1944 DOUGLAS A-26B INVADER For Sale in Germany

1944 Douglas A-26B Invader - Full Dual Controls

• Full dual-control with brakes on both left & right sides
• DC-6 wheels and brakes with recent discs, bearings, pads and Goodyear tires
• Dummy 8 x 50 caliber Browning machine guns in nose and 6 x 50 in the wings
• Total of 800 Gallons capacity (4 x wing tanks)
• 2000 PSI oxygen for crew and all passengers, heater – installed in nose
• Fan for ground operation, baggage compartment in nose and rear

History:

World War II - Pacific

Douglas officially delivered the first production model A-26B aircraft to the USAAF on 10 September 1943. These were sent for field evaluation in actual combat operations with the Fifth Air Force in the SWPT. The A-26 first saw action on 23 June 1944, when four aircraft attached to the 3rd Bombardment Group’s 13th Squadron (“The Grim Reapers”), bombed Japanese-held islands near Manokwari.  Some additional USAAF units in the Pacific that operated either the A-20 or B-25 received the A-26 for trials in limited quantities.

The 319th Bomb Group was fully converted to the A-26 in March 1945, when it commenced operations with the 3rd BG. In August, after a few dozen A-26 missions, it became evident that the war was coming to an abrupt close, and operations began to wind down. The 319th officially ceased combat operations on 12 August 1945.

Europe

Douglas needed better results from the Invader’s second combat test, so ferried A-26s arrived in Europe in late September 1944 for assignment to the Ninth Air Force. The initial deployment involved 18 aircraft and crews assigned to the 553d Squadron of the 386th Bomb Group. This unit flew their first mission on 6 September 1944. No aircraft were lost on the eight test missions, and the Ninth Air Force announced they were satisfied, eventually replacing their A-20’s and B-26’s with the A-26 Invader.

The first group to convert to the A-26B was 416th Bombardment Group. With it, they entered combat on 17 November, and the 409th bombardment Group, whose A-26s became operational in late November. Due to a shortage of A-26C variants, the groups flew a combined A-20/A-26 unit until deliveries of the glass-nosed version caught up. Besides bombing and strafing, tactical reconnaissance and night interdiction missions were successful. In contrast to the Pacific-based units, the A-26 was well received by pilots and crew alike, and by 1945, the 9th AF had 11,567 missions, dropping 18,054 tons of bombs, recording seven confirmed kills while losing 67 aircraft.

In Italy, the Twelfth Air Force’s 47th Bomb Group also received the A-26 starting in January 1945. They were used against German transport links, and for direct support and interdiction against tanks and troop concentrations in the Po Valley in the final campaigns in Italy.

Civilian History

After nearly four decades of continuous and successful operation in Europe, A-26B Invader N167B Sugarland Express is currently in the care of Meier Motors, Bremgarten, Germany where she is undergoing an in-depth IRAN. She is scheduled to reappear from the MM shop in the coming months ready for the 2025 flying season and a new owner.

• All viewings and inspections are strictly by appointment via the broker, Platinum Fighter Sales.

• 5,961.25 Hrs. TTSN
• Very original and has a “continuing history” since manufacture in 1944
• Converted to Rock Island Monarch 26 during 1966

• Nav/Comm GNS430
• GTX330 Mode S Transponder
• GMA340 Audio Panel

• Rock Island Monarch 26 Executive Interior with 6 reclining cabin seats
• Air Stair door
• Refurbished 2007

Interior Last Updated/Refurbished In 2007

• Overall Silver with 1950-53 Korean War, US Air Force markings and nose art of Sugarland Express
• Painted 2012

Exterior Last Painted In 2012

• In Annual