The World War II Gallery in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio contains displays of several dive bombers and attack support aircraft.
Douglas A-24
According to the Museum:
German success with dive bombers in Poland and France convinced the U.S. Army to acquire its own dive bombers, and in 1941 the Army Air Corps ordered the Douglas Dauntless, which was already in production for the U.S. Navy. Designated the A-24, it came without the tail hook used for carrier landings, and a pneumatic line replaced the solid tail wheel on some of them. First assigned to the 27th Bombardment Group (Light) at Hunter Field, Ga., A-24s participated in the Louisiana maneuvers during September 1941.
As war with Japan seemed imminent in the fall of 1941, the Army rushed the personnel of the 27th to the Philippine Islands to bolster American defenses, and 52 of their crated A-24s followed on another ship. However, the Japanese attacked before the airplanes arrived, and the A-24s were diverted to Australia for assembly. Most of the 27th's pilots were flown back to Australia to fly the A-24s back to the Philippines, where the enlisted mechanics waited to service them.
The 27th Bombardment Group's A-24s arrived in Brisbane, Australia, in poor condition. Used heavily during the Louisiana maneuvers, many had been crated for shipment with worn out tires in and mud still caked on their wheels. In addition, they lacked the trigger motors and solenoids need to fire the forward guns, and their rear gun mounts broke easily. Australian mechanics machined the necessary solenoids or fixed firing handles for the forward guns, strengthened the rear gun mounts, and replaced worn out tires with truck tires. However, by this time the Japanese had almost conquered the Philippines, where the 27th's enlisted men remained trapped. Put into the 1st Provisional Air Corps Regiment, these men fought the Japanese on the ground, and the survivors were subjected to the Bataan Death March.
The pilots in Australia separated into the 16th, 17th and 91st Bombardment Squadrons and prepared to defend Java, but only the 91st had aircraft ready to fly there. Departing for Java with just 15 repaired A-24s, they arrived on Feb. 17, 1942, but accidents and need of repairs left only seven aircraft ready for combat. Without fighter protection, the 91st flew heroically against Japan's best aircraft, but their A-24s had worn-out engines, no armor plating, and no self sealing fuel tanks. Referring to themselves as "Blue Rock Clay Pigeons," the 91st attacked the enemy harbor and airbase at Bali and damaged or sunk numerous ships around Java. After the Japanese shot down two A-24s and damaged three so badly they could no longer fly, the 91st received orders to evacuate Java in early March, ending a brief but valiant effort.
The A-24s left in Australia were assigned to the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group, to defend New Guinea against a Japanese attack. On July 26, 1942, seven A-24s attacked a convoy off Buna, but only one survived: the Japanese shot down five of them and damaged the sixth so badly that it did not make it back to base. Regarded by many pilots as too slow, too short-ranged and too poorly armed, the remaining A-24s were relegated to non-combat missions.
In the United States, the A-24s became training aircraft or towed targets for aerial gunnery training. The more powerful A-24B was used later against the Japanese forces in the Gilbert Islands.
This aircraft has a top speed of 250 mph, a cruising speed of 173 mph, a range of 950 miles, and a ceiling of 26,000 feet.
North American A-36A Mustang
According to the Museum:
Also nicknamed the "Apache” or “Invader," the A-36A dive bomber was the first US Army Air Forces version of the Mustang, officially developed for Britain in 1940. The first A-36 flew in September 1942, and North American Aviation completed production of 500 A-36As in March 1943.
Assigned to the 27th and 86th Bombardment Groups (Dive), the A-36A first saw action over the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria in June 1943. During the Italian campaign, A-36A pilots flew bomber escort and strafing missions as well as ground support bombing attacks. A-36As also served with the 311th Fighter-Bomber Group in India. In 1944, bomb rack equipped P-51s and P-47s replaced the A-36A when experience showed that these high-altitude fighters were more suitable for low-level missions than the A-36As.
This aircraft has a top speed of 365 mph, a cruising speed of 250 mph, a range of 550 miles, and a ceiling of 25,100 feet. It carries 1,000 pounds of bombs externally.
Douglas A-20G Havoc
According to the Museum:
Flown by the Allies in the Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Russia, the versatile A-20 went through many variants. The A-20G, which reached combat in 1943, was produced in larger numbers than any other model. By the time production ended in September 1944, American factories had built 2,850 "solid nose" A-20G models. Attacking with forward-firing .50-cal. machine guns and bombs, the A-20G lived up to its name by creating havoc and destruction on low-level strafing attacks, especially against Japanese shipping and airfields across the Southwest Pacific.
This aircraft has a top speed of 317 mph, a cruising speed of 230 mph, a range of 1,025 miles, and a ceiling of 25,000 feet. It carries 4,000 pounds of bombs.
More World War II museum exhibits
Air Force Museum: World War II bombers (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II trainers (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II cargo aircraft (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II German Planes (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II Japanese planes (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II American fighters (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: The Memphis Belle (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: North American B-25 B Mitchell (photo diary)