Douglas A-20G Havoc

When the U.S. entered WW II, the A-20 attack bomber had already been proven in combat by British and French forces. On July 4, 1942, six A-20s flown by American crews of the 15th Bombardment Squadron accompanied six flown by British crews on a low-altitude mission against four Dutch airfields, the first U.S. daylight bombing raid in Europe.

The A-20G version of the Havoc was first ordered on June 1, 1942 and first delivered in February of 1943. It introduced a solid nose armed with four 20-mm M2 cannon with 60 rpg and two 0.50-inch machine guns with 350 rpg. This new nose was introduced as a result of combat experience in the Pacific, where glass-nosed A-20s had been fitted with field modifications to increase their forward firepower during low-level strafing missions. The new nose made the A-20G slightly longer than previous variants. The A-20G retained the .50 caliber flexible machine gun with 500 rounds in the rear cockpit, as well as the 0.30-in or 0.50-inch tunnel gun. The dorsal gunner's position was no longer equipped with emergency flight controls, and provision for photographic equipment was also deleted. Heavier-gauge armor plate was used, adding some 400 pounds to the weight. An improved air filter and carburetor deicing equipment was also added along with heating for winter operations and some electrical changes.

Because the 20 mm nose cannons had a slow rate of fire and were prone to jamming, the four cannon were replaced by four 0.50-inch machine guns after 250 A-20Gs were completed. The existing two 0.50 caliber machine guns were retained, and the total number of forward-firing machine guns was now six. Most of the cannon-armed A-20G aircraft were eventually turned over to the Soviet Union.

During a production run, an electrically-driven manned Martin power turret equipped with two 0.50-inch machine guns was introduced in place of the single hand held machine gun in the rear compartment. To accommodate this new turret, the fuselage had to be widened by six inches in the area of the gunner's compartment. The turret could rotate 360 degrees, and the guns could be elevated from horizontal to directly upwards. At the same time, the 0.30-inch machine gun in the ventral tunnel position was replaced by a 0.50- inch gun. Also introduced was a pair of bomb racks stressed to carry 500-lb bombs underneath the outer wing panels. Internal fuel capacity was increased from 540 US gallons to 725 gallons, and provision was made for the mounting of a 374-gallon drop tank underneath the fuselage. A-20 production halted in September 1944 with more than 7,000 built for U.S. and its allies.

US Planes and Specifications