When the U.S. entered WW II, the A-20 attack bomber had
already been proven in combat by British and French forces. On
July 4, 1942, six A-20s flown by American crews of the 15th
Bombardment Squadron accompanied six flown by British crews on a
low-altitude mission against four Dutch airfields, the first
U.S. daylight bombing raid in Europe.
The versatile A-20 was used in the Pacific, Middle East,
North African, Russian, and European theaters. Some A-20s
equipped with radar equipment and additional nose guns were
redesignated as P-70s and were used as night fighters until
replaced in 1944 by the P-61 "Black Widow" with its
increased high altitude performance. A-20 production halted in September 1944 with more than 7,000
built for the U.S. and its allies.
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