World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
9 Oct 2011 05:21:55 PM

CRY HAVOC! AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR...

DON'T MISS BETTY

A-20 Havoc making low-altitude pass looks like he's between 150 to 200feet off the ground. Japanese aircraft is a G4M1 Betty bomber.
Attacking with parafrag bombs these were 23lb/10kg fragmentation bombs, dropped by
parachute that would slow the bombs giving the Havoc enough time to clear the blast radius.

MORE DIRTY WORK: LET THEM EAT LEAD!

Not through yet the Havoc's would make strafing runs against other targets like personnel, equipment, fuel and AAA sites.
Solid nose A-20s would have 6x50 caliber M2 machine guns, 2x50s in a turret and 1x50 located in the ventral position, some were modified with blister packs with more 50s on each side of the fuselage.
Check ou the derelict aircraft in right of photo and under the tree.

2.  Bill says:
10 Oct 2011 04:53:35 PM

The A-20 Havoc's caught The Japanese with their pants down, the dispersal of aircraft should have been better camouflaged and not parked in the open.
Making strafing and bombing runs, is still a dangerous business over an enemy airfield.

Straf:
From the German word strafen to punish

Mediphor:
Caught with their pants down, its a figure of
speech, to suggest a resemblance, as caught in the act, or taken by surprise.

3.  Bill says:
10 Oct 2011 07:28:28 PM

CREATING HAVOC!

Photograph shows A-20 Havoc assigned to the USAAF, 5th Air Force 89th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group, attacking Japanese airfield at Lea, New Guinea.
This unit started combat operations from Port Moresby, New Guinea on August 1942 by September 1944 the 5th AF had over 370 A-20s.

Did you know...
The British gave the Douglas A-20 the name of
Havoc, and it made life miserable for the Japanese.

At the end of WWII most of the bombers were scrapped or sold as war surplus, you could buy a demilitarized Douglas A-20 Havoc for $3,000 that's 1945 dollars w/full fuel tanks fly away.

4. WJS says:
28 Jul 2012 06:49:41 PM

Well know pic of 3rd Attack Group 89th Sqdn pilot Bill Beck in his regular mount "LAWNMOWER"