Modifications of the A 20 Boston delivered to the USSR. "Bostons" in the USSR. Survivability and armor

Medium bomber Douglas DV-7A (A-20A). The American plane was regarded by us as a short-range bomber, and not as an attack aircraft. What was considered a medium bomber in the USA, by our standards, was already closer to our long-range bombers, and in terms of weight, crew composition and defensive weapons, it was out of this category.

"Bostons" have earned an excellent reputation among our pilots. These machines had good flight qualities for that time. They could compete with German technology in speed and maneuverability." When the B-3s appeared on the Soviet-German front, they overtook our new Pe-2s. The American bomber was distinguished by good maneuverability and a large service ceiling. Deep turns were easy for him, he flew freely on one engine. Considering the poor training of pilots who were quickly graduated from schools during the war, the aerobatic qualities of the aircraft became very important. Here the Boston was excellent - simple and easy to control, obedient and stable on turns. Takeoff and landing on it were much easier than on the domestic Pe-2.

The motors worked reliably, started well, but with very intensive use they did not reach the prescribed service life. It was necessary to break the seals supplied by the Americans and change the pistons, cylinders, piston rings and bearings. But it should be taken into account that the nominal life of the “rights” exceeded the life of all domestic aircraft engines twice, or even three times.

The A-20 cockpits were spacious, and both the pilot and navigator had good review, they were located in comfortable armchairs with armor protection. The cabin was heated, which after our frozen SB and Pe-2 seemed an unthinkable luxury.

But the first combat experience also showed the weak points of the American aircraft, primarily its defensive weapons. The Bostons had been vulnerable to attacks from behind even earlier, suffering heavy losses from German fighters. We quickly realized that Boston's firepower was insufficient and decided to take measures to increase it. Urgent development of Boston re-equipment projects began. The first such alterations were carried out directly, at the front. Instead of Brownings, they installed domestic UB heavy machine guns. The upper installation with coaxial machine guns, which had an insufficient field of fire, was replaced with an MV-3 turret with a ShKAS machine gun or with a UTK-1 with an UBT. The GKO decree of September 24 approved the rearmament scheme proposed by the Design Bureau of Plant No. 43: two fixed UBCs on the sides of the navigation cabin, on top of a UTK-1 with a UBT and another UBT in the hatch on the installation from the Pe-2. All B-3s (i.e. DB-7B, DB-7C and A-20C) were subject to conversion. The first 30 aircraft needed to be re-equipped already in September 1942. And indeed, in September, Bostons with Soviet machine guns already began operating at the front. At the same time, the aircraft’s armor protection was strengthened and modifications were made for winter operation.

On the A-20B there was a large-caliber machine gun on top, but in the same pivot mounting. Bomb armament has also changed slightly for the better. It was considered that this option was also not satisfactory and they also began to redo it. In December 1942, the simplest modification of this modification was submitted for testing - standard American bomb racks (the A-20B had six of them inside and four outside) were simply modified to fit our bombs. And in June 1943, NIPAV tried a deeper processing: our Der-21 cluster bomb racks, designed for a total of 16 FAB-100 bombs, were installed in the internal bomb bays, and the Der-19P was installed outside for bombs with a caliber of up to 250 kg. Der-21 made it possible to insert cassettes of small KMB - Pe-2 bombs into bomb bays under AO-2.5, AO-10, AO-25, ZAB-2.5 bombs and AZh-2 ampoules (usually filled with self-igniting liquid). On the outside, we provided for the suspension of chemical pouring devices VAP-250. We installed the ESBR-6 bomb release device, OPB-1R and NKPB-7 sights. As a result, the maximum bomb load (when taking off from concrete) increased to 2000 kg. A total of more than 600 aircraft, including several hundred A-20Bs, underwent replacement bomb armament. Changes in the defensive armament of vehicles of this type were mainly limited to the installation of the UTK-1 upper turret. But it was not the Soviet UBT machine gun that was mounted in the turret, but the American Colt-Browning, removed from the standard pivot mount. On October 31, 1942, Deputy Air Force Commander Vorozheikin addressed the NKAP with a request to urgently modify 54 A-20Bs according to this scheme.

In 1943, a new modification began to arrive through Alaska and Iran - the A-20G (we usually designated A-20Zh, hence one of its nicknames - “Bug”). This was the next mass production version of the Boston. Before it, American designers created several modifications that were not put into mass production. The A-20D remained an unrealized project for a lightweight version of the A-20B with R-2600-7 turbocharged engines. Seventeen A-20Es were conversions of the A-20A with unprotected gas tanks for training purposes. The experimental XA-20F was further development XA-20V and had a 37-mm cannon in the nose. The next widespread (and ultimately the most widespread - 2850 copies) modification of the Havok was the A-20S. This was a purely assault version. The bow section was now occupied by a whole battery of cannons and machine guns. The first series, the A-20G-1, had four 20mm M2 cannons with 60 rounds of ammunition each and two 12.7mm machine guns in the nose. At the same time, they strengthened the armor protection, improved the aircraft's equipment and sharply increased the bomb load (with an overload of up to 1800 kg), while lengthening the rear bomb bay. The machine became heavier (the weight of an empty aircraft increased by more than a ton), losing somewhat in speed and maneuverability and considerably in the ceiling, but its combat effectiveness increased. Almost all G-1 type aircraft were sent to the USSR. Nose guns were soon abandoned. Starting with the G-5 series, six heavy machine guns began to be installed. On the G-20, the rear part of the fuselage was expanded and an electrified Martin 250GE turret with two 12.7 mm machine guns was mounted there (this turret was first tested on one of the production A-20Cs). At the lowest point there was now the same machine gun. The A-20G aircraft were also externally distinguished by individual exhaust pipes on the engines instead of a common manifold, and by the ring antenna of the MN-26Y radio half-compass on top. The A-20G-20 was tested at the Air Force Research Institute in October 1943. From series to series, the Boston was equipped with more and more effective weapons, the bomb load was increased, and armor protection was improved, but the aircraft became increasingly heavier, losing in flight performance. It was already inferior in speed to the latest series of Pe-2, but still remained a formidable front-line bomber.

"Boston" from the 221st battalion at one of the airfields northeast of Kursk. Colonel S.F.'s formation Buzylev was actively involved in the battle from the first day.

The first A-20G appeared on the Soviet-German front in the summer of 1943. The A-20G became a truly multi-purpose aircraft in our aviation, performing a variety of functions - day and night bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bomber and minelayer, heavy fighter and even transport aircraft. It was rarely used only as an attack aircraft - for its main purpose! As already mentioned, the A-20G was very vulnerable to anti-aircraft gunners at low altitudes due to its considerable size and weak armor cover. Only when surprise was achieved could one count on the comparative safety of the Boston during an attack in the conditions of well-functioning German air defense. Nevertheless, our pilots carried out assault strikes on convoys, trains, and ships. The crews of the 449th Regiment in such a situation usually attacked from a height of 300-700 m, diving at an angle of 20-25 degrees. After a burst of 20-30 shells, a quick departure at low level followed. The place of the attack aircraft in our aviation was firmly occupied by the Il-2, and the A-20G was forced out into other areas of application. To perform functions not provided by the designers (or provided insufficiently), the machine had to be modified in one way or another. For example, the A-20G was inconvenient for use as a bomber due to the lack of a navigator's seat.

Bomber "Boston" 8th Guards. bap 221st bad at the Zadonsk airfield. From left to right: ml. Lieutenant A.N. Shalyutin (standing at the bow), Lieutenant A.M., Suchkov (crew commander), Sergeant I.I. Mikhailov and Sergeant I.A. Parrots.

If in 1943 the Soviet Union received 1,360 A-20 aircraft of various modifications, in 1944 - 743, in 1945 only one Boston passed through Soviet military acceptance. Together with the A-20G and A-20J, their “younger brothers” - the A-20N and A-20K - took part in the final phase of the war, indistinguishable from them in appearance, but equipped with more powerful R-2600-29 engines, boosted to 1850 hp, which slightly increased the speed. Compared to the A-20G, all other modifications were built in small numbers: A-20J - 450 copies, A-20N - 412, A-20K - 413. A-20N and A-20K became the last representatives of this family. In 1944, on the assembly lines of the Douglas company, they were replaced by new machines for the same purpose - the A-26. The lion's share of aircraft of modifications N and K went to the Soviet Union. One of the A-20K-11s was tested at the Air Force Research Institute in October 1944. However, by the time the war with Germany ended, only about a dozen of these bombers reached the front. The rest arrived later, in preparation for the campaign against Japan. And in 1945, the re-equipment of new regiments with Bostons continued.

On May 1, 1945, the Soviet Air Force had 935 Bostons. More than two-thirds of them were modification G machines. There were only 65 new A-20J and A-20K. But it should be noted that a significant part of the Bostons went into naval aviation, which will be discussed below.

It is interesting to compare the evolution of the Boston with similar multi-purpose vehicles that were in service with our allies and enemies during the war. The same age as the A-20, the English Blenheim, was much lighter, carried a smaller bomb load and was significantly inferior to it in speed. Two American light bombers exported to England, the Maryland (Martin 167) and the Baltimore (Martin 187), were not much superior to the Blenheim in their flight performance, losing to the Boston in a maximum speed of 50-100 km/h. Only Mosquito, created much later, had a significant advantage in almost all respects. The German medium bombers Juncker Ju 88A and Do 217E were significantly heavier (including due to a significantly larger bomb load and range) and, naturally, were inferior in speed and ceiling. Aircraft of the same purpose, which were in service in Italy and Japan, could in no way be compared with the Boston.

Our main front-line bomber was the Pe-2 for almost the entire war. The evolution of the Pe-2 and A-20 has a number of similarities, but also has significant differences. When they first met on the Soviet-German front in the spring of 1942, their flight qualities were approximately equivalent: the Boston, although heavier, won in speed of 10-15 km/h, but was slightly behind the Pe-2 in practical ceiling. Subsequently, both vehicles were improved, the power of the engines grew, the armament became stronger and the equipment became more complex. This is where the approach of Soviet and American designers turned out to be completely different. Although both of them focused on improving performance primarily for low and medium altitudes, for the Americans, the entire increase in thrust went to partially compensate for the sharply increased bomb load and more powerful (and heavy) weapons, while the flight performance of the vehicle fell by Pe -2, the weight of the bombs remained unchanged, and after 1943, both speed and ceiling began to increase. In general, in terms of its size and weight characteristics, the A-20 was closer not to the Pe-2, but to the Tu-2 that appeared later, which had engines of approximately the same power. During the war, the Boston became a multi-purpose vehicle, demonstrating significantly greater capabilities than the Pe-2.

Shown in the figure is A-20B with a Soviet-designed UTK-1 shielded turret.

In total, 3,125 A-20 Havoc aircraft were delivered to us under Lend-Lease.

In March 1936, Jack Northrop and Ed Heinsmann began work on a project called the Model 7. It was planned to create a three-seat all-metal upper wing, equipped with two Pratt & Untney R-985 Wasp-Junior radial engines with a power of 425 hp / 315 kW. The aircraft's armament consisted of movable and fixed rifle (7.62 mm) machine guns. Fixed machine guns were fixed in the forward part of the fuselage, and movable ones were mounted on the upper side of the fuselage. The aircraft was supposed to be produced in two versions: bomber-attack and reconnaissance. The weight of the aircraft reached 4500 kg. In the bomber version, the central part of the fuselage was occupied by a spacious bomb bay, which 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 visibility for the observer and photographic equipment. The estimated speed of the aircraft was 402 km/h. which was not bad at that time.

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

The Douglas DB-7B was an all-metal, three- or four-seat, twin-engine light attack bomber. The aircraft was designed according to a mid-plane design, had an enclosed cockpit and a retractable three-post landing gear with a nose gear.

Fuselage with working skin, reinforced with frames and stringers. The cross section is variable and has 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. The bombardier's position was located in the bow; a hatch located at the bottom of the segment led into the compartment. The bow was well glazed, and from the bombardier's position there was an excellent view forward and to the side. The bombardier's position was equipped with a Pioneer radio compass and a Wimperis bomber sight. Next came the pilot's cabin, covered on top with a plexiglass canopy. The upper part of the lantern was a manhole cover that opened to the right. The pilot's seat was equipped with a full set of controls (including a control stick with a steering wheel) and control instruments. The pilot's seat was adapted for a parachute seat. The pilot had no direct contact with the rest of the crew (as well as with each other), so all communication was provided by the RC-36 intercom and mechanical mail with rods.

The third fuselage segment contained a bomb bay with four locks. The bomb hatch doors were double-leaf and opened hydraulically. The positions of the gunner-radio operator and the lower gunner were in the fourth segment. The top of the gunner's cabin was covered by a double-leaf canopy. The rear door moved under the front door, revealing the machine guns. The bottom gunner could fire a machine gun through a double-leaf hatch in the bottom of the fuselage. The side view was opened by two rectangular windows on the sides of the fuselage. There was a hatch in the bottom through which both shooters took their places. There were several steps behind the trailing edge of the left wing, making it easier for the pilot to gain access to the cockpit. There was a path along the upper side of the wing near the fuselage along which the pilot walked to the cockpit. The bottom step was retracted during the flight. The last, fifth segment of the fuselage was the tail.

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

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

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

The landing gear is three-post with a nose strut. The racks are equipped with hydropneumatic shock absorbers and single wheels. The front wheel could rotate 360 degrees around the stand, which made taxiing easier. In addition, the front strut was equipped with a lateral vibration damper. The main landing gear wheels were equipped with hydraulic brakes. In addition to service brakes, there was a parking brake. All three wheels were retracted in flight, folding in the rear direction. The front strut went into a niche under the fuselage, and the main struts went into a niche under the engine nacelles. The main landing gear release system is hydraulic, the emergency system is pneumatic. The position of the landing gear was shown by a pointer on the dashboard (red light - landing gear retracted, green light - landing gear extended). Additionally, there was an audible signal that would sound if the throttle was less than a quarter open and the landing gear was not yet extended or locked.

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

The A-20G aircraft was equipped with R-2600-23 engines with a starting power of 1624 HP/1194 kW, a maximum power of 1700 HP/1250 kW, an operating power of 1370 HP/1007 kW at an altitude of 1525 m, 1421 l .hp/1045 kW at an altitude of 3050 m and 1293 hp/951 kW at an altitude of 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 held 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 with an octane number of 90 was in tanks under a pressure of 0.09-0.1 MPa at altitudes up to 7850 m. In case of failure of the electric pump, an emergency manual gasoline pump could be used. Inside the bomb bay, it was possible to mount three additional gas tanks with a total capacity of 1230 liters. These tanks served the left engine pumps. For flights at extreme distances, another gas tank was suspended under the bomb bay, which had a streamlined shape and could hold 1420 liters. This engine was connected to the pumps of the right engine. Fuel consumption when the engines were running on a rich 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 internal (relative to the fuselage) walls of the engine nacelles, as well as a device for diluting oil with gasoline for starting engines in cold weather. In summer, MS or MK type oil was used, and in winter, MZS or DTD-109. The lubrication system operated under a pressure of 0.5–0.6 MPa, the minimum permissible 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 operated the mechanism for retracting and releasing the landing gear, flaps, brakes, the mechanism for opening and closing the bomb bay flaps, the mechanism for controlling the engine cooling system shutters, as well as the oil cooler flaps.

The pneumatic system duplicated the operation of the hydraulic system in case of 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 Douglas DB-7 Boston III aircraft, as well as the A-20G-20/G-45

I. Outdoor thermometer. 2. Speedometer. 3. Sight. 4. Altimeter. 5. Radio compass indicator (only on export vehicles). 6. Dashboard. 7. Button. 8. Machine gun fuse. 9. Dual afterburner indicator. 10. Dual tachometer. 11. Course indicator. 12. Pressure gauge. 13. Dual pressure gauge of the lubrication system. 14. Double fuel system pressure gauge. 15. Fuel gauge with switch. 16. Double air thermometer in the carburetor intake. 17. Double thermometer mom. 18. Double cylinder head thermometer. 19. Closed and chassis position indicator. 20. Landing light indicator. 21. Propeller pitch control button. 22. Bomb release button. 23. Top panel of electrical switches. 24. Switch for photo-machine gun and machine guns. 25. Ignition switch. 26. Towed antenna control box (export copies only). 27. Cabin window lock. 28. Fuel tank valves. 29. Oxygen system pressure gauge. 30. Regulator for enriching the air-fuel mixture. 31. Throttle handles with locks. 32. Gyrocompass indicator 33. Propeller pitch regulator. 34. Left switch panel. 35. Fuse box. 36. Backlight bulb. 37. Throttle control flywheel. 38. Handle for opening the bomb hatch flaps 39. Retractable light bulb. 40. Setting the propeller pitch regulator. 41. Levers of turbocharging mode switches. 42. Switch for heating the turbocharger air intakes. 43. Fuel system valve. 44. Radio switch panel (only on export copies). 45. Navigation light switch box. 46. Dashboard lighting. 47. Bendix telegraph key (only on export copies). 48 Filter switch 49. Self-liquidating button for the friend-foe identification device. 50. Friend or foe determination device switches. 51. Window lock lever. 52. Intercom box. 53. Radio compass box (only on export copies). 54. Connector for the pilot's headset 55. Trim controls. 56. Emergency fuel release lever 57. Emergency aerodynamic brake regulator. 58 Fuse for fragmentation bombs. 59. Fast and Furious. 60. Urinal. 61. Switch panel for the cabin heating system. 62. Radio switch. 63. UHF radio panel. 64. Right bomb lock switch 65. Radio switch panel (export models only). 66. Reset of suspended equipment (only on export copies). 67. UV lamp. 68 Compass P9.

A-2 °C

Electrical equipment.

Single-core 24 V on-board network. The electrical system included shielded wiring, a 1500 W generator mounted on the right engine, and two 68 Ah batteries. Electric starters were used to start engines. The electrical supply included a distribution valve for the lubrication system, a mechanism for changing the pitch of the propeller, a release of machine guns, searchlights, a fuel level sensor and a fire extinguishing system. ON the A-20G-20/G-45 aircraft, the turret had an electric drive. The aircraft of these series had two generators of 3000 W each.

The oxygen equipment consisted of eight cylinders with a capacity of 6 liters and an automatic reducer that regulated the composition of the supplied mixture depending on the flight altitude. When flying at an altitude of 7500 m, the oxygen supply lasted for 3–3.5 hours.

The radio equipment included an SCR-274 transceiver. The radio station provided communication at a distance of up to 500–600 km when operating the key at an altitude of 1000–1500 m. As the flight altitude decreased, the range decreased significantly.

Additional equipment included a camera with a focal length of a lens of 127 or 200–300 mm, a rotor blade de-icing system, a cockpit heating system, urinals, fire extinguishers, flare guns, a rescue inflatable boat, a flare bomb releaser, a hatchet and thermos holders.

Machine gun weapons. The DB-7's armament consisted of four fixed Colt-Browning machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber mounted on the sides of the fuselage (ammunition capacity of 500 rounds per barrel), as well as two coaxial machine guns in the gunner's cabin and a Vickers K machine gun of 7.7 caliber mm, exited through the bottom of the fuselage. These machine guns also had 500 rounds of ammunition per barrel.

The A-20G-20/G-45 aircraft carried six 12.7 mm Browning M-2 machine guns (350 rounds per barrel) in the nose segment, two 12.7 mm machine guns in the turret and one machine gun in the bottom of the fuselage. The ammunition load of the last three machine guns was 400 rounds per barrel.

The bomb armament was placed in the bomb bay. There were four locks to which the following bomb combinations could be hung: 2x227 kg, 4x114 kg, 2x114 kg + 2x227 kg, 4x227 kg. Under the wings there could be four more external locks, from which bombs weighing 114 or 227 kg were suspended.

"Boston III" 12 South African Squadron North Africa. 1942

Boston III, No. 107 Squadron RAF, December 1943.

A-20A. 22 Australian Squadron. The aircraft made 186 combat missions - this is a record.

A-20B, 47th Bomb Group. 12th Air Force, Yuk-les-Bains, Algeria, February 1943.

A-20B, 111th Observation Squadron, 68th Observation Group. Tunisia. beginning of 1943.

P-70 from Detachment A. 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Three Mile Eirethrin, Port Moresby, New Guinea, May 1943.

A-20G (“BIG NIG”), 3rd Bombardment Group, 89th Squadron, 1944.

A-20G. Tula area, Soviet Union, 1944. Many Soviet A-20s were equipped with Soviet-made turrets.

Cabin of the A-20 Boston IV

A-20J-15-DO, 646 Squadron, 410 Bomb Group, Gosfield, England, 6 June 1944.

A-20B, 5th GMTAP, Black Sea Fleet, 1944. Camouflage: Olive Drab/Neutral Gmy/Green.

A-20G-35 (43-10067), 51st MTAP, Baltic Fleet, crew: pilot Major Orlenko, navigator Captain Prekin, gunner Senior Lieutenant Bykov, 1945. Camouflage: Olive Drab/Neutral Gray/Dark Green.

A-20G, 1st GMTAP, Baltic Fleet, serial number painted over, 1944. Camouflage: Olive Drub/Neutral Gray.

An A-20G from the 675th Squadron, 417th Bomb Group, under the control of Lt. John Prior, strikes Japanese positions on Halmahera Island, New Guinea.

Vichy DB-7 from GB 11/19, Algeria, North Africa. 1942

A-20G Havoc from the 87th Bomb Squadron, 46th Bomb Group. Morris Field, North Carolina. 1944

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This material is posted on the site in continuation of the topic raised in the article “ «.

The American bomber Douglas A-20 (aka Boston, Havoc) is one of the most famous aircraft supplied under Lend-Lease during the Great Patriotic War. 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.

It is interesting that the future Boston began to be designed in 1936 as a purely land attack bomber (“model 7A”). Its creator, J. Northrop, never imagined that this machine would ever be used against ships. Since 1939, the aircraft went into mass production under the DB-7 brand in various versions for the US Army Air Forces (as the A-20), British and French military aviation. But all these options were also purely land.

Dutch specialists were the first to draw attention to the potential capabilities of the DB-7 in the field of combat operations at sea. In October 1941, after the Germans had captured the Netherlands itself, the government of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) ordered a batch of DB-7C aircraft from the United States. According to the order issued by the customer, this version was supposed to be similar to the DB-7B built for Great Britain, but would be able to carry a torpedo weighing 907 kg. It was located in the lower part of the bomb bay in a semi-recessed position with the hatch doors removed. The DB-7C also had a sea rescue kit with an inflatable boat. Aircraft began arriving in the East Indies after the start of hostilities in Pacific Ocean. 20 DB-7C in containers arrived on the island. Java shortly after the Japanese invaded it. Only one aircraft was fully assembled, which took part in the battles for the island, and the rest, intact or damaged, went to the invaders as trophies. It was never possible to test the DB-7C torpedo suspension in real life.

The experience gained on the DB-7C was used on the A-20C modification. This variant, also known as the Boston III, received a torpedo suspension similar to the DB-7C, which later became standard for all modifications.

A-20s were used by American army aviation against warships and especially transport ships (mainly in the Pacific Ocean), but they operated only with machine gun fire, bombs and rockets. The US Navy used a limited number of A-20s only for auxiliary purposes - as target tugs. The coastal command of the British Air Force did not have Bostons at all.

A-20Cs made up the bulk of the first batches of bombers transferred by the USSR's allies. Along with them came a number of DB-7B and DB-7C. The Soviet mission began accepting Bostons in Iraq in February 1942. Already at the end of spring these planes appeared at the front. In the fall of the same year, they, along with another modification, the A-20B, went along the route from Alaska to Krasnoyarsk. Soviet naval aviation first tried to operate Bostons in early 1943.

Since January, the 37th Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment began operating on the Boston III in the Black Sea. He carried out raids on Crimea from Gelendzhik. However, the Boston III, as well as the A-20B, was difficult to use in its original form as a bomber at sea. Two already mentioned circumstances interfered: the relatively short range (the range was 1380 km - less than that of our Pe-2) and the impossibility of hanging large bombs necessary to destroy warships. Therefore, the Bostons were first used in the navy mainly as reconnaissance aircraft. For example, in the Baltic, the 1st Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment received six A-20Bs in February 1943, tested them... and handed them over to the reconnaissance regiment. On the Black Sea, Bostons were equipped with the 1st squadron of the 30th separate reconnaissance regiment (and since the summer of 1943, the 2nd).

When converting to a reconnaissance aircraft, an additional gas tank was installed in the bomb bay. Photographic equipment (cameras of types AFA-1, AFA-B, NAFA-13 and NAFA-19) was installed in the radio operator’s cabin and partially in the bomb bay.

The first Bostons that entered service with the Navy aviation made it possible to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the capabilities of this very promising vehicle. They also carried out basic modifications that increased the effectiveness of their combat use.

Our 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 a fairly decent ceiling. It was easy for him to take deep turns with maximum roll; he flew freely on one engine. The Soviet instructions for Boston piloting techniques stated: “Flying... with one running engine is not particularly difficult” . Considering the poor training of pilots who were quickly graduated from schools during the war, the aerobatic qualities of the aircraft were very important. Here the Boston was excellent - simple and easy to control, obedient and stable on turns. In terms of difficulty of piloting, it was rated 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.

The operational capabilities of the Boston were also important for the harsh conditions of the Soviet-German front. The Wright engines worked reliably and started well, although in the Arctic they were noticed that they were very sensitive to hypothermia. There, the Bostons were equipped with devices for regulating the blowing of the cylinders - frontal controlled blinds, similar to those mounted on the Il-4. Sometimes the propeller pitch control mechanisms froze, which forced the propeller bushings to be insulated with removable caps. During very intensive use in the USSR, the motors did not develop the prescribed resource between bulkheads. It was necessary to break the seals supplied by the Americans (the company guaranteed 500 hours) and change the piston rings, pistons, cylinders and bearings. Sometimes air got into Stromberg carburetors due to a leak in the filter connections - this led to the engine stopping in flight.

The Americans, compared to Soviet designers, paid more attention to the comfort of the crew. The A-20's cabin was spacious. Both the pilot and the navigator had a good view; they were located in comfortable armchairs with armor protection. Our pilots were amazed 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. Our Boston crew has been increased by adding a separate lower gunner to the radio operator.

In general, “Boston” fully met the requirements of the war on the Soviet-German front. The main disadvantage of this vehicle was its weak defensive weapons.

The second significant drawback was considered to be the small bomb load (for all early modifications 780 - 940 kg), which was limited, however, not so much by the capabilities of the propeller-engine installation, but by the number of bomb racks and the size of the bomb bay. The A-20 was not designed to carry large bombs. This is quite understandable: the “five hundred” did not fit into the concept of an attack aircraft.

The A-20C, just like the Boston III, was first redesigned in military units, and then on a factory scale, strengthening its armament. Instead of a pivot mount with two machine guns of 7.62 or 7.69 mm caliber, domestic turrets were mounted under a large-caliber UBT machine gun, and sometimes even a ShVAK cannon.

This modification increased the aircraft's weight and drag, for which one had to pay with a loss of speed (6 - 10 km/h), as well as a reduction in the normal bomb load to 600 kg. Most often they installed the UTK-1 turret with one UBT and a K-8T sight or a PMP with 200 rounds of ammunition. A Pe-2 hatch installation with an OP-2L sight and a supply of 220 rounds of ammunition was mounted below. This version was produced by Moscow aircraft plant No. 81, which during the war specialized in the repair and modification of foreign aircraft. In total, about 830 bombers were converted in this way (including the A-20C of the early series, which will be discussed later). Sometimes, in parallel, on vehicles of the Boston III and A-20S types, the bow machine guns were also replaced with Soviet UBKs. The machine guns in the engine nacelles on some aircraft were usually removed.

American bomb racks were modified to hang our bombs without adapters, and then Soviet holders Der-19 and KD-2-439 and KBM-Su-2 cassettes were installed, which made it possible to increase the bomb load.

The largest number of proposals for modifications concerned the DB-7C, which, according to all documents, was officially classified as a torpedo bomber. It was the first to introduce external suspension of two torpedoes using so-called torpedo bridges (this work was carried out by the already mentioned plant N 81) and additional gas tanks with a capacity of 1036 liters in the bomb bay (they were offered in the Baltic). These two character traits then they appeared on all Boston mine-torpedo aircraft.

This, of course, did not exhaust the variety of engineering ingenuity applied in the fleets to the modernization of American bombers. So, in the north, the DB-7C was converted into an attack aircraft, very similar to the “gunship” - a “gunboat” based on the A-20A, used by the Americans in New Guinea. There were many different training options with dual controls.

A sharp expansion in the use of Bostons at sea occurred after the arrival of the A-20G modification to the USSR. It was a purely assault variant without a navigator's position in the nose, replaced by a battery of four 20 mm cannons (on the G-1) or six 12.7 mm machine guns (on all subsequent G and H). The lion's share of aircraft of modifications G, H went to the Soviet Union, starting with almost all A-20G-1. These vehicles were transported both through Alaska and Iran. For example, the 1st Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment received the A-20G-1.

The place of the attack aircraft in our aviation was firmly occupied by the Il-2, and the A-20G was forced out into other areas of application. To perform functions not provided for by the designers, the machine had to be modified in one way or another.

The Boston occupied a special place in the role of a torpedo bomber, minelayer and top-mast carrier. During the war years, it became, perhaps, the main aircraft of our mine-torpedo aircraft, seriously displacing the Il-4.

The Bostons were in service with mine and torpedo aircraft of all navies. In the North they were flown by the 9th Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment, in the Baltic by the 2nd Guards and 51st, and on the Black Sea by the 13th Guards. And the 36th mine and torpedo regiment was first transferred from the Black Sea to the Northern Fleet, and then in August 1945 - to the Air Force of the Pacific Fleet.

When converting the A-20G into a torpedo bomber, as well as into a reconnaissance aircraft, an additional gas tank was installed in the bomb bay, which made it possible to approximately equalize the range of the Boston and the IL-4. Sometimes a navigator's cabin was made in the bow. The second common option was for the navigator to sit behind the rear shooting point. There were side windows for the navigator, and above them there was a small transparent dome. It must be said that this placement of the navigator’s seat was not very convenient due to the severely limited view. However, the standard A-20G nose was retained. In an attack, such vehicles were usually launched first to suppress anti-aircraft fire from ships. Sometimes the navigator was located immediately behind the pilot's cabin in a lying position.

In order for the aircraft to carry torpedoes, so-called torpedo bridges were placed on the sides on the left and right in the lower part of the fuselage under the wing. They were an I-beam (often welded or riveted from two channels) with wooden fairings at the ends, attached to the fuselage by a system of struts. Theoretically, it was possible to take two torpedoes in this way (and they sometimes flew at short distances from hard ground), but usually one was hung on the starboard side.

Torpedo bridges were made both directly in units and in various workshops. In this case, American underwing bomb racks were removed. A trial conversion of the A-20G-1 into a torpedo bomber was carried out in the spring of 1943 in Moscow at plant No. 81 on one of the vehicles received by the 1st Guards mine and torpedo regiment (the aircraft of A. V. Presnyakov, later Hero of the Soviet Union).
Soviet naval pilots won many victories with the torpedo-carrying A-20G. "Bostons" usually acted as a so-called "low torpedo bomber" - they dropped torpedoes at a distance of 600 - 800 m from the target from a height of 25 - 30 m - from a strafing flight. The speed of the aircraft was approximately 300 km/h.

This tactic was very effective. For example, at dawn on October 1st, 1944, Northern Fleet aviation launched a massive attack on one of the German convoys: 26 ships covered seven enemy fighters. The first to attack were 12 Il-2s, then an hour later another 12 attack aircraft. They were followed by a third wave of 10 A-20Gs accompanied by 15 fighters. Several ships were sunk. The fourth wave completed the matter. Ten A-20Gs were led by the commander of the 9th Guards Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel B.P. Syromyatnikov. His plane was shot down by the Germans, but Syromyatnikov was hit by a transport on a burning car, which soon exploded. A Soviet torpedo bomber fell into the sea: the entire crew was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Similarly, on December 22, 1944, V.P. Nosov’s plane from the 51st regiment was set on fire while approaching a German ship: the heroes went to ram...

Airborne mines and large-caliber bombs could also be hung on torpedo bridges. In this way, in July 1944, the A-20G delivered from the air 135 mines, mostly magnetic, of the AM G type, to the mouth of the Daugava and in the Gulf of Tallinn. The A-20G took two such mines weighing 500 kg each. The same mine laying was carried out, for example, near Koenigsberg. On an external sling it was possible to carry one FAB-500 bomb on each side or even a FAB-1000, but the latter option was used quite rarely. The targets for Naval Boston bombs were usually ships and port facilities. Thus, in August 1944, A-20Gs from the 2nd Guards Mine and Torpedo Division took part in a raid on Constanta. The strike group consisted of 60 Pe-2s and 20 A-20Gs. As a result, a destroyer, a tank, two submarines, and five torpedo boats were sunk; a destroyer, an auxiliary cruiser, three more submarines, a transport and a floating dock were damaged, a fuel and lubricants warehouse was blown up, and repair shops were destroyed. In June of the same year, North Sea pilots carried out a similar combined strike on the port of Kirkenes. Il-2, A-20G and Pe-3 and Kittyhawk fighter-bombers operated together there. We also had to bomb minefields and anti-submarine networks.

The torpedo bombers of the 1st Guards Regiment were equipped with the first Soviet airborne locators designed to detect sea surface targets, such as the Gneiss-2M. At the suggestion of A. A. Bubnov, senior radar engineer of the Baltic Fleet Air Force, radars received from fleet warehouses were installed on five vehicles. They were first tested on Ladoga: the shore was detected 90 km away, and a barge with a tug - 20 km away. The first combat mission was made on October 15, 1944 by regiment commander Hero of the Soviet Union I. I. Borzov. In conditions of poor visibility, the radar made it possible to find Gulf of Riga a group of three German ships. Aiming at the locator screen, the crew fired a torpedo and sank a transport with a displacement of 15,000 tons, loaded with military equipment. Subsequently, several more ships were sunk in this manner.

At sea, the Bostons hunted not only surface ships, but also submarines. For example, on March 22, 1945, two A-20Gs sank a German submarine. Hero of the Soviet Union E.I. Frantsev even had two submarines - he destroyed one on January 21, 1944, and the other on April 4 of the same year. The methods were different: A.V. Presnyakov managed to sink the boat on the surface with a torpedo, and I. Sachko - with a bomb from a top-mast approach.

The latter method (dropping bombs near the surface of the water and then ricocheting into the side) was used by the A-20G, perhaps more often than torpedo throwing. From a distance of 5 - 7 km, the plane began to accelerate, then opened cannon and machine-gun fire to weaken the anti-aircraft gunners' resistance. The drop was carried out only 200 - 250 m from the target. This technique was also used by American pilots in the Pacific, but there they usually struck with bombs of relatively small calibers - up to 227 kg.

Probably the most famous example of successful actions of Soviet top-mast carriers is the sinking of the German air defense cruiser Niobe. On July 8, 1944, it stood in the Finnish port of Kotka. A regiment of dive bombers and two pairs of A-20G topmasts from the 1st Guards Mine and Torpedo Regiment took part in the raid. Each of the Bostons carried two FAB-1000 bombs. The dive bombers were the first to attack: two bombs hit the cruiser. Then the first pair of thousand-kilogram A-20Gs came in and crashed into the Niobe, and it sank. The second pair turned towards a nearby vehicle and hit it. In addition to the Niobe, the Baltic top-mast carriers include the battle cruisers Schlesien and Prinz Eugen, the auxiliary cruiser Orion, and many destroyers and transports.

Often top-mast carriers operated together with torpedo bombers. So, in February 1945, 14 A-20Gs from the 8th Mine-Torpedo Division north of the Hel Spit attacked a German convoy. They sank four transports and a minesweeper with bombs and torpedoes. Such interaction took place not only in large groups, but also during “free hunting” in pairs. For example, on February 17, 1945, a topmast-torpedo bomber pair, led by Captain A.E. Scriabin, launched an 8,000-ton transport and a patrol ship to the bottom of Danzig Bay. There is even a known case of a topmast strike on a target on land. In June 1944, before the offensive of the Soviet troops, it was necessary to destroy the dam on the river located in the German rear. Svir. Through the joint efforts of A-20G topmasts, Il-4s with sea mines and attack aircraft suppressing anti-aircraft weapons, it was blown up.

The last bombs of World War II were apparently dropped by five A-20Gs of the 36th Torpedo Regiment on August 18, 1945, destroying a railroad bridge in Korea.
Our Bostons lasted longer in service than in the USA and Great Britain. Total for 1942 - 1945 Navy aviation received 656 foreign torpedo bombers, which by the end of the war made up 68 percent of mine-torpedo aircraft. If we put it aside, then everything else is “Bostons” of various modifications. After the end of the campaign in the Far East, naval aviation units continued to replace the Il-4 with the A-20. So, in the fall of 1945, the 2nd MTA in Kamchatka was rearmed. In the immediate post-war years, the A-20G was undoubtedly the main type of torpedo bomber in all navies.

A-20Gs were seen in the Baltic back in the 1950s. The 9th Guards Regiment in the North, already flying Tu-14 jets, retained a mothballed set of Bostons until 1954.

One Boston, recovered from the bottom of the sea, is in the Northern Fleet Air Force Museum: unfortunately, it has not been restored.

For Soviet pilots, the Boston remained in memory as one of the best aircraft supplied to us by the Allies during the war.

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

A-2 °C

Modifications of the A 20 Boston delivered to the USSR. "Bostons" in the USSR. Survivability and armor

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