Travis Air Force Base
Aviation Museum
SPECIFICATIONS
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Wing Span: 70 ft 0 in
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Length: 50 ft 9 in
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Height: 18 ft 6 in
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Maximum Speed: 355 mph
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Service Ceiling: 31,300 ft
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Range: 1,800 mi
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Crew: 3
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Armament: Up to 18 x .50 Cal. Machine Guns; 4,000 lbs of bombs
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2 x 2,000 H.P. Pratt & Whitney R-2800 "Double Wasp" 18 cylinder Radial Engines
The Museum’s Douglas A-26C Invader was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company at its Tulsa, Oklahoma plant and delivered to the United States Army Air Forces on February 12, 1944. Twelve days later, the aircraft departed West Palm Beach, Florida for the European Theater. Eventually assigned to the 671st Bomb Squadron of the 416th Bombardment Group of the Ninth Air Force, the Museum’s A-26C made its combat debut in November 1944.
The 416th Bombardment Group was the first unit to convert to the A-26, employing the aircraft in level bombing, ground strafing, and rocket attacks against German troop and armor concentrations, as well as transportation hubs and rail lines.
After hostilities in Europe ended in May 1945, the aircraft was ferried back to the United States. Following its Atlantic crossing, the Invader was placed in storage with the 4255th AAF Base Unit at Grenada Army Airfield in Mississippi in August 1945. The aircraft remained in storage until March 1948, when it was assigned to the 501st Air University Group at Craig Air Force Base in Alabama.
In May 1948, the newly established United States Air Force redesignated all A-26 aircraft as B-26s; consequently, this A-26C became a B-26C. Over the next decade, the aircraft served primarily in a training capacity—first as a B-26C and later as a TB-26C—with units at several bases, including Tyndall AFB, Florida; Lackland AFB, Texas; Keesler AFB, Mississippi; Vance AFB, Oklahoma; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
In February 1958, the aircraft was transferred to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Branch at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Its military career ended in July 1958 when the Invader was declared surplus and removed from Air Force inventory.
Shortly thereafter, the aircraft was purchased by LB Smith Aircraft Corporation and registered with the FAA as N-8018E before being acquired by Aerojet-General Corporation in Azusa, California. Between 1961 and 1972, Aerojet-General used the aircraft as a testbed for military tracking systems.
After briefly being owned by a private individual from 1973 to 1974, the aircraft was sold to Conair Aviation of Abbotsford, British Columbia in June 1974. Registered in Canada as C-GHCE, Conair operated the Invader as Tanker #30 in the aerial firefighting role. For fourteen years, the aircraft battled wildfires throughout British Columbia before being donated to the Travis AFB Aviation Museum in July 1988.
The A-26 was produced in two primary versions: the “B” model with a solid nose and the “C” model with a glass nose for a bombardier. Originally equipped with a glass nose, this aircraft later received a solid nose and other configuration changes during its firefighting career. Today, the Invader is displayed with a B-model nose featuring eight M2 .50-caliber machine guns, along with wingtip fuel tanks and large paddle-style propellers. Future restoration plans call for returning the aircraft to its original A-26C glass-nose configuration.
Information derived from, “Travis Heritage Center” by Nick Veronico, copyright Travis AFB Historical Society and Travis AFB Heritage Center Foundation.
This book is available from the Travis Heritage Center gift shop.