diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 91e8481e6..0820b41a2 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -86,6 +86,9 @@ Other changes:
 * Junit task -- display suite first.
   Bugzilla report 31962.
 
+* <apply> has a new "overwrite" attribute that, when true, disables
+  checking of target files.
+
 Changes from Ant 1.6.2 to current Ant 1.6 CVS version
 =====================================================
 
diff --git a/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apply.html b/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apply.html
index b5c80d22d..54d0fe982 100644
--- a/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apply.html
+++ b/docs/manual/CoreTasks/apply.html
@@ -255,6 +255,12 @@ to send input to it is via the input and inputstring attributes.</p>
       via filelists.  <em>Since Ant 1.6.2.</em></td>
     <td align="center" valign="top">No, default is <i>true</i></td>
   </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">overwrite</td>
+    <td valign="top">Whether to bypass timestamp comparisons
+      for target files.  <em>Since Ant 1.7.</em></td>
+    <td align="center" valign="top">No, default is <i>false</i></td>
+  </tr>
 </table>
 <h3>Parameters specified as nested elements</h3>
 <h4>fileset</h4>
diff --git a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/exec/apply.xml b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/exec/apply.xml
index 0567ef879..13eb5d210 100755
--- a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/exec/apply.xml
+++ b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/exec/apply.xml
@@ -313,10 +313,7 @@
         </apply>
     </target>
 
-    <target name="ignoremissing" depends="init,xyz" if="echo.can.run">
-        <filelist id="xylist" dir="${basedir}" files="x,y" />
-        <delete file="z" />
-
+    <target name="pad">
         <condition property="pad" value="">
             <or>
                 <not>
@@ -341,6 +338,12 @@
             </and>
         </condition>
 
+    </target>
+
+    <target name="ignoremissing" depends="init,xyz,pad" if="echo.can.run">
+        <filelist id="xylist" dir="${basedir}" files="x,y" />
+        <delete file="z" />
+
         <pathconvert property="xy" pathsep="${pad}${line.separator}">
             <path>
                 <filelist refid="xylist" />
@@ -375,6 +378,34 @@
         </fail>
     </target>
 
+    <target name="overwrite" depends="init,xyz,pad" if="echo.can.run">
+        <presetdef name="ekko">
+            <apply executable="echo" append="true" dest="${basedir}">
+                <filelist refid="xyzlist" />
+                <mapper type="identity" />
+            </apply>
+        </presetdef>
+
+        <pathconvert property="xyz" pathsep="${pad}${line.separator}">
+            <path>
+                <filelist refid="xyzlist" />
+            </path>
+        </pathconvert>
+
+        <ekko outputproperty="foo" />
+        <ekko outputproperty="bar" overwrite="true" />
+        <fail>
+            <condition>
+                <not>
+                    <and>
+                        <equals arg1="${foo}" arg2="" />
+                        <equals arg1="${bar}" arg2="${xyz}" />
+                    </and>
+                </not>
+            </condition>
+        </fail>
+    </target>
+
     <target name="cleanup">
         <delete>
             <fileset refid="xyz" />
diff --git a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecuteOnTest.java b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecuteOnTest.java
index 8fda02663..d24c7c3a5 100755
--- a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecuteOnTest.java
+++ b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecuteOnTest.java
@@ -554,6 +554,10 @@ public class ExecuteOnTest extends BuildFileTest {
         executeTarget("ignoremissing");
     }
 
+    public void testOverwrite() {
+        executeTarget("overwrite");
+    }
+
     //borrowed from TokenFilterTest
     private String getFileString(String filename) throws IOException {
         String result = null;