A-20 Havoc

Design Origins

The Douglas A-20 Havoc traced its lineage to a 1936 private venture by the Douglas Aircraft Company's El Segundo, California division. Chief engineer Ed Heinemann, one of the most prolific American aircraft designers of the 20th century, conceived the Douglas Model 7A as a high-performance attack aircraft. The design was refined into the larger, more powerful Model 7B, which first flew on October 26, 1938, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines. The prototype demonstrated exceptional speed and handling for a twin-engine attack aircraft, reaching over 300 mph and exhibiting fighter-like agility that would define the type throughout its career.

French and British Orders

The Model 7B attracted immediate attention from foreign military delegations, particularly the French Purchasing Commission, which was urgently seeking modern combat aircraft as war loomed in Europe. In February 1939, France ordered 100 aircraft under the designation DB-7 (Douglas Bomber 7), making it one of the first American combat aircraft ordered by a foreign power in the prewar period. These aircraft featured Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engines and various modifications to suit French requirements. By the time Germany invaded France in May 1940, approximately 70 DB-7s had been delivered to the Armee de l'Air, and some saw limited action during the Battle of France. After the French surrender, remaining and subsequent orders were diverted to the Royal Air Force, which designated the bomber variants "Boston" and converted many into "Havoc" night fighters and intruder aircraft. The RAF ultimately received over 1,100 DB-7/Boston/Havoc aircraft and employed them extensively for low-level daylight raids over occupied Europe and night intruder operations.

USAAF Adoption and Variants

The USAAF initially showed modest interest, ordering 63 A-20 models for evaluation. Subsequent orders grew rapidly as war approached: the A-20A (143 built) and A-20B (999 built) introduced incremental improvements, while the A-20C (948 built) became the first major Lend-Lease variant. The transformation came with the A-20G, which replaced the glazed bombardier nose with a solid nose packed with forward-firing armament — initially four 20mm cannon, but soon standardized with six .50-caliber machine guns. With 2,850 produced, the A-20G became the definitive Havoc and the backbone of USAAF light attack operations. The A-20H (412 built) introduced the more powerful R-2600-29 engine rated at 1,700 hp, while the A-20J (450 built) and A-20K (413 built) reintroduced the glazed bombardier nose for lead-ship pathfinder duties. Total production across all variants reached 7,478 aircraft, with 7,098 built by Douglas and 380 by Boeing.

Pacific Theater Operations

In the Southwest Pacific, the A-20 found its most dramatic role as a low-level ship killer and ground attack platform. The 5th Air Force, under General George Kenney, transformed the A-20 into a formidable weapon through field modifications pioneered by Paul "Pappy" Gunn. Gun-nose conversions packed multiple .50-caliber machine guns into the forward fuselage, and the aircraft were used for devastating skip-bombing attacks — releasing bombs at low altitude that would skip across the water's surface into the hulls of enemy ships. The technique proved spectacularly effective during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943, where A-20s and modified B-25s destroyed an entire Japanese convoy of eight transports and four destroyers. A-20s also attacked Japanese airfields using "parafrag" bombs — small fragmentation bombs retarded by parachutes that allowed the aircraft to clear the blast area. The 3rd Attack Group and 312th Bombardment Group were among the primary A-20 units in the Pacific, conducting relentless low-level operations across New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies.

European Theater Operations

In the European and Mediterranean theaters, the A-20 served primarily as a medium-altitude tactical bomber. The 12th Air Force employed A-20s during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942, and continued using them through the campaigns in Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy. The 47th Bombardment Group was the primary A-20 unit in the Mediterranean. In England, the 9th Air Force built up a substantial A-20 force for the pre-invasion bombing campaign, with the 410th, 416th, and 409th Bombardment Groups conducting extensive operations against V-1 launch sites, bridges, marshaling yards, and transportation targets in France, the Low Countries, and Germany. During the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, A-20s flew tactical support missions with distinctive black-and-white invasion stripes painted on wings and fuselage. The 9th Air Force's A-20 groups continued intensive operations through the liberation of France and into Germany, though by late 1944 the type was being progressively replaced by the faster A-26 Invader.

Soviet Lend-Lease

The Soviet Union was by far the largest single recipient of A-20 aircraft, receiving over 2,900 under the Lend-Lease program — nearly 40% of total production. The Soviets designated all variants simply as "Boston" and employed them across a remarkable range of missions: medium-altitude bombing, low-level attack, anti-shipping torpedo bombing in the Arctic and Black Sea, photo-reconnaissance, and radar-equipped night fighting. Soviet pilots valued the A-20 for its speed, durability, and reliable engines. Aircraft were delivered via the Alaska-Siberia (ALSIB) ferry route through Fairbanks, Alaska, across Siberia, as well as through the Persian Gulf corridor and the Arctic convoys to Murmansk. Soviet A-20s served on every front from Stalingrad to Berlin and remained in service into the early 1950s, long after USAAF retirement.

Transition to the A-26 Invader

By mid-1944, the Douglas A-26 Invader — also designed by Ed Heinemann as a direct successor to the A-20 — began arriving in combat theaters. The A-26 offered higher speed, greater bomb load, and longer range, powered by the more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engines — the same powerplant used by the P-47 Thunderbolt. The transition was not instantaneous; many A-20 groups continued flying combat missions well into 1945. The last A-20 was delivered in September 1944, and by VE Day most USAAF A-20 units had either converted to A-26s or been deactivated.

Paint Schemes and Camouflage

The A-20 Havoc wore a wide variety of paint schemes across its seven-nation service, reflecting the diversity of theaters and operators that employed it.

• Olive Drab over Neutral Gray (1941–1944): The standard USAAF camouflage of Olive Drab (ANA 613) upper surfaces over Neutral Gray (ANA 603) undersurfaces. The ubiquitous scheme on USAAF A-20s from 1941 through 1943, and continuing on many aircraft through 1944. Early aircraft carried the national insignia with red center dot, removed after May 1942.
• Desert Camouflage (1942–1943): Aircraft serving in North Africa and the Mediterranean with the 12th Air Force often received desert tan and earth brown camouflage patterns adapted from RAF Middle East schemes. The 47th Bombardment Group's A-20s frequently wore these distinctive desert patterns during the Torch and Tunisian campaigns.
• RAF Dark Green/Dark Earth (1940–1945): RAF Bostons wore standard British Temperate Land Scheme of Dark Green and Dark Earth upper surfaces over Sky or Medium Sea Grey undersurfaces, with RAF roundels and fin flashes. Night-fighter Havoc variants were finished in overall matt black with flame-dampening exhaust shrouds.
• Soviet Schemes (1942–1950s): Soviet "Bostons" typically received a dark green upper surface scheme, sometimes with light blue undersurfaces, carrying red stars and tactical numbers. Some aircraft retained factory-applied OD/NG camouflage with Soviet insignia painted over USAAF markings.
• Natural Metal Finish (Late 1944): Some late-production A-20J and A-20K aircraft were delivered in natural metal finish as the USAAF abandoned camouflage paint to save weight and production time, though this was less common on A-20s than on fighters and heavy bombers.
• Invasion Stripes (June 1944): All tactical aircraft for the Normandy operations received alternating black and white identification bands on wings and rear fuselage, applied hastily in the days before D-Day. 9th Air Force A-20s wore these distinctive markings through the summer of 1944.