Martin Baltimore

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The home wont give me my form...they just keep pinning my eyes open and making me watch murder films and injecting me with stuff...im not frigging Alex from A Clockwork Orange! I dont even like Beethoven! ;)
 
I was an Australian pilot in WW2.Flew Baltimores 1942/3/4 Libya,
Mediterranean/Aegean/Adriatic/Ionoan Seas/Egypt.77 missions,on two squadrons,no break in between.!8 airplanes flown,singles,twins,fours,instructor on fours at the end. Contact me
[email protected]
 
According to Owen Thetford - Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918.

Whereas the earlier Maryland had been talen over from French contracts, the Baltimore was produced from the outset to British requirements.

The R.A.F. used the Baltimore exclusiely in the Mediterranean theatre, some of the first entering service with 223 Squadron in January 1942. Operating both day and night, Baltimores did sterling work with the light bomber squadrons of the Dersert Air Force during the North African offensive and later played a prominent part in the intensive bombing of targers in Pantelleria and Sicily. In Italy, the Baltimores continued to bomb targets ahead of the advancing armies and with some squadrons remained in action until the end of the war in Europe. One Baltimore (a Mk 111, FA 163) became a veteran of 102 operational flights for a Desert Air Force light bomber.
In addition to its role as a tactical support bomber the Baltimore also served on anti-shipping recce, notably with No. 459 Squadron in the Eastern Mediterranean and with No. 52 at Gibraltar. like its predecessor, the Maryland, it did useful work as a photo-recce aircraft both with No. 69 Squadron in Malta and No. 680 in Tunisia and Italy.
 
Actually it was a ground looping SOB. The ferry stats from the RAF show it didn't like roll out any better. Dad was a ferry pilot for the RAF and was taught by Vicar how to survive the tack off. The ferry tanks were behind the fron gear and made for a no-go if you were not lined up with the runway when the rear wheel gave you a look at the runway. They also had tire problems and the gear would collapse on an occasion.

Dad actually liked a challenge and never turned down a delivery. His flight log is full of deliveries with "adventure" written all over it.
 

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