no evidence the MB-1s engaged in any military bombardment action against the striking miners, but their presence in West Virginia lent punctuation to President Harding’s proclivities.

Glenn Martin, characterized by some biographers as a prim and proper son who doted on his mother, was also an aviation visionary who leapfrogged his early bomber successes into a growing line of warplanes for the Air Force, Navy, and foreign customers.

Martin Clipper flying boat transports served Pan Am in the 1930s. During World War II, Martin Aircraft delivered B-26 Marauder bombers to the Army Air Forces, along with contract-built B-29 Superfortresses, plus big PBM Mariner seaplanes for the Navy.

The last two of a handful of Martin Mars flying boats of the 1940s reached into the 21st Century as fire bombers long after their Navy days.

In the Cold War era, Martin produced two military aircraft with significant service history. An Americanized version of the British Canberra jet bomber produced by Martin flew with the U.S. Air Force as the B-57.

The company’s final production seaplane, the P-5 Marlin, served the U.S. Navy until 1967. The company ventured into missile projects starting with Vanguard in 1957, and culminating in the huge heavy-lifting Titan series.

Mergers in 1961 and 1995 produced the Martin Marietta Corp. and the current Lockheed Martin.

Glenn Martin’s legacy includes more than aircraft designs. His early company efforts served as a talent incubator. Other names who worked for Martin and went on to their own corporate destinies include Donald Douglas, James S. McDonnell, Lawrence Bell, and J.H. “Dutch” Kindleberger of North American Aviation.

Martin’s flight school taught a Pacific Northwest timber baron how to fly, and Martin sold him one of his biplanes. The timberman turned out to be much more than a dabbler.

He began building airplanes and lent his name — Boeing — to his new company.