Its close bonds with the Navy allowed the “Jorge Newbery” School to be given some discharged planes for training purposes, among them a Grumman Duck, a SNJ-5 Texan and our Martin 139WAN.
Although there was no initial confirmation about which was the School Martin, nowadays we know it was the code numbered 715, originally identified as 2-B-1 (one of the Air Naval Bomber Flight of the 1st Air Naval Squadron) that, after it was disbanded in 1945, was transferred to Punta Indio).
In 1947 it was recoded 3-B-6 in replacement of a 1st Air Naval Squadron Bomber Flight destroyed in 1939.
It had arrived to Argentina in November,1937 on board S/S Rugeley and was discharged in 1949 with a total 1.297:30 flight hours.
In the sixties, USAF Museum authorities learned about the existence of a Martin B-10 in Argentina – to be exact, the one stored at the Industrial School – and from then, on a process to purchase it and send it to the United States begun.
Finally, negotiations led to the passing of a “ de facto” law nº 18719 (June 30th, 1970) signed by Argentina President general Roberto Marcelo Levingston, that consisted of two articles:
Art.1º.- The National Executive Power is allowed to carry out the definitive and free of charge transfer of the Martin B-10 plane, in its present condition, to the Government of the United States of America, to be destined to its Air Force Museum placed at Wright-Patterson Base.
Art.2º.- The National Executive Power is allowed to coordinate with American authorities all necessary measures to assure that the plane mentioned in article 1º will keep the colours of the Argentine Naval Aviation permanently.
Even when the transfer was for free, the American authorities may have given in return some elements for educational purposes.
The Martin was sent to the United States, disassembled, on board of a Tennessee National Air Guard plane.
Once there, it was transported by members of the Minnesota National Air Guard to Kelly Air Force Base, in San Antonio (Texas).
Once at Kelly, the Martin was given to the 96th USAF Reserve Maintenance Squadron, where it was impeccably restored between 1973 and 1976.
Kelly Base had been for decades and, specially since World War Two, the main aircraft repair and maintenance center of the U.S. Air Force until its partial closedown in early 2000s.
According to maintenance staff testimonies, the plane arrived in very bad conditions: In sergeant John Broderick`s words to Airman institutional magazine: “It was in such a poor shape I almost cried when I first saw it”. It had dents, missing parts, internal corrosión, holes and rotting fabric.
To achieve their objective, the restorers had to make new parts in replacement of the missing ones such as corrugated aluminium parts, the steel landing gear or the plastic windscreen.
The greater part of the restoration was made by some 20 reservists and 42 civilian workers taking about 8600 manhours.
In the words of the then USAF Director, colonel Bernie Bass: “Their outstanding and beautiful work in the preservation of this one-of-a-kind specimen of our Air Force history is deeply appreciated by the Air Force and the Museum´s large visting public”.
In 1976, the Martin was formally placed in the Museum facilities and, as can be verified by watching a photograph taken in the ceremony, showing the restoration team in front of the plane, it was painted in the Pre-war blue and yellow colours of the U.S.Army Air Corps, remembering the historic Washington-Alaska flight of 1934.
This demonstrates that, in opposition to the affirmations that were sustained for years in our country, even in prestigious books, the condition established in the transfer law in the sense that the Martin had to be permanently painted in Argentine Naval Aviation colours was never fulfilled.
To be continued with… “At the USAF Museum”
