The B-23 is a twin-engine
bomber developed as a successor to the Douglas B-18. First flown
in July 1939, the B-23 incorporated many features of the Douglas
DC-3 commercial transport. Although it was much faster than the
B-18 and was the first operational Army bomber equipped with
a tail gun, the Dragon was soon outclassed by more modern bombers
such as the North American B-25 and the Martin B-26. As a result,
only 38 B-23s were built.
The B-23s were never used in combat during WW II. Instead they
served in secondary roles as reconnaissance, training, transport,
and test-bed aircraft. Some of the Dragons used in transport
service were redesignated UC-67s.
After the war, all B-23s/UC-67s were declared surplus and many
were sold to private operators for use as cargo and executive
transports. Several of these aircraft were still flying in the
early 1980s. |