- Harold Brownlow Martin
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"H. B. Martin" redirects here. For the 19th century British naval officer and watercolour artist, see Henry Byam Martin.
Harold Brownlow (Mick) Martin Nickname Micky Born 27 February 1918
Edgecliff, New South Wales, AustraliaDied 3 November 1988
London, EnglandAllegiance United Kingdom Service/branch Royal Air Force Years of service 1940–1975 Rank Air Marshal Unit No. 455 Squadron RAAF
No. 50 Squadron RAF
No. 617 Squadron RAFCommands held Royal Air Force Germany
RAF NicosiaBattles/wars Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order & Bar
Distinguished Flying Cross & Two Bars
Air Force CrossOther work Advisor (Hawker Siddeley) Air Marshal Sir Harold Brownlow Morgan "Micky" Martin, KCB, DSO & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, AFC (27 February 1918 – 3 November 1988) was an Australian pilot in the Royal Air Force.
He rose to become a senior officer in the RAF commanding RAF Germany, then appointed as Air Member for Personnel, a member of the Air Council the managing council of the RAF.
He took part in Operation Chastise, the RAF's famous "Dambusters" mission in 1943. He was described by journalist Sir Max Hastings as "one of the three great bomber pilots of the war".[1]
Contents
Early life
Born on 27 February 1918 in Edgecliff, New South Wales, Martin left Australia for the United Kingdom in 1939. He intended to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, but instead volunteered to join the Royal Air Force on 28 August 1940.[2]
World War II
Martin commenced his operational career with No. 455 Squadron RAAF in October 1941, flying the Handley Page Hampden.[3] In February 1942, he captained the first all-Australian crewed bombing sortie against Germany. Martin soon acquired a reputation for low-level flying in order to avoid anti-aircraft fire and fighters. After 13 operations, he and his crew joined No. 50 Squadron. Flying Hampdens, the Avro Manchester and finally Avro Lancasters, they completed their tour in October 1942, Martin being awarded the DFC.
Martin's penchant for low flying contributed to his selection in March 1943 for assignment to the newly formed No. 617 Squadron under Wing Commander Guy Gibson.[3]
Martin took part in the famous "Dambusters" raid on 17 May 1943.[3] He piloted the Lancaster bomber AJ-P "Popsie" (officially known as AJ-P "Peter") in the first formation, which was assigned to attack the Möhne Dam in Western Germany. Martin's plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire during the attack, but he successfully accomplished the bombing run and returned. He was awarded a DSO for his actions.
Following Gibson's retirement from operations and the immediate loss in action of his successor, Wing Commander George Holden, Martin assumed temporary command of 617 Squadron.[3] Later, under the command of Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, Martin participated in various pin-point attacks on targets in France, Italy and Germany, often employing the new 12,000 lb Tallboy bomb.
In February 1944, during an abortive attack on the Antheor Viaduct in the French Riviera, Martin's Lancaster was hit by ground fire, killing the bomb aimer Bob Hay, causing Martin to force land his crippled aircraft in Sardinia. This was Martin's 49th (and last) heavy bomber operation.
Martin was soon back on operations, however, flying Mosquito fighter-bombers with No. 515 Squadron.[3] By late 1944 Martin had flown another 34 operations, where he claimed 2 aircraft shot down, and 3 destroyed (and 1 damaged) on the ground.[4]
After World War II
After the war he attended a course at the RAF Staff College in Haifa and in 1945 joined the Headquarters staff of No. 100 Group.[3]
He broke the speed record for flying from England to Cape Town in a de Havilland Mosquito, for which he won the Oswald Watt Gold Medal. In 1947 he flew the meteorological Mosquito for the first transatlantic jet crossing in support of 54 Squadron's Vampires.[5]
He was appointed to a succession of staff jobs; Air Attache, Tel Aviv (1952), Operation Plans Division (1955), Group Captain - Electronic Warfare, HQ Signals Command (1959) before being appointed ADC to the Queen in 1964.[3] He then served for three years (1967–1970) as Air Officer Commanding No. 38 Group.[3] In 1970 he was appointed C in C RAF Germany and finally in 1973 Air Member for Personnel.[3]
After retiring from the RAF on 31 October 1974 he worked for aircraft manufacturer Hawker Siddeley as an advisor.[3] Sir Harold Martin died at his home in London on 3 November 1988,[6] and is buried at Gunnersbury Cemetery.
References
- ^ O'Donnell, Conal: WW2 People's War, British Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ Nelson, Hank (2006). Chased by the Sun: The Australians in Bomber Command in World War II. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1741148472.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Marshal Sir Harold Martin
- ^ Those Other Eagles; C.Shores, 2004 page 388
- ^ Flight 1948
- ^ Sir Harold Martin, Pilot, 70, The New York Times, 6 November 1988.
Further reading
- Bowyer, Chaz (1983). Bomber Barons. Kimber & Co.
External links
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Marshal Sir Harold Martin
- Find-A-Grave profile for Harold Brownlow Martin
- The Dambusters: AJ-P "Popsie"
Military offices Preceded by
G W HoldenOfficer Commanding No. 617 Squadron
Acting
September – November 1943Succeeded by
G L CheshirePreceded by
C N Foxley-NorrisCommander-in-Chief RAF Germany
Also Commander of the Second Tactical Air Force
1970–1973Succeeded by
N M MaynardPreceded by
Peter C FletcherOfficer Commanding No. 38 Group RAF
August 1967 – June 1970Succeeded by
Denis Crowley-MillingPreceded by
Sir Lewis HodgesAir Member for Personnel
1973–1974Succeeded by
Sir Neil CameronCategories:- 1918 births
- 1988 deaths
- Australian World War II pilots
- Royal Air Force air marshals
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
- People from New South Wales
- People from London
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order and Bar
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Bars (United Kingdom)
- Britannia Trophy winners
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