How good was the Dauntless dive bomber?

During its combat service, the SBD proved to be an excellent naval scout plane and dive bomber. It possessed long range, good handling characteristics, maneuverability, potent bomb load, great diving characteristics from the perforated dive brakes, good defensive armament, and ruggedness.

How many Dauntless dive bombers are still flying?

It earned Reserve Grand Champion at Oshkosh in 1997 and the “Golden Wrench” award for its pristine restoration. The aircraft remains airworthy and is only one of a handful of A-24B/SBD-5s flying today out of a total of 3,640 built (USN 2,965; USAAF 675).

Who was the best dive bomber of ww2?

Douglas SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was sturdy enough for pilots to dive at a near-vertical 80 degrees. The US Navy’s primary dive-bomber at the war’s start, the bomber earned its reputation—and helped earn victory—at the 1942 Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers.

How many SBDs were lost at Midway?

On June 4, 1942, during the Battle of Midway, SBDs destroyed four Japanese carriers, dramatically altering the course of the war. The SBD’s design was based on the Northrop BT-1, but with engine and structural changes. Production orders were placed in April 1939, with all SBD-1s going to U.S. Marine Corps units.

What did the SBD Dauntless dive bomber do?

Many U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Army Air Forces planes were involved, but the carrier-based SBD Dauntless dive-bombers were the only American planes to score significant hits. They were credited with sinking all four Japanese carriers and the Mikuma.

What was the range of the Douglas SBD Dauntless?

For that reason, the SBD-2 was developed with an increase of 100 gallons in fuel capacity that extended the aircraft’s maximum radius from 860 miles to 1,125 miles. The SBD was also a well-armed bomber.

Why was the Douglas dive bomber so important?

The famous Douglas dive bombers proved decisive in the epic carrier battle. (Image source: WikiMedia Commons) “Today a computer would instantly process the flood of incoming information and fly the correct profile, but in 1942 the pilot was the computer.”

Where was Douglas SBD Dauntless during Pearl Harbor?

While the American strength was dive bombing, the Japanese stressed their Nakajima B5N 2 “Kate” torpedo bombers, which had caused the bulk of the damage during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . In the Atlantic Ocean the SBD saw action during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942.