Frontiers November 2014 13 When it came to inflicting damage on enemy forces during World War II, the A-20 Havoc lived up to its name. “Cry ‘havoc’ and let slip the dogs of war,” Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar. In that spirit, the A-20 certainly proved to be a fierce dog of war in its time. Built by Douglas Aircraft, a Boeing heritage company, it was used in many World War II campaigns in Europe and the Pacific for a variety of missions and by a number of allies, including the Soviet Union. It earned a reputation for surviving extensive battle damage and returning crews to their bases. The A-20 had its roots in a U.S. Army Air Corps request for proposals that was issued in 1936. In response, Douglas began designing the Model 7B and continued prototyping until it produced the DB-7, a fast and versatile midwing, twin-engine attack bomber. It had separate, small compartments for the pilot and two gunners. The aircraft made its first flight in August 1939. Less than a month later, Germany invaded Poland. The next day, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Leading up to WWII, the United States had maintained a position of neutrality, but President Franklin Roosevelt led the nation through a succession of agreements that increasingly allowed the U.S. to sell arms “cash and carry” to other countries. Eventually, the U.S. Lend- Lease program provided significant armaments, aircraft, military supplies and other assistance to the Allies, starting in September 1940. Production of the DB-7 began during this period of neutrality, but the French were permitted to see the secret bomber project at the Douglas plant in Santa Monica, Calif., and ordered the first 107 aircraft, which were to be delivered by ship to Casablanca. The French followed with an order for 270 more. But only about half the total ordered had been delivered before France fell to the Germans in June 1940. Sixteen of the bombers that were en route to France were delivered to Belgium’s Aviation Militaire. More than 160 that were to have gone to France went instead to the United Kingdom. Those aircraft built for the U.K. were called the “Boston.” Initially, as a result of low military funding because of the U.S. policy of isolationism, the U.S. Army Air Corps had decided not to purchase the aircraft. But in June 1940, with war escalating in Europe, the Army Air Corps ordered 143. This version was designated the A-20A Havoc. Interestingly, it was the British that came up with the nickname Havoc because the airplane consistently wrought havoc on German forces. The A-20 Havoc was produced in several variants including the P-70 night fighter and the F-3 photo reconnaissance aircraft. The Army Air Corps would order more than 6,000 in seven production models. In all, 7,477 DB-7s and A-20s were built— the majority at the Douglas plant, but 380 by Boeing in Seattle. And heritage company McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis built 11,075 ring cowlings for the A-20. The A-20G model, which was intended for the U.S. and the Soviet air forces, was the most produced of all the variants—2,850 were built. This model was used extensively in the European and Pacific theaters of operation, including the Allied invasion of France in 1944. In the Pacific, the A-20 was used for strafing attacks against Japanese ships and airfields. The Havoc saw action in every major theater of World War II and it was the most produced attack bomber of the war. For Douglas Aircraft, the continuous improvement of the A-20 Havoc would pay dividends with the company’s development of the A-26/B-26 Invader, a light attack bomber that also saw extensive action during WWII. The B-26 went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. n henry.t.brownlee-jr@boeing.com PHOTOS: (Clockwise from far left) DB-7B aircraft, destined to the Royal Air Force as Boston IIIs, on the flight line at Boeing Field in Seattle; A-20s await modification at the Douglas site in Tulsa, Okla.; an A-20A Havoc in flight. BOEING
Frontiers November 2014 Issue
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