Douglas DB-7/A-20 Boston/Havoc

British Boston Mk.III - This is a model of an attack bomber that fought against Axis forces in North Africa in 1942. Douglas produced several variants of this plane, starting with the DB-7 built for France, which flew against the German invasion of 1940. The French were still receiving their initial order of DB-7s when they surrendered in June, and they had another order on the way, so these planes were diverted to the British. Most of the DB-7s the French had already received went on to serve with the Vichy French air force in North Africa. The British named the DB-7s they received Bostons, but considered them unsuitable for use as bombers and converted most of them into night intruders and night fighters and renamed them Havocs. In early 1940 the British had placed an order with Douglas for another version of the plane, with better armor and larger fuel tanks. They began receiving them in 1941, and called them Boston Mk.IIIs. However, because of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union in June, 1941, many of the Boston Mk.III's produced that year were diverted to the Soviet Union through Lend-Lease. When the British finally began to acquire significant numbers of Bostons through Lend-Lease in 1942, they used them to help replace their Bristol Blenheim bombers. The British also forwarded Bostons to their Commonwealth allies, while an order of Bostons destined for the Dutch air force in the East Indies was diverted to Australia after the Japanese invasion of that Dutch colony in early 1942. In the meantime, the U.S. had finally decided to use the plane. The American version was called the A-20, and took the British nickname of Havoc. USAAF A-20Cs were nearly identical to British Boston Mk.IIIAs. In 1943 the A-20G variant entered service. It featured a solid nose bristling with guns, and its rear dorsal gun position was eventually replaced with a power operated machine gun turret. Most of the A-20Gs produced were sent to the Soviet Union through Lend-Lease, and the Soviets became the primary users of the Boston/Havoc in WWII, receiving over 3,000 of the total 7,385 built. The U.S. also tried using the plane as a night fighter. This version, called the P-70, was not successful. The A-20 was the predecessor to the A-26 Invader, which entered service in late 1944.

More Photos: Left, Right, Top, Front, Front Angle Right, Front Angle Left, Rear Angle Right, Rear Angle Left, Above Left, Above Right

A-20 Havoc in Action, Jim Mesko

American Aircraft of World War II, David Mondey

Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Lex McAuley

Boston, Mitchell and Liberator in Australian Service, Stewart Wilson

Douglas Havoc & Boston: The DB-7/A-20 Series, Scott Thompson

Famous Bombers of the Second World War, William Green

Fighters Over the Desert: The Air Battles in the Western Desert. June 1940 to December 1942, Christopher Shores

Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific, Eric Bergerud

French Aircraft from 1939 to 1942 - Vol 2: From Dewoitine to Potez, Dominique Breffort

French Bombers of WWII in Action, Alain Pelletier

Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, Richard Frank

MacArthur's Eagles: The U.S. Air War Over New Guineau, 1943-1944, Lex McAulay

The Siege of Rabaul, Henry Sakaida

Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War: Twin-Engined Fighters, Attack Aircraft and Bombers, Yefim Gordon

Wreaking Havoc: A Year in an A-20, Joseph Rutter