Before their appearance in Vietnam, the B-26K Counter Invader strike aircraft managed to fight in another
part of the world - in the Congo. In the 1960s, this Central African country found itself in a state of civil war.
The United States of America supported the government of the Congo against the rebels known as the
Simba. With the support of the CIA, a special aviation unit was formed, but political considerations did not
allow the use of American pilots. And then it was decided to use crews recruited from pilots from other
countries for these tasks. Many of them were Cubans. This aviation unit, also known as 211 Squadron of the
2nd Congo Air Force Group, performed air support missions for government troops in their battles with the
rebels. Since the use of bombs was prohibited, the B-26K Counter Invader inflicted fire damage with heavy
machine guns and unguided rockets. Great firepower, long range and the enemy's lack of anti-aircraft
defenses made these aircraft effective in the fight against insurgents.