AviationDiscuss Douglas A-20 Havoc in the World War II - Aviation forums; a mossie was also experimentally fitted with the system for use over germany..........
The P-70 (the USAAF night fighter version of the A-20) may have had a decent chance of being successful if they would have put turbo-superchargers on them. Same thing for the Navy's Venturas. The P-61A and B also didn't have turbo-superchargers and it was finally put on for the P61-C. I don't understand why they didn't install the turbo-superchargers on earlier aircraft.
Yep, and although Northrop and Douglas work on a lot of projects together (Jack Northrop worked for Douglas at one time) by the time the P-61 was on the scene they were competitors. As a matter of fact the A-20 was one of the first Ed Heinerman designs.
My reference indicate that the Douglas 7B (Prototype of the A-20) was originally a Northrop design which was finished by Heinemann.
Always struck me as an odd system. In the time it would take you to line up a bomber with the light you could've fired hundreds of rounds into it with the regular nose
__________________ "We attack tomorrow under cover of daylight"
"Daylight sir?"
"Yes it's the last thing they'll be expecting, a daylight charge over the minefield"
Don't forget that the A-20 was an important part of the Soviet AF too, I think we sent about 3,000+ to Russia. I was on a trip to Russia last summer, I looked for any of the Bostons that were sent over there, but they don't keep lend-lease on display, only Russian stuff
The P-70 (the USAAF night fighter version of the A-20) may have had a decent chance of being successful if they would have put turbo-superchargers on them. Same thing for the Navy's Venturas. The P-61A and B also didn't have turbo-superchargers and it was finally put on for the P61-C. I don't understand why they didn't install the turbo-superchargers on earlier aircraft.
The original P-70 was derived from the A-20 (without letter) that was to be the turbosupercharged high-altitude version of A-20 (vs A-20A medium altitude). The engines had cooling troubles, I don't know if they were deployed in combat zones.
The later versions P-70A and P-70B were derived from A-20C and G, and I believe that they didn't have turbosupercharged engines.
Any info about engine types of P-70A/B and early P-70?
"Since the USAAF had no night fighter units when the USA entered World War 2, a night fighter training organization was established at Orlando, Florida. Most of the P-70 Nighthawk aircraft served there with the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group to develop tactics and procedures for radar-controlled night interceptions and to train the crews of nineteen night fighter squadrons. Very few of these P-70s ever went overseas, most remaining in the USA to be passed on to the next night fighter units that needed to be trained. Most units trained on the P-70 were reequipped with the Northrop P-61 Black Widow before they transferred overseas.
Only five night fighter squadrons were still equipped with P-70s at the time they were deployed overseas. Four P-70-trained night fighter squadrons were sent with their aircraft to North Africa in 1943 for service with the Twelfth Air Force. However, when they got there, these outfits used Bristol Beaufighter VIF fighters obtained from Britain under Reverse Lend-Lease. The 427th Night Figher Squadron took its P-70s with it when it deployed to Italy, but the squadron exchanged its P-70s for Northrop P-61 Black Widows before it became operational.
The P-70 actually saw some combat action in the Pacific Theatre, although their service there was quite brief. The 6th Night Fighter Squadron began operations in February of 1943 with its P-70s from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, in an attempt to intercept high-flying Japanese night raiders. It was later supplanted by the 419th Night Fighter Squadron. The 418th and 421st Night Fighter Squadrons flew P-70s operationally in New Guinea for a brief time. The P-70 was not very successful in combat, scoring only two kills during the entire war. The P-70 lacked sufficient performance to intercept Japanese night raiders unless it was extremely fortunate. P-70s were replaced with P-61s just as soon as these aircraft would be made available."
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