American bombers and transport aircrafts

[Matt308]

Fantastic pics. Just fantastic. That pic with the #3 engine leaking like a sieve is powerful. Also the pick with the Ki-102? in a diving attack is in a book I have. I don't think its a Ki-102, so somebody correct me. Apparently the Superfort to the left in the pic has been hit and ultimately crashes. The other Superfort barely survives avoiding a collision.

 

[Glider]

I admit my first thought was a Ki45 from which the Ki 102 was I believe developed. HAve to say that its a great photo and that Jap pilot did close the attack, full marks to him.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Those are some great pics!

I think it's the K-45.

 

[gekho]

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was a heavy bomber made for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and has the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat during World War II. It was developed in parallel with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress as a fallback design should the Superfortress prove unsuccessful. It only reached units in the Pacific during the summer of 1945, and subsequently only saw limited combat operations against Japanese targets before the end of the war. Most of the extant orders of the B-32 were cancelled shortly thereafter and only 118 B-32s of all types were built.

The engineering development of the B-29 had been underway since mid-1938 when, in June 1940, the US Army Air Corps requested a similar design from Consolidated Aircraft Company in case of development difficulties with the B-29. The Consolidated Model 33 used to base its proposal was similar to the B-24 Liberator. Like the B-24 it was originally designed with twin fins and a large Davis-type wing, but with a longer, rounder fuselage and a rounded nose. The powerplants were to be four 2,200 horsepower (1,600 kW) Wright R-3350s, the same as specified for B-29s. The aircraft was designed to be pressurized, and have remote controlled retractable gun turrets with fourteen .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns. It was to have an estimated gross weight of 101,000 lb (46,000 kg). The first contract for two XB-32s was signed on 6 September 1940, the same day as the contract for the Boeing prototype XB-29.

The first XB-32-CO, AAF s/n 41-141, was constructed next to the Army Air Force (AAF) Base Tarrant Field Airdrome at the AAF aircraft plant NO. 4 just west of Fort Worth, Texas along the south side of Lake Worth. The Consolidated Vultee Bomber Plant assembly line was six months behind schedule, making its first flight on 7 September 1942. Due to problems with the pressurization system, the gun turrets and landing gear doors, these items were omitted on the first prototype. The aircraft had R-3350-13 engines inboard and R-3350-21s outboard driving three-bladed propellers. The prototype was to have persistent problems with engine oil leaks and poor cooling. The B-29 had similar engine problems. The inboard propellers could be reversed to shorten the landing roll.

The first XB-32 was armed with eight .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in dorsal and ventral turrets, and an odd combination of two .50 caliber and one 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon in each outboard engine nacelle firing rearwards, plus two .50 caliber machine guns in the wings outboard of the propellers. The turrets were remotely controlled from periscopic sights in aiming stations inside the aircraft. The sights were coordinated by a sophisticated analog computer system developed by Sperry Gyroscope Company.
XB-32-CO 41-141 on 28 February 1944. On 17 March 1943, the initial contract was signed for 300 B-32-CFs but development problems continued. On 10 May 1943, the first XB-32 crashed on takeoff after making a total of 30 flights before the second XB-32, s/n 41-142, finally flew on 2 July 1943. This aircraft had a traditional stepped cockpit canopy. Upon examination and testing the USAAF recommended a large number of changes that included more conventional gun stations.

 

[gekho]

The pressurization system problems were never solved, and consequently the aircraft was re-purposed as a bomber to be operated at low and medium altitude; however, this decision only meant that it was easily eliminated from production aircraft. Problems with the remote controlled gun turrets were also never solved and the armament on production aircraft was changed to 10 .50 caliber machine guns in manually operated turrets: Sperry A-17 turrets in the nose and tail, two Martin A-3F-A dorsal turrets, and one Sperry A-13-A ball turret. The bomb load was increased by 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) to 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg). The second XB-32 continued to have stability problems. In an attempt to resolve this a B-29 style tail was fitted to the aircraft after its 25th flight but this did not resolve the problem and a Consolidated-designed 19.5 ft (5.9 m) vertical tail was added and first flown on the third XB-32, s/n 41-18336 on 3 November 1943. The first production aircraft was fitted with a B-29 vertical tail initially before a new tail was eventually substituted.

By 1944 testing of the three prototypes permitted the AAF to place orders for over 1,500 B-32s. The first production aircraft was delivered on 19 September 1944, by which time the B-29 was already in combat in China. The first B-32 crashed on the same day it was delivered when the nose wheel collapsed on landing. Beginning on 27 January 1945, 40 B-32A-5, -10 and -15 aircraft were delivered as unarmed TB-32-CF crew trainers. Originally, the Army Air Force intended the B-32 as a "fallback" design to be used only if the B-29 program fell significantly behind in its development schedule. As development of the B-32 became seriously delayed this plan became unnecessary due to the success of the B-29. Initial plans to use the B-32 to supplement the B-29 in re-equipping B-17 and B-24 groups before redeployment of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces to the Pacific were stymied when only five production models had been delivered by the end of 1944, by which time full B-29 operations were underway in the Twentieth Air Force.

 

[gekho]

The first assignment of the B-32 began when General George Kenney the commander of Allied air forces in the South West Pacific Area, and commander of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, traveled to Washington D.C. to request B-29s. Since priority had been given to strategic bombing by the B-29, Kenney's request was denied, after which he requested the B-32. Following a demonstration, the Army General Staff agreed that Kenney could conduct a combat evaluation, and a test schedule of eleven missions was set up, followed by a plan to convert two of the 312th Bomb Group's four Douglas A-20 Havoc squadrons to B-32s. Project crews took three B-32s to Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands in mid-May 1945, for a series of test flights completed on 17 June. The test crews were impressed with its unique reversible-pitch inboard propellers and the Davis wing which gave it excellent landing performance. However, they found a number of faults: the cockpit had an extremely high noise level, a poor instrument layout, the bombardier's vision was impaired, it was overweight and the nacelle design resulted in frequent engine fires. The three test B-32s were assigned to the 312th BG's 386th Bomb Squadron. On 29 May 1945, the first of four combat missions by the B-32 was flown against a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines, followed by two B-32s dropping sixteen 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs on a sugar mill at Taito, Formosa on the 15th of June. On 22 June, a B-32 bombed an alcohol plant at Heito, Formosa, with 500 lb (230 kg) bombs, but a second B-32 missed flak positions with its 260 lb (120 kg) fragmentation bombs. The last mission was flown on 25 June against bridges near Kiirun in Taiwan.

The testing missions were mostly successful, and, in July, the 386th Bomb Squadron completed its transition to the B-32, flying six more combat missions before the war ended. On 13 August, the 386th BS moved from Luzon to Yontan Airfield on Okinawa and flew mostly photographic reconnaissance missions. The missions were intended to monitor Japan's compliance with the cease fire and to gather information such as possible routes occupation forces could take into Tokyo. In addition, Rudolph Pugliese, who was the 386th's assistant intelligence officer, said in 1997 that "the photo-recon missions were also intended to test the fidelity of the Japanese...[adherence] to the terms of the cease-fire." On 17 August, three B-32s in a flight of four were attacked by Japanese flak and fighters. During the two-hour engagement, the Dominators suffered only minor damage and none of their crew were injured. "Though the B-32 gunners later claimed to have damaged one fighter and 'probably destroyed' two others, surviving Japanese records list no losses for that day or next." Based on the Japanese action on the 17th, U.S. commanders felt that it was important to continue the reconnaissance missions over Tokyo so they could determine if it was an isolated incident or an indication that Japan would reject the cease-fire and continue fighting.

On 18 August, four Dominators were given the task of photographing many of the targets covered on the previous day; however, mechanical problems caused two to be pulled from the flight. Over Japan, a formation of 14 A6M Zeros and three N1K2-J Shiden-Kai fighters (as is often the case, Shiden-Kai is described as Ki-44 Tojo, but it may be a misunderstanding of the crews) attacked the remaining two U.S. aircraft. Saburo Sakai, a Japanese ace, said later there was concern that the Dominators were attacking. Another Japanese ace, Sadamu Komachi, stated in a 1978 Japanese magazine article that the fighter pilots could not bear to see American bombers flying serenely over a devastated Tokyo. The B-32 Dominator Hobo Queen II was flying at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) when the Japanese fighters took off and received no significant damage. Hobo Queen II claimed two Zeros destroyed in the action as well as a probable Shiden-Kai. The other Dominator was flying 10,000 ft (3,000 m) below Hobo Queen II when the fighters took off. The fighters heavily damaged that Dominator and seriously wounded two crew members. Photographer Staff Sergeant Joseph Lacharite was wounded in the legs (his recovery required several years). Sergeant Anthony Marchione, a photographer's assistant, helped Lacharite and then was fatally wounded himself. Despite the damage it received, the Dominator was able to return to Okinawa. Marchione was the last American to die in air combat in World War II. On 19 August, propellers were removed from all Japanese fighters as per the terms of the cease fire agreement. The last B-32 combat photo reconnaissance mission was completed on 28 August, during which two B-32s were destroyed in separate accidents, with 15 of the 26 crewmen killed. On 30 August, the 386th Bomb Squadron stood down from operations. Production of the B-32 was cancelled on 8 September 1945, and ceased by 12 October.

 

[gekho]

The Ventura was very similar to its predecessor, the Lockheed Hudson. The primary difference was not in layout; rather, the Ventura was larger and heavier than the Hudson. The RAF ordered 188 Venturas in February 1940. They were delivered from mid-1942 onwards. Venturas were initially used for daylight raids on occupied Europe. They proved unsuited to this task, because (like many other bombers used by the RAF), they were too vulnerable without long-range fighter escorts. They were replaced in this role by the de Havilland Mosquito. The Venturas were gradually transferred to patrol duties with Coastal Command, 30 went to the RCAF and some to the SAAF. The RAF placed a further order for 487 Ventura Mark IIs, but many of these were diverted to United States Army Air Forces service. The U.S. Army Air Forces placed its own order for 200 Ventura Mark IIA, which were put into service as the B-34 Lexington. Later redesignated RB-34.

In 1941 August, large orders for Venturas were placed with Lend-Lease Act money. Among the orders were for 550 armed reconnaissance versions of the Ventura. This plane was originally planned to be built under the designation O-56. The main differences between the Ventura and the O-56 were in the engines: rather than the 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Pratt Whitney R-2800 radials of the Ventura, the O-56 used 1,700 hp (1,270 kW) Wright R-2600-13 radials. Before completion of the first O-56, the U.S. Army Air Forces dropped the O- category used to designate 'observation' (reconnaissance) planes. The O-56 was redesignated the RB-34B (RB- for 'reconnaissance bomber'). Before the first of these flew, the design was redesignated again as the B-37, because it used different engines.

RB was not used for Reconnaissance until after 1947. F was used for photo rec. R was used for Rotorcraft, which was changed to H for Helicopter after 1947. The RB designation WAS eventually given to these aircraft to represent a Redesignation - in this case to a training role. While 550 were ordered by the Army Air Forces, acquisition by the USAAF stopped after only 18 were accepted, when the Army Air Forces agreed to turn over exclusive use of the Ventura to the United States Navy.

 

[gekho]

During the early months of 1942, the primary responsibility for anti-submarine warfare in the United States was shouldered by the Army Air Force. This irked the Navy, as it considered this region of battle its burden. To carry out such a task, the Navy was pursuing a long-range, land-based patrol and reconnaissance aircraft with a substantial bombload. This goal was always resisted by the Army Air Force, which carefully protected its monopoly on land-based bombing. This forced the navy to use long-range floatplanes for these roles. The Navy was unable to upgrade to more capable aircraft until the Army Air Force needed the Navy plant in Renton, Washington to manufacture its B-29 Superfortress. In exchange for use of the Renton plant, the Army Air Force would discontinue its objections to Naval land-based bombers, and provide planes to the Navy. One of the clauses of this agreement stated that production of the B-34 and B-37 by Lockheed would cease, and instead these resources would be directed at building a navalised version, the PV-1 Ventura.

The PV-1 began to be delivered in December 1942, and entered service in February 1943. The first squadron in combat was VP-135, deployed in the Aleutian Islands in April 1943. They were operated by three other squadrons in this theatre. From the Aleutians, they flew strikes against Paramushiro, a Japanese island. Often, PV-1s would lead B-24 bomber formations, since they were equipped with radar. In late 1943, some PV-1s were deployed to the Solomon Islands. After the war the US Navy deemed many PV-1s as obsolete and the aircraft were sent to Naval Air Station Clinton, Oklahoma to be demilitarized and reduced to scrap.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very cool! I always liked the B-32

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!

 

[Matt308]

I always like the Ventura series. B-32 not so much. She need a fuselage plug for and aft of the wing box to give her the lines of the B-29.

 

[gekho]

The Douglas A-20 Havoc served Allied forces through most of World War 2, fighting for British, American and Soviet forces. The type saw extensive use, proving itself a war-winner capable of withstanding a great deal of punishment but living up to its namesake in turn thanks to its speed and inherent firepower. Her crews put the aircraft through its paces with production topping over 7,000 units and several major production variants. Built as a light bomber but operated more or less as a heavy fighter, the Havoc proved a successful addition to the Douglas company line and the Allied war effort as a whole before being eventually replaced by the more capable Douglas A-26 Invader in the attack/light bombing role and Northrop P-61 Black Widow in the night-fighter role.

The A-20 series began life as the Douglas Model 7B design, a light bomber attempt originally put to the paper as early as 1936. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) showed enough interest after a design review in 1938 that it ordered an operational prototype to be constructed under contract. The first flyable model took to the air on October 26th, 1938, and displayed extremely promising potential for such a design. The aircraft was fast on its twin engines and responsive to the controls with very few negative aspects to her overall design. At any rate, the future of the Model 7B was showing great promise.

With America still in an isolationist mentality despite the worsening situation in Europe (and the world for that matter), the Model 7B was not followed upon by the USAAC and shelved for the time being. Despite this setback, the French and Belgium governments came calling - with some desperation one can imagine - and ordered several hundred Model 7B's for immediate production in February of 1940. These were assigned the official designation of DB-7 and construction covered two distinct production models to become the DB-7A and the DB-7B. An initial batch of 100 DB-7's were constructed and an extended order for 270 more was put into action to help strengthen the ranks. Despite the initiative, only 115 DB-7;s were ultimately delivered to French forces before the collapse of France under German power. Some 95 French-operated DB-7's escaped to North Africa while the remaining models in American hands - and the contract to go along with them - were diverted to British ownership who took over operation of the type as the "Boston". The British Boston series covered three distinct marks as the Boston Mk.I (DB-7), Boston Mk.II (DB-7A) and Boston Mk.III (DB-7B).

 

[gekho]

RAF Bostons were fielded as day bombers initially, though these met with disastrous results. The type was found to be unsuitable for such a dangerous role and therefore modified into a dedicated night-fighter form. The RAF selected roughly 100 of these Boston light bombers and produced the converted "Havoc", intruder aircraft fitted with the AI Mk IV series of radar in the nose housing and as many as 12 x 7.7mm machine guns to handle the offensive dirty work. Additionally, these converted Bostons were given increased armor protection for the crew and specialized exhaust piping to dampen the flame effects of the engines at night. Essentially, the British RAF gave birth to the "Havoc" series by default, despite its origins as an American airplane. Havocs were first fielded by No. 23 Squadron.

With its newfound weapon, the RAF initiated several interesting - yet costly - projects involving the Havoc. One such initiative involved the "Turbinlite", night-fighting Havoc Mk I models fitted with a 2,700-million candlepower spotlight taking up most of the space in the nose housing. Up to 10 squadrons and 18 months of valuable time and resources went into this project which ultimately proved a failure.

In 1939, the USAAC returned to the DB-7 and re-evaluated its potential for use in the American military. The aircraft was given an extended life now with the initial order of 63 DB-7B platforms. The initial requirement of the USAAC specified a high-altitude capable airframe in the attack bomber role. As such, Douglas produced the design (designated as the A-20) with 2 x turbosupercharged R-2600-7 Wright Cyclone radial engines of 1,700 horsepower each. These initial A-20s were to feature a battery of 4 x 7.62mm (.30 caliber) machine guns in fuselage blister positions. An additional 2 x 7.62mm machine guns would be manned from a dorsal position while a single 7.62mm machine gun was allotted to a manned ventral gun position. Interestingly, rearward-firing 7.62mm machine guns were also introduced in this design, with these being mounted in each engine nacelle. Bombload was a reported 1,600lbs of internal ordnance. Crew personnel amounted to four specialists - a pilot, navigator, bombardier (in a glassed-in nose position) and gunner. Performance specs allowed for a top speed of 385 miles per hour (comparable to fighter performance) and a ceiling of up to 31,500 feet and range totaling some 1,100 miles (ferry range).

 

[gekho]

After the first A-20 was produced in this fashion, the Air Corps came back with a "modest" change to the requirement, deleting the need for a dedicated high-altitude platform and instead centering on a design capable of handling operations in a low-to-medium altitude zone. As such, the design was revisited and had its turbo-superchargers rightfully removed as they posed no performance benefits at lower operating levels. With the first A-20 completed to the high-altitude specification, the remaining aircraft on order followed this new design direction.

The initial A-20 did go on to serve as the developmental prototype form of the XP-70, the basis for the P-70 dedicated night-fighter. This single A-20 was modified to an extent, having its Wright Cyclone engines changed out for a different model version in the engine series and the problematic turbosuperchargers removed altogether, the latter causing some cooling issues.

143 total contracted A-20A models (based on the DB-7B) were introduced, first as an initial batch of 123 followed up by a smaller batch of 20 more. Differences between the A-20A and the original A-20 model were subtle yet distinct. The most prominent change occurred in the selection of a new Wright R-2600-3/-11 series engines of 1,600 horsepower each (sans the turbosuperchargers required for high-altitude work). First flight of the model was achieved on September 16th, 1940 and saw first deliveries to the 3rd Bomb Group by early 1941. Smaller issue numbers also were allotted to Panamanian and Hawaiian stations as well, extending the types reach somewhat. Armament of A-20A models included the 4 x 7.62mm forward-firing machine guns in fuselage blisters, 2 x 7.62mm machine guns in the dorsal position, 1 x 7.62mm machine gun in the ventral position and the 2 x 7.62mm rear-firing machine guns in fixed engine nacelle positions. Additionally, 1,600lbs of internal ordnance could be carried. The crew remained the initial four personnel as in the base A-20 design. Performance allowed for a top speed of 347 miles per hour, a ceiling of 28,175 feet and an operating range of 1,000 miles.

By October of 1940, the USAAC went on order for more Havocs, these being in the newer A-20B model form based on the DB-7A). The A-20B retained its twin engine light attack bomber role along with the A-model's R-2600-11 series radials and glassed-in nose, framed like that of a greenhouse. A slight variation in the design of this nose glass was the most discerning factor between distinguishing the A-20A and A-20B models. Additionally, armament was lessened to an extent, with the A-20B mounting just 2 x 12.7mm nose-mounted (lower fuselage) machine guns, 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in the dorsal position, 1 x 7.62mm machine gun in the ventral position and the two engine nacelle-mounted rear-firing 7.62mm machine guns. To make up for the lessened offensive firepower, the internal bombload was increased to 2,400lbs. Performance remained comparable with the top speed reported at 350 miles per hour, a range of 2,300 miles and a ceiling of 28,500 feet. The US Navy received eight such aircraft but used them in the target towing role as BD-2's. The Soviet Union became a large operator of the A-20B series under the Lend-Lease program, receiving 665 of the 999 production examples under the agreement.

 

[gekho]

The A-20C model appeared as an "improved" A-20A model. C-models brought back the cluster of 4 x 7.62mm lower-fuselage nose-mounted armament. 2 x 7.62mm machine guns were appropriated to the dorsal aft gun position along with a 7.62mm machine gun in a flexible ventral tunnel mount. Bombload was an impressive 2,400lbs though this could be supplemented by an internally-held fuel supply instead, increasing the aircrafts range somewhat. Additional improvements over the A-models included self-sealing fuel tanks (almost a prerequisite of any aircraft design going into the Second World War), improved armor plating for improved crew protection and 2 x Wright R-2600-23 Cyclone radial engines of 1,600 horsepower each. A crew of four was still required to operate the light attack bomber. Despite these additions and the aircraft proving heavier than preceding models, the A-20C saw only a slight reduction to overall speed. Performance included a top speed of 342 miles per hour, a range of 2,300 miles and a reduced ceiling of 25,320 feet. 948 examples of the A-20C were produced with these ear-marked for Britain (under designations Boston Mk.III and Boston Mk.IIIa) and Russia under Lend-Lease. However, the American need for such a platform was growing evermore and, as such, the a bulk of these were retained for American use. At least 140 A-20C models were produced by Boeing at their Seattle, Washington plant. Douglas handled the production of their 808 A-20C's at their Santa Monica, California facility.

The A-20D model appeared as a proposed high-altitude variant based on the A-20B. Once again, the idea of a turbosupercharged Wright Cyclone engine was entertained with equal results. The project was cancelled without any production taking place.

The A-20E represented converted A-20A models for use as utility use or developmental test airframes. These models were fitted with the Wright Cyclone R-2600-11 series engines as found on the later batch of A-20A production models (numbering some 20 such aircraft). A total of 17 A-20E converted models existed.

The XA-20F was a single A-20A model converted for use as a weapons test platform. These Havocs had a 37mm T-20-E-1 cannon mounted in a specially-designed nose assembly. General Electric powered turrets replaced the flexible gun mounts of the dorsal and ventral positions, each fitted with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. Though relegated strictly to testbed use, the remote-controlled turrets were later a feature of the Douglas A-26 Invader series. This aircraft retained the Wright R-2600-3/-11 series of engines in its design.

The A-20G became the largest production run of the Havoc series, numbering some 2,850 total aircraft. The A-20G followed on the heels of the A-20C production model and was a dedicated ground attack platform as opposed to the light bomber designation carried by preceding models. The initial production A-20G block (259 total A-20G-1's) featured the distinctive solid nose assembly mounting 4 x 20mm cannons (deleting the bombardier's nose position and bringing the crew total down to three personnel). The follow-up production block (Block 5) reverted back to a more conventional array of 6 x 12.7mm machine guns as the cannons were prone to jamming and offered up a slow rate of fire. The cannon-armed versions were mostly operated under the Soviet banner via Lend-Lease and understandably proved quite devastating in the ground attack role. Additional armament for either form of this aircraft included 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in a flexible dorsal position and a single 7.62mm machine gun in the ventral position (flexible mount). Bombload totaled 2,000lbs of internally-held ordnance and/or 374-gallon drop tank. Engines for the aircraft were Wright R-2600-23 Cyclone supercharged radials of 1,600 horsepower each. Top speed was 317 miles per hour with a combat range of 950 miles and a modest ceiling of 23,700 feet.

The A-20H was a limited-production run model numbering 412 aircraft for use by American and Soviet forces (via Lend-Lease). These represented similar models to the A-20G (Block 45) but with more powerful engines allowing for shorter take-offs. Essentially, A-20H models were "improved" A-20G models with Wright R-2600-29 Cyclone supercharged radial engines of 1,700 horsepower each. By this time the R-2600-3 series was out of production.

A-20J models were "lead ship" variants with glassed-in nose assemblies as requested by the USAAC. These aircraft were pivotal in increasing the bombing accuracy of the solid nose A-20G models as they featured dedicated bombardiers complete with Norden bombsights and would often "lead" the other "sightless" bombers to the target, achieve the appropriate drop time via direct sighting and inevitably drop its bombload, signaling the other A-20's in the flight group to do the same. A-20J's were essentially the same aircraft with the exception of their nose construction. As might be expected, the 4 x 12.7mm machine guns were removed in the A-20J models to make room for the bombardier and his equipment. The 2 x 12.7mm lower-fuselage machine guns were, however, still kept as standard armament in the type those there were sometimes deleted in the field for the simple idea of saving weight. Total production of the A-20J was 450, built concurrently alongside the A-20G for ease. The A-20J was eventually replaced by the A-26C Invader aircraft, this airplane with its own glassed-in nose. A-20K models were similar in design and scope to A-20J models, serving as lead ships though based on the A-20H and mounting different engines (Wright R-2600-29 Cyclone radials of 1,700 horsepower).

The P-70 became the dedicated (albeit interim systems until the arrival of the Northrop P-61 Black Widows) night-fighter variants of the A-20 series. The P-70A featured AI radar in a solid nose along with 2 x Wright R-2600-11 radial engines of 1,600 horsepower. 39 P-70A-1's were delivered in 1943 to help combat Japanese night raids in the Pacific. Armament of these P-70A-1's included an under-fuselage pack containing 4 x 20mm cannons and two machine guns in the dorsal position. The former was later changed to 6 x 12.7mm machine guns in the nose. The P-70A-2 appeared as 65 converted forms from A-20G models but were basically similar to the P-20A-1's without the rear defensive machine guns. The P-70B-2 followed and was a night-fighter trainer platform appearing as 105 converted A-20G and A-20J models with American-made SCR-720/-729 series radar systems.

The CA-20 was another notable variant, these being A-20's converted for general transportation roles as the newer A-26 Invader took more and more of the A-20's role away from it. These aircraft astoundingly served into the 1960's.

 

[Matt308]

Great pics. Never realized that early versions had rearward fixed guns in the engine nacelles.

 

[Glider]

Reading No 2 Group its clear that the RAF much preferred the earlier A20C (Boston III) to the later types which on paper were better aircraft. Even when later replacements were available the squadrons carried on with the A20C as long as spares and replacements were available.
Basically they preferred the better acceleration, handling and agility of the earlier version as a method of evading fighter attacks that the heavier weapons carried by latter versions.

 

[gekho]

More pics

 

[gekho]

More pics

 

[gekho]

More pics