Douglas A-26C Invader
After the success of the A-20 Havoc, Douglas Aircraft began design of a successor, with an eye towards an aircraft that also would be able to replace the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder as well. Using the A-20 as a model and drawing on experience with the deHavilland Mosquito as well, famed aircraft designer Edward Heinemann came up with a light bomber design that could be flown by a single pilot. Though similar to the Havoc, the XA-26 Invader had a slightly wider fuselage, larger tail, and laminar-flow wings for better stability in dives. Since Douglas could build on the A-20’s success, testing went smoothly and the US Army Air Force was suitably impressed by its maiden flight in July 1942.
By this time, however, units in the Pacific had demonstrated the lethality of purpose-built low-level attack aircraft with massive forward armament, so the USAAF asked Douglas to develop the A-26 into a strafer as well. Douglas responded with two variants: the A-26B, with a solid gun nose that could carry anything from machine guns to a 75mm antitank gun, and the A-26C, with a glass nose for medium-altitude bombing. The noses themselves could be quickly exchanged to switch A-26Bs to A-26C bombers, and vice-versa. As in the A-20, a crew of three was provided, with the flight crew (the pilot and navigator/bombardier) forward and the gunner in a separate compartment in the rear, controlling both the remote dorsal and ventral turrets. A-26Cs could carry two guns in the nose, but these were deleted in production variants for four wing-mounted machine guns, which were also included in A-26Bs.
Douglas’ commitment to building transport aircraft and the modification of the XA-26A to the B/C dual variant delayed introduction to service until September 1944 in Europe, by which time the A-26 would be operating from newly-liberated bases in France and Italy. Though it arrived late, the A-26s in Europe saw significant action in the Battle of the Bulge and the final drive into Germany, operating mostly as medium bombers and occasionally as night interdiction aircraft. It showed enough potential that, much as Douglas had hoped, it replaced the A-20, B-25, and B-26 in USAAF service, remaining in postwar production.
Indeed, though the A-26 did see World War II service, most of its combat record would be after that war—namely in Korea. The 3rd Bombardment Group, based in Japan in June 1950, saw its A-26s rapidly deployed for Korean service, and undertook the first US Air Force attack on North Korea itself. The A-26 force was quickly augmented by aircraft deployed from the United States, and these undertook bombing sorties in the battles to hold the Pusan Perimeter and in the Inchon invasion. As the Korean War became a stalemate, and due to the interdiction campaign happening in North Korea, Communist forces were forced to resupply mostly at night, and the USAF A-26s in theater were switched to night interdiction operations. These were extremely dangerous in the mountainous Korean Peninsula, to say nothing of the danger from ground fire. Usually, A-26s would operate in hunter-killer teams, with one aircraft using a wing-mounted searchlight to illuminate a target while the other made its attack. A-26s also bookended the Korean War by becoming the last USAF aircraft to attack targets in North Korea, just before the armistice was signed.
A-26s would return to war again during the Vietnam era as the A-26K Counter-Invader, modified for the counterinsurgency role. The last A-26 would not leave USAF service until 1972, making it one of the longest serving designs in the service's history.
A total of 2452 Invaders had been built, and besides its American and French service, others were used in African colonial wars and by Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor in 1976, the last time A-26s were used in combat. A good number of A-26s were sold as surplus after the Vietnam War and were subsequently converted to firefighting aircraft. Though most of these have been retired in recent years, it ensured that there would be significant numbers of flyable Invaders left. Today, 96 aircraft remain in museums and in private collections.
This A-26C on display outside of Robins AFB's Museum of Aviation is a mystery. The Museum's website only lists a single A-26 in their collection--a gun-nose A-26 currently displayed inside--and no reference is made to this aircraft. Furthermore, very little can be found online about this aircraft, other than its registration--44-35732. There are even discrepancies between 44-35732 and this aircraft, to the point that this A-26 might not even be the real 44-35732!
If it is, what is known about 44-35732 is that it was delivered to the USAAF shortly before the end of World War II, and was still in service with the postwar USAF. After that, an already murky history gets even murkier, but there may be a reason for it: at some point, 44-35732 ended up in the possession of the CIA, which in turn used it in the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. Eight A-26s, painted in the colors of the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force (to confuse Castro loyalists and make the Cuban people believe that the A-26s were flown by defectors), struck airfields ahead of the invasion.
As some of the A-26s used at Bay of Pigs were originally from the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (Alabama ANG) at Birmingham, 44-35732 may have been assigned to that unit at some point. Eventually, in the 1990s, 44-35732 made its way to the Museum of Aviation, where it remains today.
Whatever its history or true origins, this A-26 is painted as a postwar USAF Invader, with fuselage buzz numbers. The markings are a bit faded, and the bare metal has begun to show the effects of being outside in a humid climate. Plans are to restore the aircraft, so perhaps the Museum of Aviation will eventually shed some light on this mysterious A-26.
Douglas A-26C Invader
After the success of the A-20 Havoc, Douglas Aircraft began design of a successor, with an eye towards an aircraft that also would be able to replace the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder as well. Using the A-20 as a model and drawing on experience with the deHavilland Mosquito as well, famed aircraft designer Edward Heinemann came up with a light bomber design that could be flown by a single pilot. Though similar to the Havoc, the XA-26 Invader had a slightly wider fuselage, larger tail, and laminar-flow wings for better stability in dives. Since Douglas could build on the A-20’s success, testing went smoothly and the US Army Air Force was suitably impressed by its maiden flight in July 1942.
By this time, however, units in the Pacific had demonstrated the lethality of purpose-built low-level attack aircraft with massive forward armament, so the USAAF asked Douglas to develop the A-26 into a strafer as well. Douglas responded with two variants: the A-26B, with a solid gun nose that could carry anything from machine guns to a 75mm antitank gun, and the A-26C, with a glass nose for medium-altitude bombing. The noses themselves could be quickly exchanged to switch A-26Bs to A-26C bombers, and vice-versa. As in the A-20, a crew of three was provided, with the flight crew (the pilot and navigator/bombardier) forward and the gunner in a separate compartment in the rear, controlling both the remote dorsal and ventral turrets. A-26Cs could carry two guns in the nose, but these were deleted in production variants for four wing-mounted machine guns, which were also included in A-26Bs.
Douglas’ commitment to building transport aircraft and the modification of the XA-26A to the B/C dual variant delayed introduction to service until September 1944 in Europe, by which time the A-26 would be operating from newly-liberated bases in France and Italy. Though it arrived late, the A-26s in Europe saw significant action in the Battle of the Bulge and the final drive into Germany, operating mostly as medium bombers and occasionally as night interdiction aircraft. It showed enough potential that, much as Douglas had hoped, it replaced the A-20, B-25, and B-26 in USAAF service, remaining in postwar production.
Indeed, though the A-26 did see World War II service, most of its combat record would be after that war—namely in Korea. The 3rd Bombardment Group, based in Japan in June 1950, saw its A-26s rapidly deployed for Korean service, and undertook the first US Air Force attack on North Korea itself. The A-26 force was quickly augmented by aircraft deployed from the United States, and these undertook bombing sorties in the battles to hold the Pusan Perimeter and in the Inchon invasion. As the Korean War became a stalemate, and due to the interdiction campaign happening in North Korea, Communist forces were forced to resupply mostly at night, and the USAF A-26s in theater were switched to night interdiction operations. These were extremely dangerous in the mountainous Korean Peninsula, to say nothing of the danger from ground fire. Usually, A-26s would operate in hunter-killer teams, with one aircraft using a wing-mounted searchlight to illuminate a target while the other made its attack. A-26s also bookended the Korean War by becoming the last USAF aircraft to attack targets in North Korea, just before the armistice was signed.
A-26s would return to war again during the Vietnam era as the A-26K Counter-Invader, modified for the counterinsurgency role. The last A-26 would not leave USAF service until 1972, making it one of the longest serving designs in the service's history.
A total of 2452 Invaders had been built, and besides its American and French service, others were used in African colonial wars and by Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor in 1976, the last time A-26s were used in combat. A good number of A-26s were sold as surplus after the Vietnam War and were subsequently converted to firefighting aircraft. Though most of these have been retired in recent years, it ensured that there would be significant numbers of flyable Invaders left. Today, 96 aircraft remain in museums and in private collections.
This A-26C on display outside of Robins AFB's Museum of Aviation is a mystery. The Museum's website only lists a single A-26 in their collection--a gun-nose A-26 currently displayed inside--and no reference is made to this aircraft. Furthermore, very little can be found online about this aircraft, other than its registration--44-35732. There are even discrepancies between 44-35732 and this aircraft, to the point that this A-26 might not even be the real 44-35732!
If it is, what is known about 44-35732 is that it was delivered to the USAAF shortly before the end of World War II, and was still in service with the postwar USAF. After that, an already murky history gets even murkier, but there may be a reason for it: at some point, 44-35732 ended up in the possession of the CIA, which in turn used it in the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. Eight A-26s, painted in the colors of the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force (to confuse Castro loyalists and make the Cuban people believe that the A-26s were flown by defectors), struck airfields ahead of the invasion.
As some of the A-26s used at Bay of Pigs were originally from the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (Alabama ANG) at Birmingham, 44-35732 may have been assigned to that unit at some point. Eventually, in the 1990s, 44-35732 made its way to the Museum of Aviation, where it remains today.
Whatever its history or true origins, this A-26 is painted as a postwar USAF Invader, with fuselage buzz numbers. The markings are a bit faded, and the bare metal has begun to show the effects of being outside in a humid climate. Plans are to restore the aircraft, so perhaps the Museum of Aviation will eventually shed some light on this mysterious A-26.