British Forces

The Baltimore’s nose

Glenn Martin

Factory tests of an American-built bomber Glenn Martin Baltimore, like on the Glenn L. Martin Company’s factory at Cleveland, Ohio, before the aircraft’s ferry from United States to Mediterranean Theater via Gold Coast, today Ghana (note the glass nose still immaculate). The aircraft has already the RAF camouflage for the North African sector. The first production series of this versatile twin engine aircraft, Company’s name M-187, was for the French Air Force, but after the fall of France, the production series was diverted to Great Britain which received two other substantial batches under the Lend Lease Act. The aircraft, named Baltimore in the British service, was, de facto, employed only by the RAF and other Commonwealth’s air forces (Australia and South Africa) and only in the Mediterranean theater (North Africa and Italy). Some RAF’s Baltimore was switched to Greek Air Force and, second half 1944, to Italian co-belligerent Air Force. The picture now posted is the color cover of the Glenn Martin’s home magazine, October 1943. Victor Sierra