WWII Martin BTM-1 in flight. It is dated in the lower right corner with a date of 1-17-45. The BTM-1 was a carrier based torpedo bombers.

Throughout the WW II the US Navy used a variety of carrier-based aircraft for attack duties. They were designated “SB” for scout/dive bombers and “TB” for torpedo-bombers. In 1943/44 a change in military tactics required a new role for an attack aircraft. So the US Navy invited proposals for a new multi-purpose bomber and selected four designs in September 1943: the Curtiss XBTC, Douglas XBT2D Skyraider, Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK and the Martin XBTM. Two prototypes of the Martin design were ordered. The first flight was made in August 1944 and in January 1945 a production order for 750 aircraft was placed. With the end of WW II only 131 production aircraft, now named AM-1 “Mauler”, were delivered, another 651 aircraft were cancelled.

7x9 Black & White photo. Handwritten on the back is just “BTM-1. The photo is in good shape with no real damage. The photo is curled a little.

I picked quite a few airplane and early jet photos from the WWII/KOREAN War era, which I will be listing over the next several weeks. Please check back.