Douglas a 20 havoc USSR f 284. "Bostons" in the USSR. Naval aircraft

28.06.2020

In 1943, composer Jimmy McHugh wrote a song to the words of Harold Adamson, which quickly became the leader of the charts and, an unprecedented thing, was relatively close to the text, translated into Russian. Performed by Leonid and Edith Utyosov, it sounded in the Soviet Union, they sang it on the streets, it sounded in Soviet films. The last (in time) of the films in which this song sounds, if I'm not mistaken, "In the zone of special attention."

Here is the original lyrics of the song:

Two hours overdue

One of our planes was missing

With all it's gallant crew,

The radio sets were humming,

They waited for a word

Then a voice broke through the humming

And this is what they heard:

"Comin" in on a wing and a prayer,

Comin' in on a wing and a prayer,

Though there's one motor gone

We can still carry on

Comin" in on a wing and a prayer.

What a show! What a fight!

Yes, we really hit our target for tonight!

How we sing as we limp through the air

Look below, there "s our field over there,

With our full crew aboard

And our trust in the Lord

We"re comin" in on a wing and a prayer"

And here is its Russian version:

Our people were very airy -

The plane did not return to us at night from the bombing.

Radio operators scraped on the air, barely catching a wave,

And at five minutes to four they heard the words:

"We fly, hobbled in the darkness,

We crawl on the last wing

The tank is broken, the tail is on fire, but the car flies

On parole and on one wing.

Well, business! It was night!

We bombed their facilities to the ground!

We left, hobbling in the darkness,

We fly up to our native land.

The whole team is intact, and the car came -

On parole and on one wing.

It is unlikely that the Averikans had in mind exactly North American (the same company that produced the P-51 Mustang) B-25 Mitchell, rather, they wrote about the B-17 Flying Fortress, but they did not receive Fortresses in the USSR. But they received twin-engine B-25 and A-20 bombers, and through censorship it was possible to push this song of bomber pilots precisely under these legendary machines, which were distinguished by absolutely incredible survivability, which really arrived from missions on one engine, broken, crumpled, shot through, but alive and with live crew.

The B-25 became legendary after the raid on Tokyo, a gift for the birthday of Emperor Hirohito. That same raid by Colonel Doolittle, when 16 Mitells took off from the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet and bombed Japan.

I must say that the Americans delivered them under the Lend-Lease program in total 862 cars. Either the Soviet representatives did not order them anymore, or the Americans huddled - they themselves needed them in all theaters of military operations. The US Air Force used the B-25 both as a medium bomber and as an attack aircraft (they put as many as 8 12.7-mm machine guns on the nose and on the sides of the fuselage). Despite the low speed and altitude, the Americans could afford such use of the Mitchells, since they always provided them with powerful fighter protection.

The first combat unit of the Soviet Air Force, which began to master the B-25 bomber in the summer of 1942, was the 37th BAP, which arrived from the Far East at the Kratovo airfield in the Moscow region. Soon he was joined by two more bomber regiments: the 16th and 125th, which until that time had fought on the Leningrad front on Pe-2 aircraft. From these regiments, in July 1942, the 222nd BAD was formed, which from August 8 took part in the hostilities as part of the 1st BAK. For daytime work on the Soviet fronts, the B-25s proved to be of little use and suffered heavy losses.

Soon the Mitchells were transferred to long-range bomber aircraft, which flew at night. In 42-43, the basis of the ADD (long-range aviation) was the Ilyushin TB-7, DB-3 (IL-4) and ... Li-2. For 1936, when the DB-3 was created, this car was relatively good. But her piloting was simply inhuman. The plane did not have an autopilot, it constantly scoured, strayed off course, the pilot had to "turn the steering wheel" all the time, making quite a lot of physical effort. The farther, the more duralumin structures were replaced by wooden ones, which, of course, did not win the aircraft at all in terms of any characteristics. The engines were capricious, there was practically no instrumentation, radio communications were poor, but a lot of them were built and they were used very actively, despite catastrophic losses. In August 1941, they took part in raids on Koenigsberg, Stettin and Berlin. They say that once the American pilots begged them to "ride" them on the Il-4. After the flight, they staggered out. Having caught their breath a little, they said that the Russian guys are real heroes if they fly on this ...

TTX Mitchell and IL-4 were about the same. Approximately the same maximum speed (442 for the V-25 versus 430 for the Il-4), the altitude of Il was 1.3 km higher (7600 versus, 8900 m), the combat radius was about 1000 km, the bomb load was approximately the same, only defensive weapons the B-25 was more serious. But the Elis extremely badly "kept the blow." Even a hole in the wing threatened the imminent death of the car, and the Mitchells were exceptionally tenacious.

Soviet pilots noted the convenience for the crew, the presence of 2 pilots, cabin heating, the presence of such trifles as an anti-icing device for cockpit glazing (on the IL-4, the pilot was instructed to open the windows and wipe the glass from the outside with a cloth ... in flight!). American designers, like no other, understood that 75% of the effectiveness of military equipment depends on the training and condition of the crews. Therefore, it is interesting to read what the Soviet pilots who flew the B-25 wrote:

The first impression of the car from the pilots was unimportant. They immediately nicknamed her "cuttlefish". The tail-keel with the pipe up and the three-wheeled landing gear seemed very clumsy. But having flown on it, we have changed our attitude. The aircraft was very easy to taxi, with excellent forward visibility. Piloting both on takeoff, in the air and on landing was carried out so simply that it made it possible to quickly introduce young pilots into combat formation. Of all the types of aircraft that I have flown, the B-25 is the most accessible in terms of piloting technique. Two keels with rudders in the field of action of the propeller jet and a three-wheeled landing gear made it possible to take off and land in any side wind. It is no coincidence that subsequently all aviation switched to a three-wheeled chassis.
The B-25 was equipped with flight and navigation instruments that were remarkable for those times. He had two artificial horizons - for the left and right pilots, a good autopilot, which provided great assistance to pilots during long and "blind" flights, and most importantly, a radio compass indispensable for night flights. Of particular note is the anti-icing system of the aircraft, which made it possible to fly in any weather. On the ribs of attack of both planes was a mechanical de-icer company "Goodrich". Rubber "bags" were periodically inflated, breaking off the ice, and the screws were washed with alcohol.
It is necessary to say about the reliable operation of motors that had a total resource of 500 hours. And the Wright-Cyclone motors produced it. Of course, there were failures - in aviation, not without it. My pilot, senior lieutenant Nikolai Sidun, had one of the engines disabled by a direct hit by an MZA projectile in the sky over Budapest. On the second he managed to "pull" through the Carpathians, come to his Uman airfield and land safely. The flight on one motor lasted for 3 hours.

... My crew had to fly a lot to drop scouts over the territory of the whole of Europe, including in the Berlin area. In this case, a tank with a capacity of 518 gallons was suspended from the bomb hatch, and then it was possible to stay in the air for 15 hours without landing. Scouts jumped out at an altitude of 300-400 m through a hatch in the navigator's cockpit. In just the years of the Great Patriotic War I completed 220 sorties...

...In view of the successful hostilities, our regiment of the 125th BAP ADD was transformed into the 15th Guards BAP ADD, which received the name "Sevastopol".
The American B-25 aircraft was widely used by our aviation due to another important advantage. It had two pilots, and for the crew commander we trained only pilots who were sitting on this machine in the right seat, because they gained good combat experience and were excellent at instrument piloting.
I confess: for all my flight work, I had two favorite aircraft - these are the B-25 and Tu-16. But "Mitchell" is something closer to the heart. It can be seen because once in the war he saved my life.

And finally, as usual, 2 films.

The second aircraft mentioned in the first film is the Douglas A-20 Havoc, which received the name Boston in the USSR.

These aircraft under the Lend-Lease program were delivered to the USSR significantly more than the Mitchells - 3414 aircraft.

The A-20 was a fairly nimble light front-line bomber with a top speed of 560 km/h, a combat radius of 600 km, a service ceiling of 8,650 m, and a bomb load of 900 kg.

These aircraft were successfully used by Soviet pilots as bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and heavy fighters. The role was especially great in naval aviation, primarily in mine and torpedo regiments. A-20 became the best Soviet "top mast". Top-mast bombing is the dropping of bombs at high speed and from low altitude, so that the bombs, bouncing off the surface of the water, skipping off the side of the enemy ship and exploding from hitting its side or superstructure.

Soviet pilots unanimously recognized that the Boston fully meets the requirements of modern warfare. The bomber had a good thrust-to-weight ratio, which ensured high speed, good maneuverability and quite a decent ceiling. He was easily given deep turns with maximum roll, he flew freely on one motor. The Soviet instructions for piloting the "Boston" stated: "Flying ... with one running engine is not particularly difficult." Given the poor training of pilots who were rapidly released from schools during the war years, the aerobatic qualities of the aircraft were very important. Here, “Boston” was excellent - simple and easy to manage, obedient and stable in turns. According to the complexity of piloting, it was evaluated at the level of our Security Council. Takeoff and landing on an American bomber with a three-wheeled landing gear were much easier than on the domestic Pe-2. Again, a The Americans, in comparison with the Soviet designers, paid more attention to the comfort of the crew. The cabin of the A-20 was spacious. Both the pilot and the navigator had good review; they were seated in comfortable armored armchairs. Our pilots were struck by the abundance of instruments on a relatively small machine, including gyroscopic ones. The aircraft had a full set of modern navigation and radio equipment. A sharp expansion of the use of "Bostons" at sea occurred after the arrival of the A-20G modification in the USSR. It was a purely assault variant without a navigator's seat in the nose, replaced by a battery of four 20 mm cannons (on 0-1) or six 12.7 mm machine guns (on all subsequent Gs and Hs). The lion's share of aircraft modifications G, N went to Soviet Union, starting with virtually all A-20G-1s. These cars were transported both through Alaska and through Iran. A-20G-1 received, for example, the 1st Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment. A special place was occupied by "Boston" in the role of a torpedo bomber, a mine layer and a top mast. During the war years, it became, perhaps, the main aircraft of our mine-torpedo aviation, seriously displacing the Il-4.

In the USSR, "Bostons" lasted longer in service than in the USA and Great Britain. In total for 1942 - 1945. Navy aviation received 656 foreign torpedo bombers, which by the end of the war accounted for 68 percent of mine-torpedo aviation. If we discard 19 English Hampdens, then everything else is Bostons of various modifications. In the Baltic, A-20G met back in 1950. The 9th Guards Regiment in the North, already flying Tu-14 jets, kept a mothballed set of Bostons until 1954.

In March 1936, Jack Northrop and Ed Heinsmann began work on a project called the "Model 7". It was supposed to create a three-seat all-metal upper wing, equipped with two Pratt and Untney R-985 Wosp-Junior radial engines with a power of 425 hp / Z15 kW. The armament of the aircraft consisted of mobile and fixed machine guns of rifle (7.62 mm) caliber. The fixed machine guns were fixed in the forward fuselage, while the movable ones were mounted on the upper side of the fuselage. It was supposed to release the aircraft in two versions: bomber-assault and reconnaissance. The mass of the aircraft reached 4500 kg. In the bomber version, the central part of the fuselage was occupied by a spacious bomb bay that could hold 310 kg of bombs (40 bombs of 7.7 kg each). In the reconnaissance version, the lower side of the forward fuselage was glazed, opening up a view for the observer and photographic equipment. The estimated speed of the aircraft was 402 km / h. which was good at the time.

Technical description of the aircraft "Douglas" DB-7 "Boston III", as well as A-20G-20 / G-45

The aircraft "Douglas DB-7B" was an all-metal three- or four-seat twin-engine light attack bomber. The aircraft was made according to the mid-wing scheme, had closed cockpits and a retractable tricycle landing gear with a nose strut.

Fuselage with working skin, reinforced with frames and stringers. The cross section is variable, having the shape of an oval. The crew seats were covered by armor total weight 183 kg. Inside the fuselage was divided into five parts, separated by four bulkheads. In the bow there was a scorer's seat, a hatch located in the bottom of the segment led into the compartment. The bow was well glazed, from the scorer's seat there was an excellent view forward and sideways. The scorer's place was equipped with a Pioneer radio compass and a Wimperis bomber sight. Then followed the cockpit, covered with a plexiglass lantern on top. The upper part of the lantern was a hatch cover opening to the right. The pilot's seat was equipped with a complete set of controls (including a control stick with a steering wheel) and control devices. The pilot's seat was adapted for a parachute-seat. The pilot did not have direct contact with the rest of the crew (however, like those among themselves), so all communication was provided by the RC-36 intercom and mechanical mail with rods.

The third segment of the fuselage contained a bomb bay with four locks. The doors of the bomb hatch are double-winged, opened hydraulically. The positions of the gunner-radio operator and the lower gunner were in the fourth segment. From above, the gunner's cockpit was closed by a double-leaf lantern. The rear sash moved under the front, opening the machine guns. The lower gunner could fire a machine gun through a double hatch in the bottom of the fuselage. The view to the side was opened by two rectangular windows in the sides of the fuselage. At the bottom there was a hatch through which both arrows took their places. Behind the trailing edge of the left wing there were several steps that made it easier for the pilot to access the cockpit. On the upper side of the wing, the fuselage had a path along which the pilot walked to the cockpit. The bottom step was removed during the flight. The last, fifth segment of the fuselage was the tail.

On A-20G-20 aircraft, the nose did not have glazing. Instead of a bombardier, a battery of heavy machine guns was placed in the nose segment along with ammunition. Accordingly, the crew was reduced to three people. The place of the upper gunner was completely redesigned, installing a rotating Martin-type turret instead of a double-leaf lantern. The fuselage in the turret area was expanded by 15 cm.

Trapezoidal wing with working skin. The wing design consisted of a main spar, two auxiliary spars in the center section and one in the nacelle area, as well as ribs. At the base, the wing had a profile of NACA 23018, and in the area of the tips - NACA 23010. The wing was equipped with flaps and ailerons with trim tabs. The design of the ailerons is metal, but the skin is made of impregnated fabric.

The tail plumage is classical, trapezoidal in shape with rounded tips. It consisted of a keel with a rudder and a horizontal stabilizer with an elevator. The stabilizers had a cantilever design, and the rudders were equipped with trim tabs. The horizontal stabilizer had an elevation of 10?. The elevator is covered with impregnated fabric.

Tricycle chassis with a nose strut. Racks are equipped with hydropneumatic shock absorbers and single wheels. The front wheel could rotate 360 degrees around the rack, which made it easier to taxi. In addition, the front strut was equipped with a side vibration damper. The wheels of the main landing gear were equipped with hydraulic brakes. In addition to service brakes, there was a parking brake. All three wheels in flight were removed, folding in the rear direction. The front desk went into a niche under the fuselage, and the main pillars into a niche under the engine nacelles. The main chassis release system is hydraulic, emergency - pneumatic. The position of the landing gear was indicated by a pointer on the dashboard (red light - landing gear retracted, green light - landing gear extended). In addition, there was a sound signal that turned on if the throttle was less than a quarter open, and the chassis had not yet been released or locked.

The propulsion system consisted of two 14-cylinder air-cooled double star Wright-Cyclone R-2600-A5B engines. Takeoff power 1600 hp/1176 kW at 2400 rpm. The engines were equipped with two-stage supercharging and rotated three-blade metal variable-pitch propellers Hamilton Standard Hydromatic with a diameter of 3.43 m. Additionally, the engines were equipped with an Eclipse electric inertia starter. It was possible to start the engines manually. The engines were equipped with Bendix-Stromberg RT-13-E-2 carburetors. Cooling air circulation was provided by fixed reflectors and two sections of openable valves. The upper section served to cool the engine on the ground, the lower section in flight. In winter, the frontal opening in the engine nacelles was covered with blinds that prevented the engine from cooling quickly.

The A-20G aircraft was equipped with R-2600-23 engines with a starting power of 1624 HP / 1194 kW, maximum power 1700 hp/1250 kW, operating power 1370 hp/1007 kW at 1525 m, 1421 hp/1045 kW at 3050 m and 1293 hp/951 kW at 3505 m.

The fuel system consisted of four tested gas tanks located in the center section, with a total capacity of 1464 liters. Two internal tanks held 500 liters each, two external tanks each 232 liters. Each engine was connected to its own pair of tanks, although it was possible to redistribute fuel in the event of an accident. Aviation gasoline 2V-78 or 2V-74 octane rating 90 was in tanks under pressure of 0.09-0.1 MPa at altitudes up to 7850 m. In the event of an electric pump failure, an emergency manual fuel pump could be used. Inside the bomb bay, it was possible to hang three additional gas tanks with a total capacity of 1230 liters. These tanks served the pumps of the left engine. For flights to extreme distances, another gas tank was suspended under the bomb bay, which had a streamlined shape and contained 1420 liters. This engine was connected to the right engine pumps. Fuel consumption during engine operation on an enriched mixture was 1204 l / h, on a lean mixture - 341–478 l / h.

The lubrication system is individual for each engine. It consisted of two oil tanks with a volume of 71 liters, located in the center section, oil coolers installed on the inner (relative to the fuselage) walls of the engine nacelles, as well as a device for diluting oil with gasoline to start engines in the cold. In summer, oil type MS or MK was used, and in winter MZS or DTD-109. The lubrication system operated at a pressure of 0.5–0.6 MPa, the minimum allowable pressure was 0.27 MPa.

The hydraulic system consisted of a tank, two pumps, a pressure accumulator, valves, pipelines, an emergency hand pump and pressure separators. The hydraulic system actuated the mechanism for retracting and retracting the landing gear, flaps, brakes, the mechanism for opening and closing the bomb bay doors, the mechanism for controlling the shutters of the engine cooling system, and the oil cooler dampers.

The pneumatic system duplicated the operation of the hydraulic system in the event of a failure of the latter. The system included a compressed air cylinder, bypass valves, air ducts and a main valve located in the cockpit.

Technical description of the aircraft "Douglas" DB-7 "Boston III", as well as A-20G-20 / G-45

Fuselage with working skin, reinforced with frames and stringers. The cross section is variable, having the shape of an oval. The crew seats were covered by armor with a total mass of 183 kg. Inside the fuselage was divided into five parts, separated by four bulkheads. In the bow there was a scorer's seat, a hatch located in the bottom of the segment led into the compartment. The bow was well glazed, from the scorer's seat there was an excellent view forward and sideways. The scorer's place was equipped with a Pioneer radio compass and a Wimperis bomber sight. Then followed the cockpit, covered with a plexiglass lantern on top. The upper part of the lantern was a hatch cover opening to the right. The pilot's seat was equipped with a complete set of controls (including a control stick with a steering wheel) and control devices. The pilot's seat was adapted for a parachute-seat. The pilot did not have direct contact with the rest of the crew (however, like those among themselves), so all communication was provided by the RC-36 intercom and mechanical mail with rods.

I. Outdoor thermometer. 2. Speedometer. 3. Sight. 4. Altimeter. 5. Radio compass pointer (only on export vehicles). 6. Dashboard. 7. Button. 8. Fuse machine guns. 9. Dual afterburner indicator. 10. Dual tachometer. 11. Course indicator. 12. Pressure gauge. 13. Dual pressure gauge of the lubrication system. 14. Dual fuel pressure gauge. 15. Fuel gauge with switch. 16. Dual air thermometer in the intake of carburetors. 17. Double thermometer mother. 18. Dual cylinder head thermometer. 19. Position indicator closed and landing gear. 20. Landing lights indicator. 21. Screw pitch control button. 22. Bomb release button. 23. Top panel of electrical switches. 24. Switch for a photo machine gun and machine guns. 25. Ignition switch. 26. Towed antenna control box (only export copies). 27. Cabin window latch. 28. Cranes of fuel tanks. 29. Oxygen system pressure gauge. 30. Air-fuel mixture enrichment regulator. 31. Throttle handles with locks. 32. Gyrocompass indicator 33. Propeller pitch regulator. 34. Left switch panel. 35. Fuse box. 36. Light bulb. 37. Throttle regulator flywheel. 38. Handle for opening the doors of the bomb hatch 39. Retractable light bulb. 40. Setting the propeller pitch regulator. 41. Levers of switches for turbocharging modes. 42. Switch for heating the air intakes of turbochargers. 43. Fuel system valve. 44. Radio switch panel (on export copies only). 45. Navigation lights switch box. 46. Illumination of the dashboard. 47. Telegraph key "Bendix" (only on export copies). 48 Filter switch 49. Self-liquidation button of the device for determining friend or foe. 50. Switches of the device for determining friend or foe. 51. The lever of the latch window. 52. Intercom box. 53. Radio compass box (only for export copies). 54. Pilot headset connector 55. Trim controls. 56. Lever for emergency fuel release 57. Emergency regulator for aerodynamic brakes. 58 Frag bomb fuse. 59. Fast and furious. 60. Urinal. 61. Switch panel for cab heating system. 62. Radio switch. 63. UHF radio panel. 64. Right bomb lock switch 65. Radio switch panel (export models only). 66. Reset of outboard equipment (only on export copies). 67. UV light bulb. 68 Compass R9.

A-2 °C

Type of: twin-engine light bomber

Crew: three persons

One of the most widely used light / medium bombers in World War II was the A-20 Havok (Havoc - destruction), built according to the requirements of the US Air Force in 1938 for an attack aircraft. Initially known as the Model 7A, the prototype aircraft was extensively modified for use in Europe shortly after the start of flight testing. The first order for 100 bombers came from France, not the US Air Force.

The aircraft received a new designation DB-7. The production of the bomber began at the end of 1939, and about 60 aircraft hit France before the Blitzkrieg began on May 10, 1940. A small number of underdelivered DB-7s were transferred to the Royal Air Force, who gave the aircraft the name "Boston I" and used it as a trainer and night fighter. The performance characteristics of the "double" of the Douglas company were so high that the Boston aircraft became the basis of the Royal Air Force - over 1000 aircraft were delivered under Lend-Lease. The US Air Force brought the DB-7 aircraft (under the designation A-20) into service in May 1939, and by the time production ended in September.

In the Soviet Union, they became interested in a new car even before even one production aircraft was ready. In September 1939, Amtorg (an American corporation with Soviet capital that acted as a trade mission in the United States) approached the company with an offer to sell a batch of DB-7 aircraft to our country. Justifying the expediency of purchasing an American bomber, the head of the Red Army Air Force, Army Commander of the 2nd rank A.D. On October 4, Loktionov wrote to the Commissar of Defense K.E. Voroshilov: “... this aircraft is similar to our SB aircraft, but has more powerful small arms (six machine guns) and a higher flight speed (480 - 507 km / h). Aircraft DV-7 [sic] has a particularly interesting for us design feature- tricycle landing gear. The Douglas firm agreed to sell its cars, but set conditions - an order for a batch of at least ten copies and the absence of weapons and military equipment. In this form, the aircraft were of interest mainly to our designers and technologists. The military demanded to seek the sale of ten

DB-7 with weapons. On September 29, 1939, Soviet representative Lukashev reported from New York that the firm had agreed to sell them, as well as provide a license and provide technical assistance in organizing the production of DB-7 in the Soviet Union.

In parallel with Wright, they were negotiating a license for the R-2600 engine and in October they already agreed on the text of the contract. The adoption of the American bomber into service with the Red Army Air Force seemed quite real.

Negotiations went on until the war with Finland. Immediately after it began, President Roosevelt announced a "moral embargo" on supplies to the USSR. US companies, one after another, began to break the agreements already concluded with our country. They stopped supplying machines, tools, devices. It was not worth even stuttering about assistance in the development of purely military products. Contacts with Douglas also ceased.

The Americans did not regret it - there was already a big war, and with it came huge orders. But we didn’t forget about DB-7 and remembered at the first opportunity.

At least 7,385 Havok/Boston aircraft were built by 1944. This type of aircraft participated in combat operations around the globe. The good build quality won particular attention from the Soviet Air Force, which used 3,125 A-20s. Despite the fact that the aircraft was built in huge numbers, only a few A-20s survived into the 1990s, and only one of them (in the USA) is in flying condition.

Basic data

Dimensions:

Length: 14.63 m
Wingspan: 18.69 m
Height: 5.36 m

Empty: 7250 kg
Maximum takeoff: 12 338 kg

Flight performance:

Max speed: 510 km/h
Flight range: 1650 km with 2744 l. fuel and 907 kg of bombs
Powerplant: two Wright R-2600-23 Cyclone 14 engines
Power: 3200 l. With. (2386 kW)

Date of first flight:

October 26, 1938 (aircraft "Douglas" 7 B)

Remaining airworthy modifications:

A-20G

France and DB-7

Bombers for France were assembled and flown in El Segundo. There they were handed over to the French representatives. The first aircraft was received on October 31, 1939, after the start of World War II. Then the cars were again dismantled, packed in boxes and sent by sea to Casablanca in Morocco, which was then a French colony.

A "strange war" was going on on the German-French border. England and France, after the German attack on Poland, declared war on Germany, but did not show much activity. Aviation conducted reconnaissance, and calm reigned on the ground. The French army took cover behind the fortifications of the "Maginot Line" and did not try to help the Poles, who were rapidly retreating to the east. On September 28, Poland capitulated. And the "strange war" continued. Both warring parties accumulated forces.

France hastily modernized its Air Force. Integral part this was the development of equipment purchased in America. In Casablanca, the bombers were assembled again. Due to the lack of skilled labor, the pace of assembly lagged significantly behind the planned ones. The boxes did not even manage to be taken out of the port.

American aircraft, which received the designation DB-7B3 in the French Air Force (the last letter and number meant "triple bomber"), intended to rearm five squadrons. Retraining of personnel took place at airfields in Morocco and Algeria, where it was always warm and dry. By May 1940, the French received about 130 aircraft in the United States, of which about 70 managed to arrive in North Africa. These bombers managed to equip three squadrons - GB 1/19, GB 11/19 and GB 11/61, but not all crews mastered the technique sufficiently. Two more squadrons of the 32nd Group, GB 1/32 and GB 11/32, have just begun retraining. In total, there were 64 vehicles in these units.

On May 10, Germany unexpectedly attacked neutral Belgium and the Netherlands. Having quickly broken the resistance of the small armies of these countries, the Wehrmacht formations ended up in the rear of the Maginot Line. German aviation bombed the way for mechanized columns rushing deep into France. There was no longer before the completion of the pilot retraining program. All three squadrons, to some extent ready, were ordered to urgently return to France.

Squadrons GB 1/19 and GB II/19 were the first to arrive at the front, numbering together

23 combat-ready aircraft. On the afternoon of May 31, a dozen DB-7B3s made their first sortie against a column of German troops in the area between Saint-Quentin and Peronne. They were met by intense fire from anti-aircraft artillery and enemy fighters. The French lost three (according to other sources - four) cars, but they themselves announced the shooting down of the German fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109 by fire.

Until June 14, approximately 70 sorties were carried out in small groups (up to ten aircraft) and without cover. This tactic was quite expensive - while THIS lost from five to eight cars. The targets for bombing were columns of troops, carts, bridges and accumulations of equipment. Most of the lost bombers were the victims of German anti-aircraft gunners. Approximately half of them died due to fires - shot gas tanks flared up. The French demanded the installation of tested fuel tanks on aircraft. The Americans did it, but such cars did not get to France.

The defeat of the French army was already clear, the Germans entered Paris. The British Expeditionary Force rolled back to Dunkirk and, abandoning their equipment, hastily loaded onto ships. The most combat-ready units of the Air Force were ordered to fly to the North African colonies. By June 25, when the armistice agreement was signed, not a single serviceable DB-7B3 remained in France.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Germans occupied two-thirds of the country, leaving the government of Marshal Petain, based in the resort town of Vichy, limited power over the rest of France. Partially preserved and the French armed forces.

After the surrender, supplies from the United States ceased. But the losses were compensated for by equipment that had already arrived in Morocco, but had not yet been distributed in parts. A total of 95 cars were counted in stock. As a result, four squadrons were fully equipped. GB 1/32 was based in Casablanca (Morocco), GB II/32 - in Agadir (also Morocco), and GB 1/19 and GB II/61 - in Blida (Algeria).

Special decals were applied to the planes so that the Germans did not consider them enemy. Initially, it was a white edging of identification marks on the fuselage and a white stripe along it, on which, as it were, a cockade was superimposed. The front end of the white stripe sometimes looked like an arrow. Then a bright yellow tail was added to this, and, finally, the tail and hoods of the engines began to be covered with yellow and red longitudinal stripes.

British Prime Minister W. Churchill was afraid that the French fleet would join the German one and become a serious threat. Therefore, he ordered an attack on French ships off the coast of Algiers.

On September 24, 1940, British carrier-based aircraft attacked them. In response, the French government organized a series of night raids on Gibraltar. Squadron GB 1/32 took part in them. The results were negligible: the French pilots did not cause any serious damage to the base, but they themselves returned without heavy losses. One DB-7 was shot down by an English Hurricane.

The French bombers were in North Africa until the Allied landings in November 1942.

Those planes that did not have time to send from the United States before the defeat of France, "by inheritance" passed to the British.

FROM BOMBERS TO FIGHTERS

Following France, Great Britain became interested in the new American bomber. Procurement negotiations began in January 1940. For the British, a modification of the DB-7B was prepared, similar to the DB-73 of the last French order. She also had a new glazing for an elongated nose and an enlarged vertical tail. Inside, however, there have been many changes: the fuel system and the hydraulic system have been redone, armor protection has been improved, gas tanks have been protected, which now hold almost twice as much fuel (its reserve has increased from 776 liters to 1491 liters). All this increased the take-off weight by more than two tons, but the increased power of the engines not only compensated for this, but also made it possible to raise the maximum speed and ceiling. On these machines, of course, machine guns, equipment and instruments were of the English type, caliber 7.69 mm. In the forward part of the fuselage, Browning machine guns were mounted, which were fed by a detachable tape from cartridge boxes, and in the cockpit of the gunner-radio operator there was one (later they began to put two) Vickers K machine gun with a disk on top. The need for their periodic replacement, of course, reduced the practical rate of fire. The English machine guns were more bulky, the ammunition on assignment was larger. Inside the fuselage, all this no longer fit, and the second pair of machine guns was carried out into the characteristic ledges along the sides. At the request of customers, the glazing of the navigational cabin was changed.

Satisfied with the changes made, the members of the British Purchasing Commission in February 1940 signed a contract for 150 vehicles. The document provided for a possible increase in the order to 300 aircraft, which was done two months later, in April. Since in England all combat aircraft are given names, they also gave it to the DB-7B - "Boston", which was supposed to indicate American origin.

But before the DB-7Bs could be shipped, bombers began to arrive in Britain, previously ordered by the French, but not having time to reach France before its defeat. Some ships on the high seas received radiograms with instructions to go for unloading in English ports. A total of approximately 200 DB-7s were diverted, 99 DB-7As (one crashed while overflying the factory, but Douglas later shipped an additional DB-7B to replace it) and 480 DB-73s. They were added

16 DB-7s ordered by Belgium. They corresponded to the early French version with R-1830-SC3-G engines, but had to be equipped with locally produced FN-Browning machine guns. Some authors write that these aircraft were simply allocated to the Belgians from the first French order. All these variegated cars decided to call "Boston" too.

It was the Belgian planes that reached Britain first in July 1940. They were unloaded at Liverpool and started to be assembled at the nearby Speke airfield. It wasn't easy, because all the attached documentation was written in French. Collect all the same collected. Then the command of the Royal Air Force began to decide what to do with them. They came to the conclusion that they are unsuitable as bombers: the power of the engines is low, combat survivability due to the lack of tank protection and armor protection is insufficient. The Belgian version was given the designation "Boston" I and it was decided to use these aircraft as trainers and auxiliary.

Problems began already during the flight of the first assembled bombers. Later, the English pilot G. Taylor described in detail how long he dealt with the inscriptions in the cockpit in French and unusual instrument scales in the metric system. But he forgot about all the torment when he released the brakes and taxied for takeoff.

The car was distinguished by excellent handling, the pilot perfectly saw everything around from the cockpit. It turned out that the unusual three-wheeled chassis greatly simplifies takeoff and landing.

But before operation, the Belgian aircraft had to be modified. Changed instruments to read in the usual miles, feet and gallons. Reworked the gas sector. The fact is that in Belgium the French standard was adopted: to increase the speed of the engines, the handle was moved back, while in the UK, the USA, and we also had gas, they added forward movement. They put English radio stations and oxygen devices. As for weapons, there is no clarity. Someone writes that they put English machine guns, someone claims that these machines flew without weapons at all.

On these planes, British pilots got used to the three-wheeled landing gear and the lack of automatic regulation boost; on new British-made machines, the latter was already considered mandatory. American electro-inertial starters were also unusual. I had to wait until the flywheel spins up, and only then start the engine. In England, military aircraft engines were started by electric starters of a direct type (from large airfield trolley batteries) or Coffman powder starters.

The DB-7s of the French order with R-1830-S3C4-G engines, which arrived a little later, called Boston II, also did not want to be used as bombers. It was considered that the bomb load and flight range were too small to bomb Germany from bases in southern England. However, these aircraft found other uses. They decided to convert them into heavy night fighters.

The airborne radars then available to the British were rather heavy and bulky. In addition, they were not easy to operate; a second crew member was required to work with them. Therefore, all single-seat fighters swept aside and put this equipment mainly on twin-engine vehicles with a crew of two or more people. However, the aircraft had to be fast and maneuverable enough to intercept and fight an enemy bomber. Boston met these conditions.

To distinguish themselves from bombers, night fighters received their own designation - "Havok" (alternatively, "Moonfighter" and "Ranger" were offered). Its first version was called Havok I. The nose of the fuselage with the navigator's cockpit was cut off and replaced with an unglazed compartment with eight 7.69-mm Browning machine guns and a radar. Radar antennas AI Mk.IV (on some

machines mounted more advanced AI Mk.V) stood at the tip of the nose (swept transmitter), on the sides under the cockpit and on the wings (T-shaped receivers). Such "Havoks" did not have defensive weapons. There were two crew members - a pilot and a radar operator. These planes did not carry bombs.

There was another version of Havok I, the so-called "intrader". This was the official name - "Havok" I (Intrader). At first, however, it was called "Havok" IV_ If the purpose of the first modification was purely defensive, then the "intraders" performed offensive functions - at night they terrorized German airfields near the English Channel, attacking enemy aircraft both in the sky and on the ground. In this case, modifications to the base aircraft were minimal. The glazing of the nose was preserved, as well as the navigator's seat and bomb armament (for a maximum load of 1100 kg). Four Browning machine guns were mounted in the nose and one (according to some sources - two) Vickers K in the cockpit of the gunner-radio operator. Flame arresters were put on the exhaust pipes of the engines. In terms of their tactics, the "intraders" were similar to the night hunters-blockers operating in our Long-Range Aviation. The task was the same: to paralyze enemy airfields.

In the winter of 1940-41, workshops in the town of Bartonwood began converting DB-7s coming from the USA into various Havoks. A few months later, about a hundred cars passed through Maester. In total, 181 bombers, including several Boston Is, were converted into the Havok I of the first two types (night fighter and blocker), much less - 31 cars. Even less appeared "Pandora" - only two dozen.

The first Havoks 1 equipped with a night fighter (they wrote “night fighter” - “night fighter” in parentheses) were received on April 7, 1941 by the 85th squadron. Behind her, these machines also received the 25th and 600th squadrons. By this time, massive German air raids on the cities of England had already ceased. Nothing is known about any significant successes of the Havoks. Some of these aircraft were further converted into Turbinlights.

"Intraders" acted more actively. From the beginning of 1941, the 23rd squadron flew them, and then another 605th. Their main targets were airfields across the English Channel. The hunters worked alone. Typically, such an aircraft was attached to a group of enemy bombers returning from a mission. They led him to their airfield. After turning on the landing lights, the show began with shooting and explosions. It also happened that the “intrader” depicted an aircraft lagging behind the group, fired flares at random over an enemy airfield and turned on navigation lights. If the trick was successful, he was shown the runway and sometimes even illuminated it with a searchlight. Further - as in the previous situation.

The most effective was the bombing approach at the time of the landing of enemy aircraft. At the same time, it was not only possible to destroy some aircraft on the ground, but also to cause panic among the anti-aircraft gunners, who began to fire at all the vehicles in the air, including their own. There were even cases when, after several such raids in a row, the Germans opened fire on their own aircraft, suspecting them of British blockers.

The first detachment of Turbinlights, called the Air Target Illumination Unit, and then the 1422nd Detachment, was formed in Heston in May 1941. He was engaged in developing tactics for the combat use of "flying searchlights". The Turbinlight flew with one or two Hurricanes.

By December of the same year, nine more (according to other sources - ten) similar detachments appeared. In fact, these were links - three cars each. But the reality of combat practice diverged from theoretical calculations. Fighters often could not find the Turbinlight itself in the night sky, they were not even helped by the help of guidance officers from the ground, because the Hurricane had no navigational aids more serious than a conventional magnetic compass. And I had to constantly look for "Turbinlight", since it belonged to another part and started from another airfield. Even the white stripes along the trailing edge of the wings, which stood out brightly against the black background, did not help.

Main characteristics

Briefly

in detail

3.0 / 3.0 / 2.7 BR

3 people Crew

7.7 tons empty weight

11.9 tons Takeoff weight

Flight characteristics

7,224 m Max Height

sec 35.8 / 35.8 / 34.0 Turn time

185 km/h Stall speed

2 x Wright R-2600-23 Engine

radial type

aerial cooling system

Destruction rate

696 km/h designs

296 km/h chassis

2 100 shells ammo

750 shots/min rate of fire

Defensive weapons

400 shells ammo

750 shots/min rate of fire

800 shells ammo

750 shots/min rate of fire

Suspended armament

4 x 500-lb bomb AN-M64A1 Set 1

12 x Missile M8 Kit 2

Economy

Description

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Main characteristics

Flight performance

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Survivability and booking

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Armament

Forward armament

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Suspended armament

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Defensive weapons

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Use in combat

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Advantages and disadvantages

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History reference

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