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by William M. Cahill (Author)
The Martin Model 139, procured as the B-10 by the US Army Air Corps, secured a key place in American
aviation history by helping birth modern American airpower. As the first all-metal monoplane bomber
produced for the Air Corps in quantity, it was the predecessor to more advanced strategic bombers such as
the B-17 and the B-24. The B-10 made operational history in 1934 when then-Lt Col Arnold led a squadron
of ten B-10s on an 8,290-mile round trip from Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back.
The birth of the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ AF) on March 1, 1935 provided the opportunity for the
B-10 to shine. Tasked with operating beyond the sphere of ground forces and providing aerial reinforcement
of America's overseas territories, GHQ AF turned to the B-10 bombardment groups to prove out theory.
Through annual exercises and such activities as the aerial reinforcement of Panama in early 1937, the B-10
helped the GHQ AF start to make good on Billy Mitchell's promises about airpower. The B-10 continued to
serve America while in second line use, performing such unsung tasks as target towing and multi-engine
training in the critical early years of America's participation in WWII. The B-10 helped the Air Corps perfect
airpower doctrine and trained a generation of airmen - first in front line service, then aiding in the expansion
of the USAAF in the early days of the Second World War.
