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Jun 5, 2021 · Dauntless Forever: The Dive Bomber That Changed the Course of World War II. The 'slow but deadly' Douglas SBD dive bomber employed 1930s technology and tactics to turn the tide in the Pacific War. by Stephan Wilkinson 6/5/2021. The Lone Star Flight Museum’s Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless flies near Galveston, Texas, in 2015.
- Stephan Wilkinson
- Making The Douglas SBD Dauntless
- The SBD Dauntless Makes Its Combat Debut
- Air-To-Air in The SBD
- Lofton Henderson’s Douglas Sbds at Midway
- How The SBD Dauntless Fared When Dueling with Zeros
- The Japanese Weather The American Attacks
- Destruction of The Japanese Carrier Force
- Turning Point in The Pacific Theater
- The Navy’s Douglas Sbds After The Battle of Midway
- The A-24 Banshee: The Army’s Douglas Sbds
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was developed as an evolution of Northrop Aviation Corporation’s BT-1 and BT-2 dive bombers, which entered service in 1936. At that time, the U.S. Navy was transitioning from biplanes to all metal, low-wing monoplanes with retractable landing gear, and the BT series was on the cutting edge of that transition. In 1937, Doug...
The Douglas SBD experienced combat from the very first day of the conflict, with the first losses the result of action with Japanese aircraft over Oahu. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the Dauntless was one third of the team of aircraft that served on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers during the first six critical months of the war. Along with fighters...
On the morning of May 8, a section of SBD-3s was flying anti-torpedo-plane patrol to protect the Yorktown from enemy torpedo bombers. Lieutenant (j.g.) Stanley “Swede” W. Vejtesa, one of the pilots on the patrol, had put a 1,000-pound bomb through the deck of the Shoho the day before and was minutes away from still more excitement. Shortly after 11...
Although it proved its mettle during the early hit-and-run raids and in history’s first carrier-vs.-carrier battle in the Coral Sea, the SBD’s finest hour came during the Battle of Midwayin June 1942. The Japanese descended on the battle area with naval might divided into a transport force, a main body, and an aircraft carrier striking force compos...
In the back seat of the Dauntless, Pfc. Wallace J. Reid fired burst after burst from his single ANM2 .30-caliber machine gun. With a pair of unrelenting fighters directly in his field of fire during the dive, Reid hammered away with his gun as Iverson’s plane fell almost vertically toward the target. At the appropriate moment, Iverson hit the relea...
Although the Hiryusustained no significant damage, VMSB-241 did indeed make a material contribution to victory in the Battle of Midway. The Marines’ strike against the Japanese fleet was part of a cascading series of attacks from various land- and carrier-based Army and Navy squadrons. Before VMSB-241 arrived on the scene to harass the Japanese car...
The true decisive moment of the Battle of Midway began just as the Yorktown TBDs were concluding their attack. As Japanese gunners and combat air patrol fighters attempted to bring down the last of the Devastators escaping at wave-top level, lookouts on the Akaginoticed American aircraft high above the fleet. It was 10:22 am on June 4, 1942, and th...
With the cancellation of the plan to capture Midway and the obvious failure to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet in a final, decisive showdown, the Japanese conceded defeat. Although technically the battle was over, the Dauntless was not quite done destroying ships. The next day, June 5, U.S. forces pursued the retreating Japanese westward as they wit...
Although the Battle of Midway was definitely the Douglas SBD’s finest hour, the aircraft continued to serve prominently through the tumultuous events of 1942. Navy and Marine Corps SBDs participated in the Guadalcanal campaign as land-based anti-ship and ground attack platforms during the closing months of the year. Carrier-based SBDs from the USS ...
During the early part of the war, the Army also used the Dauntless under the nomenclature A-24 Banshee. Essentially an SBD-3 without a tail hook, the A-24 replaced the SBD’s solid tail wheel with a large pneumatic tire. The Banshee entered service in March 1941 but had a far less distinguished career flying for the Army. When the war began, the A-2...
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The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy 's main carrier-based scout/dive bomber from mid-1940 through mid-1944. The SBD was also flown by the United States Marine Corps ...
SBD Dauntless. The SBD Dauntless was the most effective U.S. dive bomber of WWII. It sank more Japanese shipping than any other Allied bomber. Navy and Marine SBD squadrons were credited with sinking Japanese carriers in the Battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. SBD units were also instrumental in winning the fight for Guadalcanal.
Sep 1, 2018 · The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the mainstay of the US Navy's dive bomber fleet for much of World War II (1939-1945). Produced between 1940 and 1944, the aircraft was adored by its flight crews which praised its ruggedness, dive performance, maneuverability, and heavy armament. Flown from both carriers and land bases, the "Slow but Deadly ...
Oct 11, 2022 · The aircraft’s design was improved upon throughout World War II. Despite proving to be a popular dive bomber, modifications were made to the SBD Dauntless as early as 1941. The SBD-3 featured improved armor, fuel tanks and machine guns, while the -4 saw improvements made to the aircraft’s electrical system.
Feb 26, 2024 · On the morning of June 4, 1942, he joined 31 other SBDs of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) in one of several American attacks on the Japanese carriers. His bomb struck the Kaga’s flight deck, starting major fires that led to its sinking. Later that day, Kleiss and 23 other SBDs attacked the Hiryu. Kleiss scored a direct hit.
