Douglas DB-7

The DB-7 was first produced in August 1939, and the first military delivery was to France in January of 1940.  DB-7s comprised a whole family of variants with designations including the Boston, Havoc, and A-20.  One of the unusual features of the DB-7 was the emergency flight control stick in the rear gunners compartment, for use if the pilot were killed.

The DB-7 was used in many different roles including two seat fighter, intruder, three seat bomber, and two seat reconnaissance aircraft.  In all, about 7, 385 DB-7s were produced, with production ending in September 1944.  About half of the produced DB-7s were supplied to allied nations, 3,125 were given to the Soviet Union alone.  Bomb payload and defensive armament varied considerably depending on the variant.  

DB-7 information taken from The Encyclopedia of the World’s Combat Aircraft, edited by Iain Parson, published by Chartwell Books Inc, New York, 1976.

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