Douglas A-20A Havoc
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Crew |
2 or 3 | ||||
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Dimensions |
61’4” by 48’4”
by
17’7” 18.70m by 14.63m by 5.36m |
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Wing area |
464 square feet 43.3 square meters |
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Weight |
15,165-20,711 lbs 6879-9395 kg |
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Maximum speed |
347 mph at 12,400 feet 558 km/h at 3780 meters |
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Cruising speed |
295 mph 475 km/h |
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Landing speed |
95 mph 153 km/h |
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Climb rate |
33 feet per second 10 m/s |
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Service ceiling |
28,175 feet 8588 meters |
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| 2 1600hp (1268 kW) Wright GR-2600-29 Cyclone 14-cylinder 2-row radial engines driving three bladed propellers | |||||
|
Armament |
4 0.30 or two 0.50
machine guns in nose Dorsal turret with two .30 machine guns One ventral 0.50 machine gun |
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External stores |
2000 lbs (900 kg) of bombs | ||||
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Range |
675 miles 1086 km |
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Fuel |
540-916 gallons 2044-3467 liters |
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Production |
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Variants |
The DB models were produced for the British and lacked turbochargers. Some of these were modified as night fighters with radar and 12 nose machine guns; others were disarmed and fitted with a powerful searchlight as an experiment in illuminating enemy aircraft. Most of the A-20B production went to Russia as Lend-Lease. The A-20C introduced self-sealing fuel tanks and could carry a torpedo. The A-20G introduced the second generation of models. It was armed with 2 0.50 machine guns and 4 20mm cannon in the nose. Additional fuel tanks increased the range to 1025 miles (1650 km). Most of the early production went to Russia. As production continued, hard points were added for two torpedoes or another 2000 lbs of bombs under the wings. The A-20J and K, produced in smaller numbers, had transparent noses for a bombardier and were used as bombing lead ships in Europe. The P-70 was a night fighter variant lacking turbochargers but armed with four 20mm cannon. It was mostly used for training. A few A-20s were modified for the photoreconnaissance role as F-3s. |
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This innovative medium bomber was judged
“hot” because it
performed like a single-engine light
bomber. It was the first
military
aircraft to use tricycle landing gear, and had the rather odd feature
of an
emergency control column in the rear gunner’s compartment in
case the pilot was
killed. When equipped with additional nose machine guns, it
became a
potent strafing weapon.
The aircraft was originally produced for export and did not enter squadron service with the Air Corps until 1941. A small number were assigned to 58 Light Bomber Squadron at Hickam Field at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. The Dutch received a small number for the defense of Java, and a few of these were captured intact by the Japanese. The Russians were quite fond of it in the strafing role. The British called this aircraft the Boston.
Though classified as a medium bomber, the crew arrangement more closely resembled that of light bombers such as the Dauntless. The pilot and gunner sat in separate small compartments from which they could not move. The –J and –K variants added a transparent nose with a bombardier’s position.
The A-20’s greatest liability in the Pacific was that it sacrificed range for payload. The legendary "Pappy" Gunn modified the A-20A with an additional four 0.50 machine guns and converted the bomb bay into a huge fuel tank. The aircraft so modified became lethal low-level attack aircraft, capable of shredding enemy aircraft caught on the ground or barges at sea. Racks were installed under the wings for parafrag bombs to sprinkle over airbases or skip bombs for use against merchant ships. Bergerud interviewed an American soldier mistakenly attacked by A-20s who gives us a picture of what it was like to be on the receiving end:
Then the planes arrived late and began attacking our own guys who had advanced. We were scared as hell when we heard an A-20 — you could hear them a mile away they were so loud. When the plane opened up the recoil slowed it down, then would speed up again when it didn't fire, then slow down again. I'd hear those bullets go "bump-bump" against the tree. I made myself very thin.
About 40% of A-20 crews were assigned to the Pacific.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2007 by Kent G. Budge. Index
