Martin B-10

Shay · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:31 pm

Found on Flickr. A Martin B-10 or more precisely a Model 139 of the NEIAF - Netherlands East Indies Air Force based in Asia. As i understand it the NEIAF was decimated when the Japanese advanced. Also I beleive the is the only the combat the B-10 or it's variants would see. As it was completely out classed by the Japanese aircraft.

Bombay door smooth and not corrugated

Also 1940 COLOR footage of a B-10 and it's crew travelling cross counrtry. Neat stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1bbclaG0w8

I have read that even by the US entry into ww2 that the B-10 had been relegated to secondary roles. I'm curious has anyone seen any pictures of B-10s wearing mid and late war "star-n-bars"?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Holedigger · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:38 pm

Nice Pic. Rare bird, as I understand it, only one left-USAFM. As a 1932 design, in this period of fast changing aeronautical design, it was "old" by the time we got into the war and definitely outdated.

retroaviation · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 5:05 pm

I wonder if people found that airplane to be ugly back in the day, or if it was "the cool lookin' new bomber?"

Gary

John Dupre · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 5:36 pm

As I remember the surviving B-10 came from Argentina. At one point it was going to be displayed in half and half Argentine and US colors. I think the fascist behavior of the late 70's put an end to that. What I don't know is if the aircraft is a genuine B-10 or an export version?

marine air · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 5:56 pm

My former flight instructor and friend Col. James Haun claimed to have no fewer than five aircraft serials in his logbook that were in the Air Force Museum as of 1985. He claimed he had flown the P-12 and B-10. He later flew in an Eagle Squadron and the 9th Air Force. SO his experience with that B-10 would have been either in the Memphis Air Guard, or later on active duty at Fort Knox, Ky. before the U.S. involvement in WW II.

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:48 pm

That was a great find - mostly when I find old movie footage it's dogs, flowers and trees... Can anyone tell where that B-10 is finally landing?

The NMUSAF B-10 was listed as a Martin 139W, the export version.

The same guy has also salvaged, scanned (frame-by-frame! :shock:

) and posted some footage that was in VERY poor condition of a B-18 and an A-17 - tail code on the A-17 was BE or BG 55 and the B-18's code was BE or BG 97. The airstrip looks like it was way out in the wilderness someplace, but neither plane seemed to have war games markings - anyone care to guess where? There's also very distant footage of what looks like an L-1 landing.

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Chris Brame wrote:

That was a great find - mostly when I find old movie footage it's dogs, flowers and trees... Can anyone tell where that B-10 is finally landing?

That was a great find, excellent video! I was trying to figure out where that B-10 was landing also. In some of those shots, there are distant snow capped mountains in the distance. The bases that immediately came to mind were:

1) Hill, Utah
2) Somewhere in Denver, Lowery?
3) Somewhere in Southern California, March?

Just guessing, but it could be anywhere.

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

John Dupre wrote:

As I remember the surviving B-10 came from Argentina. At one point it was going to be displayed in half and half Argentine and US colors. I think the fascist behavior of the late 70's put an end to that. What I don't know is if the aircraft is a genuine B-10 or an export version?

John,

The Argentineans flew export versions, designated as the Martin 139W/WAA/WAN

There is a book on their service in Argentina, by Jorge NUÑEZ PADIN, well documented and written.

If you are interested, you should contact Jorge:

<jfnpadin@yahoo.com>

Saludos,

Tulio

Mgawa · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 6:46 am

Couple years ago I have search a lot about this plane and as I know it have also corugated as well flat bomb bay doors. This is very interesting airplane and definitely interesting in every aspect. Machine which in empty configuration have the same turn radius as the main US fighter plane at the that moment, Boeing P-12. It is pitty that this very interesting machine and foreruner of all modern bombers, did not have more attention from modela manufacturer, there was only one kit in 1/75 scale.

Congratulation for this nice topic!!!

Cheers

JBoyle · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:48 am

Mgawa wrote:

It is pitty that this very interesting machine and foreruner of all modern bombers, did not have more attention from modela manufacturer, there was only one kit in 1/75 scale.

Wasn't the Williams Brothers kit in 1/72nd? That's what it said on the box.
And I hear it was a very nice kit.

Mgawa · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:16 am

To regret I never have this kit, I also hear that it is stated on box that it is 1/72 but actually it is not at that scale. If any precise info is available I would be glad to hear.

Cheers

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 6:49 pm

Unfortunately, if I recall correctly, we have a B-10 rotting away in SF Bay near the old Hamilton AFB. It is only visible during extreme low tides, several times a year.

WIXerGreg · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:59 pm

Mgawa-

I dug my 1/72 Williams Bros. B-10 out of the drawer, stashed away after a tragic blue/yellow paint bleedover accident last year. It's a B-10B, in the instructions it shows the full scale wingspan to be 70' 6". 1/72 scale works out to be 11 3/4", I measured the built model and it was 11 11/16", so it's really close to being right. (my Williams Bros. C-46 has always seemed bigger than it should be, so now I'm thinking I should measure it!)

You can still find these on ebay once in a while. It's been a little over a month now, but another WIXer had one of these kits he was selling.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... hp?t=31102

Greg

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:07 pm

I've built a couple of them; some parts are a bit crude here and there by current standards but they go together nicely enough with a bit of work (it was a breeze compared to their C-46!) I don't have them on hand to check the scale, though. The B-10's wing span was 70'6" which would be 11 3/4" in 1/72nd or slightly more than 11 1/4" in 1/75th. Any of you modelers have one handy to check?

Edit: Oh, I guess you did. :oops:

marine air · **Posted:** Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:15 pm

In the book "Who Says THere Are No Old Bold Pilots?!" written by my friend Col James Haun he says that when he reported to Fort Knox Ky. in 1940, they still ad some B-10's. His new squadron the 12th Observation Squadron had one B-10 that wasn't flown much and a bunch of shiny new 0-47's.
His checkout was given not by a pilot but by the crew chief. He said it flew pretty good and had been a nice ship in it's day. It was faster and had better performance tha the P-12's in it's day. He said he freaked out when the wings were "flapping" in turbulence. It was used for observation training and target towing. They also did experiments with deropping supplies by parachute from the bombay with weights up to 300 lbs. He also says it had a wheels up landing and was not in service on Dec. 7th 1941.

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