Forgotten Bomber - Martin A-30 Baltimore

during the opening months of 1943 the situation grew more dire by the minute for the germans and the mediterranean supplies were low and their transporting routes had been cut off by allied air superiority in the area a desperate attempt to supply german troops in crete was subsequently made on june 1st when a heavily protected convoy suddenly faced a massive force of 72 bombers that emerged over the horizon escorted by scores of fighters ready to hunt them down to their astonishment the bulk of the bombers were american-built royal air force martin a30 baltimore's fearsome aircraft known for their speed and overwhelming flight formations over the years the a30 baltimore has slowly drifted out of history books but by 1943 the aircraft was the allied bomber in the mediterranean theater par excellence the peculiar fish-like warplane had a crucial role in the allied triumphs in the mediterranean northern africa and the middle east but although the aircraft was built by americans the us military would never use it during world war ii when the german sailors saw the swarm of baltimore bombers descending over their position during that fateful journey in 1943 they had reasons to worry the baltimore soon swooped in and a brutal battle erupted above the waves of the mediterranean sea made in the usa the baltimore was initially conceived in the late 1930s as a low-level attack bomber and it was based on the glenn l martin company's model 167 maryland which had been vastly used by the french air force during the arms race before the outbreak of world war one when working on a successor for the maryland martin went for a scaled-up version of the already reliable aircraft model 187 as it was called then showcased a 48.5 foot long fuselage that was not only longer but also much deeper than its predecessors still the new model preserved the maryland's narrow width granting the newer plane with the same unique fish-like silhouette the revised bomber was also fitted with updated 1600 horsepower right gr 2600 a5b5 double cyclone engines mounted inside its 61-foot wingspan the beefy engines provided the model 197 a top speed of more than 300 miles per hour making the bomber capable of outrunning enemy fighters as for firepower the bomber could deliver a 2 000 pound payload and it was also capable of defending itself during aerial combat thanks to two forward-firing 303-inch browning machine guns and a bolt and paul turret housing four 303-inch machine guns mounted on a flexible base in an open cockpit just behind the pilot in addition the airship was fitted with several weapons to adequately defend itself from almost any angle the radio operator had access to two machine guns attached to an adjustable ventral mount in the baltimore's rear-facing belly window and if that wasn't enough additional fixed machine guns were fitted facing down operated by a foot pedal to the rear and serve to counter any fighters that approach the bomber below the ventral gunner's field of view cruising speeds reach 220 miles per hour with the service ceiling altitude of 24 000 feet and a bombing range of 950 miles a secondary fuel tank intended to fit into the bombay could expand that range for ferrying or reconnaissance missions after its developing stage in the u.s model 187 was briefly considered by the u.s army corps but the american military went with martin's b-26 marauder instead the french however did order a large number of bombers to replace their quickly aging marylands and consequently the combat debut of the brand new bomber would occur in the battle of france when the french military tried to hold back the might of the blitzkrieg things didn't go as planned for the french and soon they were overwhelmed by the vermont forcing the government to capitulate and submit to nazi germany's rule with france subjugated britain assumed the model 187 contract and placed a significant order to bolster the royal air force additionally they renamed the model 187 after baltimore the city where it was built but pilots and the crews would come to know it simply as the vault performance the bolt was quickly recognized for its reliability and speed the latter being crucial for the enormous value allies placed on the unit the ability to deliver large payloads at rates so significant that enemy fighters struggled to catch them was a groundbreaking advantage soon practically every allied air force in the mediterranean incorporated the baltimore into their numbers including the british new zealand australian greek south african and free french air forces as well as the italian co-belligerent air force assembled in southern italy after rome's capitulation paradoxically no u.s military branch would ever use the baltimore during the global conflict which would cement the bomber as a british aircraft in the public's minds despite holding the name of an american city the baltimore was manned by a pilot a navigator bombardier a top turret gunner and a radio operator that would also operate as a gunner if the pilot became incapacitated during combat auxiliary flight controls in the nose allowed the navigator to fly the plane making the bomber highly secure pilots and crews found the bolt robust resilient and easy to fly as one of the first royal air force pilots to try it would later declare a quote the airplane is nice to handle in all conditions of flight and it all loads its maneuverability is good and evasive action is easy the airplane is extremely good on one engine maintaining height with the greatest of ease on one engine even with the propeller of the dead engine unfeathered despite bolt's overwhelmingly positive reviews it wasn't free of criticism even when its shortcomings were few they were severe and persistent the issues it presented primarily happened as the aircraft took off or landed the ball tended to ground loop if the engine's output wasn't perfectly synchronized as the airplane launched or landed and it would rotate drastically in a wagging motion the issue became so hazardous that more bolts were lost to ground loops than to combat situations still despite the risky fault the airplane's advantages were so significant that allied forces continued to use it to address the issue a landing procedure was established by which the pilot approached the airfield at low throttle and engaged the engine only a few feet from the ground then as the wheels touched down power was reduced once again by using that strategy the bolt's main disadvantage was diminished and its remarkable flight performance and firepower could be applied effectively to chastise access targets in the mediterranean combat service the baltz entered the war just as urban rama launched his 1942 offensive over north africa two baltimore squadrons rushed to defend el alamein against overwhelming odds and britain suffered massive casualties still the air support provided by the bombers saved innumerable lives after their baptism by fire the bots became the bombing backbone of the allied efforts in the mediterranean and their tactics became legendary the bombers were crucial in developing the tetherbomb carpet a maneuver that involved a six aircraft formation called a box three boxes were formed into v formations then a pair of groups each containing one formation of eighteen bolts would attack in succession from heights of ten thousand to twelve thousand feet the objective was to lay a tight bomb pattern close to 800 yards from british lions while being constantly protected by fighter escorts the tactic became so successful and casualties suffered by the vaults were so few that the axis troops nicknamed the enemy formations the 18 imperturbals while the bolts fighting in the african desert overwhelmed their enemies with their groundbreaking bombing formations other ball pilots were hunting u-boats and german warships at sea to attain superiority over the mediterranean one such operation would later be called the big strike a massive bombing attack on a german convoy attempting to supply troops in crete as the convoy left the harbor a baltimore reconnaissance aircraft began tracking it constantly informing its position while avoiding escorting fighters and anti-air fire as the evening arrived the strike force finally intercepted the convoy which was made up of 72 bombers escorted by mustangs spitfires wellingtons marauders and rocket-armed bow fighters squadron leader george gray described the outside of the attack it was about 7 pm and still daylight when we attacked we managed to straddle a merchant ship and the south african baltimore is another the rocket bows had a go at the merchant ships and some of the rockets went straight through without damaging them significantly there was a lot of flack from the destroyers but we were high enough to get away with it the outbreak of the onslaught was sudden and devastating the defending ships did not have the firepower to even slow down the attack the first encounter left one ship sinking and two more burning one of which would also sink later that night the same strike force hit the following day again as the convoy struggled to rescue survivors and regroup german vessels were able to reach port but that was a little help against the mighty baltimore's pursuing them the germans darkened the sky with flack from the ships and the ground batteries yet they were ineffective only six bow fighters were lost while the germans lost another merchant ship and destroyer one german merchant ship escaped to deeper waters amid the chaos but it was soon intercepted thanks to the efforts of radar-equipped baltimores the bots then reached the fleeing merchant vessel and damaged it severely it would later be finished off by a british submarine baltimores continued to be a formidable asset to the allies fighting in the mediterranean for the remainder of the war after the curtains of the european theater closed the bolts were dismantled they had served their purpose and it was time for a new generation of bombers to rise thank you for watching my video please let us know your thoughts in the comments below and for more exciting history inspired content make sure to subscribe to all of our dark documentaries channels and hit the notification bell stay tuned

Channel: Dark Skies

Views: 106,200

Keywords: aviation, airplanes, aircraft, air force, history, documentary, history channel, documentary channel, dark docs, dark skies

Id: 0kDQXT-Hx9I

Length: 9min 43sec (583 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 11 2022