41-39456
| A-26B-35 Invader | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Builders: Douglas Aircraft Company | |||
| Operators: United States Air Force | |||
| Number Built: | |||
| First Built: Dec 1944 | |||
| GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS | |||
| Type: Light Attack Bomber | |||
| Wet Weight: 31,000 lbs | |||
| Length: 50' 9" (with guns) 49' 11" (without guns) | |||
| Height: 18' 6" (5.64 m) | |||
| Wingspan: 70' (21.34 m) | |||
| Wing Area: 540 Sq. Feet (50.17 m²) | |||
| Speed: 212 mph | |||
| Max Speed: 370 mph | |||
| Ceiling: 31,300 feet | |||
| Powerplant: 2x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 | |||
| Horsepower: 2,000 each | |||
| Fuel Capacity: 1,600 US Gallons | |||
| Range: | |||
| Crew: 3 | |||
| Passengers: 1 | |||
| ARMAMENT | |||
| Nose Guns: 6x .50 Machine Guns | |||
| Dorsal Turret: 2x .50 Machine Guns | |||
| Ventral Turret: 2x .50 Machine Guns | |||
| Payload: 4,000 lbs internal 2,000 lbs wing points | |||
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This plane is something of an enigma. It is fairly famous as far as images of Invaders go, because it was used in the Invader Training Video and many promotional videos. The markings on this plane were something of a puzzle. After a lot of research I have been able to determine that the K-E3 designation is paint scheme used on planes in training squadrons. I have now seen several other planes painted in a similar fashion with different letters to represent their units. Based on the information on record, my guess would be the 326th Base Unit Combat Training Squadron, but more research is required to definitively prove this one way or the other.
Operational History
This plane's operational history is well known because we have the planes IARC.
16 DEC 1944 - Recieved from USAF at Douglas Long Beach, CA plant as A-26B.
18 DEC - Departed Long Beach Plant.
19 DEC - Had a lay-over stop at Love Field
22 DEC - Arrived at Hunter Field, GA, 302nd Base Unit.
9 JAN 1945 - Arrived to Mariana Air Field, FL, 381st Base Unit.
3 FEB - To (Unknown) 8th Base Unit (this makes no sense. 8th Base Unit was in Rabaul)
29 MAR - To Mariana Field, 137th Base Unit
30 MAR - Converted to TA-26B
30 SEP - To MacDill AF, 326th Base Unit Combat Training Squadron
4 OCT - Still at MacDill AF, 326th Base Unit. (looks like 326th had a restructuring?)
29 OCT - To Mariana AF, 137th Base Unit
6 NOV - To Hobbs Field,
10 NOV - Left Hobbs Field
10 NOV - Arrived at Hobbs Field, 137th Base Unit, Continental Air Forces
13 NOV - Still at Hobbs Field, to 4160th Base Unit, Air Technical Service Command.
1 MAR 1946 - Still at Hobbs Field, 4160th Base Unit.
22 APR - Hobbs AF, Air Material Command, 4160th BU
There's a number of other entries, but mostly it just constitutes sitting around in various air bases or in storage until 14 MAR 1950. That is the last entry on the IARC.
Here's where the mystery comes in. The plane was featured in an Official Training Film of the "Army Air Force 1st Motion Picture Unit" in 1945. In the Film the plane is bearing markings of K-E3, as shown in the images below.
The markings designate is as a training plane. The K was used by Kellogg Field and the 357th Base Unit. There's no record of this plane ever being assigned to Kellogg Field. According to a training base expert I've been talking to, John Voss, they wouldn't have used K for two different fields simultaneously, and neither of us have ever seen another K training base for Invaders. And then there's that bar over the E. I might have chalked it up to a mistake, expect that it's present on both the nose and the tail and it seems unlikely that someone would mess up twice.
I suspect (pure conjecture on my part) that these markings were applied to the plane while it was attached to the 326th Base Unit. I also hypothesize that this is where and when the aforementioned video was filmed. they probably filmed it with the Markings in this fashion to represent planes as they as they would appear at the training bases. I think it was a purely aesthetic move to provide familiarity and doesn't necessarily mean anything specific. I can certainly find no records of either the 137th Base Unit or the 326th Base Unit using such markings. But, based on when the film was produced - during 1945 - it has to be one of these two units. If you have any information about these markings, the pilot video, or have other photographs of planes in these units that would confirm or deny this information, please let us know. (And be sure to check out or other Invader Mysteries to see what we can't figure out.)
Joe Baugher has no data on this plane, but Warbirds Registry does. After the plane was struck from the Air Force inventory, it seems to have made its way into service with the French Air Force.
Delivered to French AF as 447-C, 41-39546.
- BOC: December 10, 1956.
- SOC: August 26, 1986.
- Converted to RB-26P, March 1961.
To Societe Carta, Creil, 1966.
- Registered as F-BNTM.
- No CofA.
- Delivered from France to Pretoria for survey work, 1967.
International Aviation Services, Pretoria, May 16, 1967.
- Registered as ZS-EUT.
Societe Carta, Creil, 1967-1969.
- Registered as F-BLCM.
- No CofA.
- Delivered from Pretoria to Creil, placed in open storage, 1968-1969.
Broken up, Creil, circa 1970.
Accidents
This plane is not listed in the Air Force accident database. Given it's long history as a civilian craft and a French plane, there may be accident records there, but it needs to be checked.
Known Crew
None
Disposition
According to Warbird Registry, this plane is believed to have been broken up for scrap circa 1970.
Images
Sources
Databases Searched:
- MACR - No Result
- KORWALD - No Result
- Air Force Accident Database - No Result
- Joe Baugher - No Result
- Martin Simpson -
- Warbird Registry - One Entry.