| Original caption: “Stars over Berlin and Tokyo will soon replace these factory lights reflected in the noses of planes at Douglas Aircraft’s Long Beach, California, plant. Women workers groom lines of transparent noses for deadly A-20 attack bombers.” The Douglas A-20 Havoc began as a 1936 design by Edward H. Heinemann’s (March 14, 1908 – November 26, 1991) and John K. “Jack” Northrop’s (November 10, 1895 – February 18, 1981) design team for the United States Army Air Force. The DB-7A (“Douglas Bomber Seven”) was canceled when reports from the Spanish Civil War left the initial design underpowered. The uprated engined DB-7B crashed on January 23, 1939, killing the Douglas test pilot and causing a minor scandal when a French observer was injured. Still, the Army de l’Air (“French Air Force”) liked the design and placed an order on February 15, 1939, for a 100 aircraft. Another 170 aircraft were added when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. Belgium ordered DB-7s too. With the Fall of France and Belgium in May-June 1940, the order was transferred to the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. The DB-7 was named “Boston” in British service; lacking range, they were used as trainers and night fighters. 300 more Bostons were ordered on February 20, 1940. In June 1939, a complete redesign of the A-20 Havoc was done to meet the United States Army Air Force’s requirements. The A-20 Havoc in United States Army Air Force service was constantly upgraded in weight, performance, and horsepower. The DB-7A was 850 horsepower in 1936; when the final version was produced in October 1944, it rated 3,400 horsepower. With cheek blister machine guns, a solid nose packing machine guns, the A-20G Havoc threw out 12 times the ballistic weight of the DB-7A. These “gun nose” Havocs were used for anti-shipping attacks. The A-20 Havoc was replaced with the Douglas A-26 Invader in 1944, the fastest medium bomber of World War II. Havocs continued to serve throughout the war in various roles as bombers, photo reconnaissance, and night fighters. United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized funds to construct the Long Beach factory on November 13, 1940. When completed, it covered 240 acres (a 100 hectares). It was the 1st large aircraft factory to be built in the United States. The parking lot was across the street to prevent a car bomb from destroying the plant. During World War II, 87 percent of workers at the Douglas Aircraft Corporation’s Long Beach factory were women. The facility had the highest percentage of women employees of any in the United States. The Long Beach plant closed aircraft production in 2015, when the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III ceased production. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1614.jpg |
| Image Size | 982.40 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2920 x 2329 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Office of War Information |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | October 1, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Long Beach |
| State or Province | California |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-208-AA-352QQ-5 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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