HOW THE DOUGLAS A-26 INVADER CAUSED INSTANT REGRET FOR THE USAF
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- The Douglas A-26 Invader, which was initially designed as a dual-role aircraft capable of both bombing and ground-attack missions, was produced in the 1940s for service during World War II. However, it was not without shortcomings that led to regret within the United States Air Force (USAF).
#DouglasA26Invader #WWIIBombers #MilitaryAviationHistory #aviation #aviationhistory #worldwar2 #airforce #aircraft
Hi guys. Yes I misspoke, I meant to say the only US combat aircraft to serve in 3 wars. Appreciate the feedback 😁
Kenney didn't want the A-26, because they felt that the B-25 and A-20 were perfectly adequate for their theater, and they didn't want the headaches of maintaining a relatively sophisticate type at the end of a long logistics pipeline.
Also, in my opinion Kenney was of mediocre talent.
The A-26 was pretty much a mediocrity in terms of performance. Imagine if it had of been given to the Luftwaffe in mid 1944. It would have been whacked out of the sky. The A-26 only worked against an inferior enemy because of massive Air superiority given by the P-51 and P-47. Kenny was right. The B-25 could do the job.
Only aircraft to serve in three wars.
C-47: Am I a joke to you?
This is funny… I’ve never heard any major complaints of the A-26… as a matter of fact I have a ton of books calling it the best twin engine fighter/bomber/attack plane of the war.
I believe it was too. Its track record kept it going for 2 more wars. Most of the issues were pretty quickly ironed out to be fair.
The authors of those books may have deemed it the best twin engine fighter/bomber/attack plane of the war but in reality there were a number of other planes which excelled far better in those combined roles than the A-26, the DH Mosquito being one such example.
Odd, the A-26s serving in the ETO had none of these problems and actually replaced the B-25s in medium to low altitude attack missions due to its ruggedness and speed( top speed of 350 mph).
By the time I became aware of the A-26 Invader, all of it's faults had been taken care of, the Vietnam War was ancient history (I served 2 years in Korea, during that time, and my first exposure to it was watching the movie "Always", in witch A-26's were being used as Airial fire fighter's and I fell in love with the design. I still think it's one of the most beautiful air craft ever built and only the A-10 Warthog has been able to replace it for ground attack.💯🔥
Thanks Doug. I love it too. Digging into its early history was a real treat. :-)
Thank you for your comment about the Douglas A-26 Invader for she deserves a better place in history 😀👍
I saw that when WW2 ended the A-26 Invader was very popular in the civil aviation when it was converted to a corporate business fast transport for oil companies and it was called the..."Mark 20 "
and was used until the advent of ✈️ jet business aircraft 👍😉🤠
My dad flew A-26's for standard oil. Highlight of corporate pilot flying. 9720hrs in the left seat. He was at home there. When he was at the end of his life, i got a phone call from one of the standard oil mechanics. He said my dad was a pilot who would help with an engine change rather than drink in the hotel.
But, you know what his favorite airplane was?.....whatever he was in at the time🙂 he was deliriously happy in a 150. I saw it with my own eyes.
Their initial 26's had the small rudder, short noses and no 73gallon tip tanks. His 26's were also never pressurized, so they flew everywhere at ten thousand in the midst of the weather. Being a child of the '50's, its hard for me to accept the America of today. Will we regain our freedom? The greatest generation is gone, and im 71.
USAF (yes, I said USAF) redesignated it the B-26 in 1948 and the erstwhile B-26 Marauder was retired. Great airplane.
Then changed its designation back to A-26K during Vietnam.
Okay, I was expecting to get carpel tunnel from writing my response to this when I saw the title, but that was rather fair and balanced.
Well done.
Thanks Fred. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Interesting and informative. Thanks
Our pleasure!
What a great video. Thanks mate. 👍
My pleasure!
That's interesting look at the A-26 Invader and when I was a kid I built a little 1/72 nd. Scale plastic model kit of it 😁
🤠 thanks for the great information on the Douglas A-26 Invader & I know what it feels like to be rejected 😔
Thank you 😊
18 forward firing 50s?
Damn
You forget the C-46 and C-47, both of which served in all three wars.
Me thinks Lockheed Connie's probably did all three as well certainly WW2 and Vietnam, Spad was so close entering in mid 1945, and I think air america was using C54 so that would technically be 3 wars for them
A-26C had the glass nose, zb model had tge nose guns and package guns were mounted on the fuselage
As a pilot I find the visibility complaints to be overstated. We don’t look out the sides to fly. We look at where we are going to be not where we are. Especially at 350mph. I think they were an excuse for a staff that didn’t want to upgrade.
I think the complaint was about visibility of the ground when trying to spot the enemy.
Pappy Gunn would have loved it!
Despite all of its flaws the A-26's higher speed ment it spent less time over enemy territory. Leading to a lower loss rate
It was curious this harsh criticism because also the Havoc and the B-25 shared the same ground attack. It could the relative sophistication like the turret ,personally I would have installed a manned turret, perhaps bulkier but more reliable. Regarding the visibility with the big radials on the sides I don't see much difference between between these airplanes! Good job 👏 👍 👌
Thanks. very much appreciated.
I hate to nitpick but I think you meant it was the only combat aircraft to serve the United States in WW-2, Korea, and Vietnam. The Curtiss C-46, the Douglas C-54, and of course the immortal Douglas C-47 each flew in WW-2, Korea, and Vietnam as well.
Yes. Thanks. Exactly what I meant.
No, because what do you think AC-47 were based on? The C-47 which was in WW2, Korea and Vietnam. The French used the A-26 in Vietnam as well as Algeria.
A-26 s were being used as firebombers in 1978&79 ! I had the privilege of filling them with fire retardant . I was a GOOPER @ Williams Lake Air Tanker Base those 2 years !!
Huh? The A-26 had a great, long career.
During WW2, it was the U.S. Army Air Force and didn’t become the U.S. Air Force until 1947
The A-26 was used in three wars including Vietnam, so it must have been pretty useful for the USAAF and the USAF.
It was a great example of feedback from the fount ensuring improvement.
This is a prime example of public school "critical thinking". Just criticism and finding fault where none existed. The A26 was an excellent attack aircraft in the Southwest Pacific and loved by those who employed it. The USAF didn't exist during WWII, and (I think) a photo from Vietnam was used to illustrate the eight gun nose.
I was surprised by General George Kenney's reaction too. Then I went to find out just why he said it. So must have command, as all his "gripes" were addressed as much as possible. Thanks for the watch and feedback, I hope you will subscribe for more in the future. :-)
Good point ☝️ and God bless you for your service Sir to protect the peace and freedom 🇺🇲
Critical thinking has nothing to do with being critical. It’s objectively thinking about what people are feeding you and diving down to find the truth.
Later models like the K model was a good aircraft and was very successful..As with most aircraft it's the folks on the line that fine tune it for what they need
Nope. the 8 gun nose was used in the pacific also.
Instantly, but only after used for a while.
There was an accident near Preston u,k, in w,w,2 involving two a 26 that was put down to one pilot not seeing the other a26 because of the blind spots there is a good film called the flight of the invader set in Vietnam
Cheers Darren. I've not heard of that film, I'll see if i can track it down.
That was Flight of the Intruder, with Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe & Brad Johnson flying the Navy A6 Intruder.
*What is the difference between the A26 & B26?*
After the Martin B-26 Marauder was retired the Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the "B-26" designation. But typically, the "A" designation means an "Attack" Aircraft. "B" was for Bomber.
It is, almost, as-if, no Douglas Engineer ever flew a 'Combat-Sim' flight in an A-20 Havoc, and learned what Mattered, Other-Than the PERFOMANCE SPEC. SHEET?!
I remember seeing several of these aircraft some years ago. I think I was part of the 50th anniversary of VE Day. Bit of a surprise but a great one nevertheless.
Crew escape still looks poor.
More than a few made it.
@@bobclifton8021 the redesigned hatches help.
The USAF did not exist until 1947.
Always luv the A26 for its looks an its Death dealing charm , imagine being dead centre to 8 Guns , an saw the A26 in Always an it was just totally gorgous..it was Sex with Wings..