Martin Baltimore Stars & Stripes Structured Twill Cap

The Martin Baltimore was an American-built twin-engine light bomber developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier Martin Maryland. Originally ordered by France through the Anglo-French purchasing organisation, the aircraft were taken over by Britain following the fall of France, while later production was supplied under Lend-Lease. The Martin Model 187 prototype first flew on 14 Jun 1941. The United States Army Air Forces assigned the designations A-30 and A-30A to later versions for procurement purposes, but did not operate the Baltimore in regular combat squadrons. A total of 1,575 aircraft were built between 1941 and 1944.

The Baltimore served extensively with RAF, South African, Australian, Hellenic and Italian Co-Belligerent squadrons in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Sicily, Italy and the Aegean. RAF and Commonwealth units employed it in tactical bombing, maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrol, anti-shipping, close support and night operations.

Armament varied between versions, but commonly included four forward-firing wing-mounted machine guns, defensive guns or a powered dorsal turret, and a bomb load of up to 2,000 lb. Crews praised the Baltimore’s performance, structural strength, manoeuvrability and bombing accuracy, although its narrow fuselage created cramped and separated crew positions. It could also be demanding to handle on the ground and during take-off if engine power was not applied evenly.

Baltimores were especially active during the North African and Tunisian campaigns, the invasion of Sicily and the Italian Campaign. No. 454 and No. 459 Squadrons RAAF operated the type in maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrol, tactical bombing and close-support roles across the Mediterranean and Italy.

Most Baltimores were withdrawn soon after the war, although limited RAF, Fleet Air Arm and foreign service continued into the late 1940s. Although built in the United States and assigned American A-30 designations, the Baltimore’s operational history belonged almost entirely to British Commonwealth and other Allied air forces.

Production & Shipping times can be found here.

This product is made to order, with production beginning once your order has been received. We are, therefore, not able to cancel or amend an order once it has been placed. This includes changes to the shipping address, size, design, or any other specifications. Please review your order details carefully before finalising your purchase.

Please note there can be subtle variations in colour and minor movement of the product during production that may cause a design element not to be the exact same colour or in the exact position as it appears onscreen. More details can be found on our FAQ page. By producing items on demand rather than in large quantities, we actively contribute to minimising overproduction and waste. We genuinely appreciate your mindful purchasing choices, which support this more sustainable approach. Thank you for your understanding and support!

This product is shipped from either Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Latvia or Spain.

Original blank products sourced from Vietnam or Bangladesh.

EU GPSR-related product information:
Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years
Other compliance information: Meets the lead and phthalates level requirements.

In compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Oak inc. and SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED ensure that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU standards. For any product safety related inquiries or concerns, please contact our EU representative at gpsr@sindenventures.com. You can also write to us at Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus.

Martin Baltimore Stars & Stripes Structured Twill Cap

You may also like

Customer Reviews