Douglas Havoc

The Douglas Havoc served the Royal Air Force as a night fighter, intruder and experimental interception aircraft during the early years of the Second World War. Developed from French-ordered Douglas DB-7 aircraft, the type was adapted for British requirements at a time when radar-assisted night fighting was still developing. Between 1941 and 1943, Havocs equipped operational squadrons and specialist units undertaking night interception, attacks against occupied airfields and Turbinlite experiments.

In RAF service the Douglas family acquired two names. Bomber variants generally became Bostons, while aircraft adapted for night fighting and intruder duties became Havocs. The distinction reflected the RAF’s adaptation of available aircraft to British requirements. The RAF was not simply importing an American aircraft whole. It was reshaping available airframes to answer a specifically British wartime problem: how to detect, reach and attack enemy aircraft or airfields in darkness before the night-war system had fully matured.

From French Order to British Need

The aircraft had begun life as the Douglas DB-7, originally ordered in large numbers by France. After the fall of France, many undelivered machines passed to Britain. As a daylight bomber over north-west Europe the DB-7’s range looked limited, but the same airframe proved useful once the RAF began looking for night intruders and early radar-equipped fighters. Contemporary British test opinion was favourable, and the aircraft was considered easy to fly, responsive on the controls and better mannered than some emergency wartime types.

That made it attractive for adaptation. Havoc intruders could carry a modest bomb load against airfields and transport targets in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Night-fighter conversions could also take airborne interception radar, giving crews one of the tools needed for the increasingly technical battle after dark.

85 Squadron and the Night Fighter Problem

No. 85 Squadron received its first Douglas Havoc I at RAF Debden on 15 February 1941, as it converted from single-engined fighters to twin-engined night-fighting aircraft. Further Havocs arrived during February and March, while crews undertook conversion training and familiarisation. The squadron was declared operational with the Havoc on 7 April 1941. Its conversion coincided with improvements in ground-controlled interception and airborne radar, although early equipment and operating procedures still imposed considerable limitations.

The conversion period included a serious loss on 13 March 1941. Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey “Sammy” Allard, a distinguished Battle of France and Battle of Britain pilot, was killed when Havoc I BJ500 crashed near Wimbish, Essex, after taking off from RAF Debden. Pilot Officers William Hodgson and Francis Walker-Smith also died. Evidence from the accident investigation indicates that a loose nose access panel interfered with the aircraft’s rudder controls. The accident occurred before No. 85 Squadron became operational with the Havoc and illustrates the hazards accompanying the transition to a new aircraft type.

Intruders, Turbinlite and Experiment

The Havoc’s importance was not confined to orthodox night fighting. No. 23 Squadron used the Havoc Intruder from March 1941 until August 1942 on low-level night operations against German airfields and communications targets. No. 25 Squadron also flew Havocs alongside Bristol Beaufighters, while No. 605 Squadron later used Havoc intruders before converting to Boston and then Mosquito aircraft.

One of the most unusual adaptations was the Havoc Turbinlite. These aircraft carried airborne interception radar and a powerful searchlight in the nose. The intention was to locate an enemy bomber in darkness, illuminate it and enable an accompanying Hurricane fighter to attack. Specialist Turbinlite flights operated within Fighter Command‘s night-defence organisation, but coordinating the aircraft proved difficult. As self-contained radar-equipped night fighters became more capable, the scheme was discontinued during 1943.

Havoc variants and performance

RAF Havocs were conversions of several related Douglas DB-7 aircraft rather than a single standardised model. The Havoc I was developed from early French-ordered aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines. The Havoc II used the more powerful Wright Twin Cyclone and, in its night-fighter configuration, carried twelve forward-firing machine guns. Individual aircraft were adapted for intruder, radar interception or Turbinlite duties, producing considerable differences in equipment, armament, crew arrangements and operational performance.

A Short Service with Lasting Value

The Douglas Havoc’s RAF career was relatively brief, but it provided useful operational experience during the development of night fighting. Its employment demonstrated the possibilities of airborne radar, twin-engined intruder aircraft and specialised interception techniques, while also exposing the limitations of improvised equipment and tactics.

By 1943, more capable Bristol Beaufighters and de Havilland Mosquitoes had assumed the principal night-fighting duties. The Havoc remained part of the history of that transition, particularly through its service with No. 85 Squadron, its intruder operations and the Turbinlite programme.