[MRM]

According to my son, who is a walking encyclopedia on WWII airplanes (at age 14) it is correct to call it a B-26 Invader (to diferentiate it from the B-26 Marauder) or an A-26. It was formally designated the B-26 through 1965 and now is usually called an A-26 to avoid confusion with the Marauder.

According to the little professor, the "A" designation indicates an "Attack" airplane, while a "B" Designation indicates a "Bomber". "P" indicates a "pursuit" plane, as in a P-51. The B-26 Invader was flown out of Thailand during the Viet Nam War, so from 1965 on it was formally changed to the A-26 designation. Aparently it was not permissible to operate bombers out of Thailand, but it was OK to operate attack aircraft out of there. So they changed the name.

The A-26 was used from WWII through Korea, the Bay of Pigs and throughout the entire Viet Nam War, retiring from use finally in the 1970s when the last Air Guard or Air Reserve unit discontinued it. It's quite a remarkable airplane and every bit as important as its better known brothers.