Winter War combat exposed a DB-3 blind spot

The Winter War provides a compact case study in how combat experience altered the DB-3's use. Some aircraft received ski landing gear, but the installation could itself damage the airframe. Finnish pilots discovered a firing dead zone below and behind the bomber, exploited it in combat, and prompted the addition of a lower firing position. Finland nevertheless valued captured DB-3s enough to operate them, showing that a vulnerable aircraft could remain useful when its limits were understood.