A-26B Invader "Stinky," 552nd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, Beaumont, France, 1945 (1:72)

In 1941 Douglas Aircraft Company began work on their twin-engine medium-bomber A-26 Invader. By the end of production there were 2,452 aircraft produced for all variants. The A-26/B-26 was the only U.S. bomber to take part in three wars, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The confusion with the use of the designation B-26 began when the Martin B-26 Marauder was retired and in 1948 the USAF dropped the '_A'_ (Attack) designator so the Douglas A-26 Invader became the B-26 Invader. The A-26 made its first European appearance in late 1944.

One variant of the Douglas A-26 Invader was the '_B'_ series. Douglas built 1,560 A-26B'_s. 205 were built in Tulsa Oklahoma with another 1,355 coming from Long Beach California. In July 1944 the 553rd Bombardment Squadron began mission testing the new A-26 but by September this had been suspended because of technical problems. The 386th Bombardment Group '_The Crusaders'_ arrived in Beaumont-sur-Oise, France on Oct 2, 1944 with their Martin B-26 Marauders. Shortly after the Ardennes campaign the 386th BG
received the much improved Douglas A-26 Invader.

Specifications Douglas A-26B Invader
First flight '_ July 10, 1942
Crew '_ 3
Dimensions
Length '_ 50 ft 9 in
Wingspan '_ 70 ft 0 in
Height '_ 18 ft 6 in
Weight
Empty '_ 22,370 lbs
Maximum take-off '_ 35,000 lbs
Performance
Engines '_ 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-79 radial piston each producing 2,000 hp
Maximum speed @ 15,000 ft '_ 355 mph
Ceiling '_ 22,100 ft
Range '_ 1,400 miles
Armament
6 x 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns in nose
2 x 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns in ventral turret
2 x 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns in dorsal turret
6,000 lbs of bombs
8 x 127 mm (5-inch) rockets