Douglas B-18 Bolo, Brazilian users

 

The Douglas B-18 Bolo was an American medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Força Aerea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force). It was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company, based on their DC-2 transport and was initially developed to replace the obsolete Martin B-10.

In April 1942, the Força Aerea Brasileira (FAB) received two B-18, followed by a third one. Those two first ones were assigned to the Grupo de Avioes Bimotores (Two-engined aircraft group) and one was used as a trainer. A fourth aircraft, a B-18A, was sent to Brazil in 1945 but it crashed on 18th February,  on Guatemala when it was on route leaving the machine completely beyond repair.

That group served on the anti-submarine warfare role, where they saw some action, like for instance on 8th May 1943, a B-18 piloted by 1st Lt. Zamir de Barros Pinto and by Lt. Geraldo Labarthe Lebre attacked the U-154 off the coast of Maceió, capital city of the state of Alagoas. The U-154 was bound to attack the Brazilian freighter Motocarline, but depth charges dropped from the B-18 damaged the submarine and forced it to retreat.

The FAB was the last user of the B-18 as, on 18th October 1946 they were written off and scrapped. 

Sources:

1. https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_B-18_Bolo (translated)

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_B-18_Bolo

3. http://www.armasnacionais.com/2015/09/o-primeiro-grande-aviao-da-fab.html