On this day in aviation history, 81 years ago (August 26, 1944), the Martin AM Mauler took to the skies for the first time. Originally designated the XBTM, the Mauler was a single-engine attack aircraft developed for U.S. Navy carrier operations. Although conceived during World War II, developmental delays meant the Mauler did not enter service until 1948—four years after its maiden flight.
The aircraft was born out of a 1943 U.S. Navy call for a multi-purpose bomber that could replace the separate dive- and torpedo-bomber classes then in use. Four proposals were selected: the Curtiss XBTC, Douglas XBT2D Skyraider, Kaiser-Fleetwings BTK, and Martin’s XBTM. Martin’s design, known internally as the Model 210, was initially intended as a backup to Curtiss’s XBTC, which was being developed as a successor to the problematic SB2C Helldiver. The prototype became the XBTM-1 and later the production AM-1 Mauler.
The AM-1 was powered by a 3,000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-4360-4 Wasp Major radial engine driving a four-bladed, constant-speed propeller measuring 14 feet, 8 inches in diameter. This combination gave the Mauler a maximum speed of 334 mph and a cruising speed of 189 mph, with a combat range of 1,324 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 27,000 feet. Armament included four 20 mm T-31 cannons, each with 200 rounds, plus an impressive external load capacity: fifteen hardpoints capable of carrying twelve 5-inch high-velocity rockets or three Mark 13 torpedoes.
Despite its formidable specifications, the Mauler proved difficult to handle in service, earning the unflattering nickname “Awful Monster.” The U.S. Navy ultimately favored the Douglas Skyraider, which became the backbone of carrier-based attack aviation for decades. Only 151 Maulers were produced before the program was canceled, and most surviving examples were reassigned to shore-based units. Today, four Maulers are known to survive:
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AM-1 BuNo 22275 – on display at the Erickson Aircraft Collection, Madras, Oregon.
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AM-1 BuNo 122397 – displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida.
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AM-1 BuNo 22260 – under restoration at the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum, Middle River, Maryland.
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AM-1 BuNo 122403 – in storage at Planes of Fame, Chino, California.
Although overshadowed by the Skyraider, the Martin AM Mauler remains a fascinating chapter in naval aviation history—an ambitious design that pushed the limits of carrier-based strike aircraft in the immediate postwar years.
