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[[left margin]] [[stamp]] FROM THE FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE [[/stamp]] [[/left margin]]

a group of Cleveland, Ohio business men financed Martin to form a new Glenn L. Martin Company there, and a new factory and flying field were made ready for World War I aircraft production. At this time Martin was requested to give up flying and apparently never flew again as a pilot.

Martin persuaded Douglas to return as Chief Engineer and work was started on a twin Liberty-engined bomber. Although too late for wartime production it was first flown in September, 1918 and proved to be a very advanced machine which soon found post war use and several notable records were made with these famous planes after the war. Martin was clearly established as a prime contractor of military aircraft, the Cleveland business grew and many eminent developments came from there for both Army and Navy services. He brought out and produced torpedo planes, bombers, submarine scouts, observation and special planes for the Air Mail Service. In 1922 the first Navy all-metal monoplanes and seaplanes were introduced. At Cleveland with Martin were Douglas, Larry Bell and J. A. Kindelberger, who later became head of North American in California, and Erik Springer, their well known test pilot.  Martin bombers were used in the historic General Mitchell sinking of discarded German vessels off the Virginia coast in 1921.

At Cleveland Martin's organization became master of mass production techniques and sizable numbers of aircraft were built. By 1928 the facilities were overcrowded and the limit of possible expansion in that location had been reached. Martin wanted to leave Cleveland, so chose Baltimore to be near Washington, D.C. and because of the unlimited expanse of Chesapeake Bay where he could test large seaplanes he had in mind. 

The Cleveland plant was sold to the Great Lakes Aircraft Corporation and Martin bought 1,200 acres of water front land at Middle River, 12 miles east of Baltimore. The land was cleared and one of the finest aircraft factories in the United States was built, then an airport established adjoining the plant. On October 7th, 1929 his staff and 1,500 employees moved into the new plant of the Glenn L. Martin Company of Baltimore, where he truly made aviation history. 

During the years before World War II the Martin Company developed and produced

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