RE: the Hawaii Mars story on page 11.
Only 7 of the Mars flying boats saw service and two still exist. Destined for the scrappers the last four Mars flying boats were bough by a Canadian group to fight forest fires in British Columbia in 1959 for the sum of about $250,000. Included were several boxcars of spare parts and drawings.
Marianas Mars was lost while conducting a fire suppression mission in 1961 with the loss of all four crew members. Caroline Mars was damaged beyond repair in a typhoon in 1962.
Philippine Mars and Hawaii Mars took up the fire fighting missions. Philippine Mars has retired from it’s forest fire fighting duties and is being restored as a museum piece. Hawaii Mars is still seeing some action as a forest fire bomber but is slated for museum service in the near future.
Links for the Mars:
Wiki entry...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_JRM_Mars
You Tube colorfull example...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uDSLh53Ppw
Link to original Kodachrome!!! documentary film on the 6th Marine Division during the Okinawa battle...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCpeVzZB2aM
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Why were they called MARS? Was it because Martin made them?
And there wasn't a darn thing they could do about it.