![]() SBD Dauntless over Segi Point New Georgia SBD lands on USS Lexington (CV-16) during the Marshalls and Gilberts Operation in November 1943 Adams of VMSB-231 on the wing of his SBD, color photo USAAC ground crew talking to pilot on a A-24, October 1941Ĭapt. SBD Dauntless of the VB-41 on the flight deck of USS Ranger (CV-4) USMC pilot Charles Fink of VMSB-244 after 55th combat missionĭamaged SBD-3 white 15 of the VMSB-132, February 1943 SBD Dauntless on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) in late 1941 SBD Dauntless landing on aircraft carrier during Battle of Midway SBD on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) – April 1942 SBD-5 from VB-10 fly in formation near their carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) 1944 SBD-5 from USS Lexington (CV-16) flies over inavsion craft off Saipan SBDs S12, S11 scout bombers en route to Rekata Bay SBD-3 at Safi Morocco during Operation Torch in November 1942 SBD-5s white 21, 8 of the VB-10 pass over USS Enterprise prior to recovery aboard the carrier following strikes against Palau SBD-5 white 10, 15, 25 of the VB-9 USS Essex during raid on Tarawa 1943 SBD-2 Dauntless white 6 BuNo 2106 at Midway with over 200 holes in it SBD Dauntless of the VB-6 crashes on USS Enterprise 1942 SBD-2 white 6 BuNo 2106 at Midway in June 1942 The SBD and all of its variants ended production in 1944.SBD-5 Dauntless flying over USS Enterprise (CV-6) enroute to Emirau 1944 The SBD also served during the Battle of Guadalcanal. In fact, during the Battle of Midway, all four Japanese carriers were put out of action by SBD dive bombers. Another sign of the SBD's effectiveness was that it sank more Japanese ships in the Pacific campaign then any other allied aircraft. A sign of this effectiveness despite its age, is the SBD's nickname, "Slow but Deadly". Although, over time it was replaced by newer, more effective light bombers. The SBD was fairly effective in combat and was used extensively throughout the war. The BT-1 with some major modifications became the XBT-2 which then was redesignated the SBD-1 when it was accepted. The first prototype of the SBD was the XBT-1 and it was refitted with a new engine which gave it the new designation BT-1. The A-24A and the A-24B were based on the SBD-4 and SBD-5, the only difference being their lack of navy equipment. For army use, the SBD Dauntless was fairly modified in that it had no navy equipment or tail hook. The SBD-4 had improved electronics, the SBD-5 had an improved engine plus more ammunition, and the SBD-6 also had an improved engine. The SBD-4, SBD-5, and the SBD-6 all had minor modifications that improved on the previous designs. The last reconnaissance variant of the SBD was the SBD-3 which was practically the same as the other reconnaissance planes only it was based on the SBD-3. 30 MGs mounted in the gunner position along with the usual dual. The SBD-3, the next variant, was the first variant to have self-sealing fuel tanks and it had additional armor added. The SBD-2P variant is virtually the same to the SBD-1P as it is a reconnaissance plane except it is based on the SBD-2. Despite having more fuel capacity, the SBD-2 did not have the self-sealing fuel tanks that would later be applied to other SBD variants. The next variant was the SBD-2 which had increased fuel capacity and a revised armament. The first of these variants was the Douglas SBD-1P which were reconnaissance planes that were converted from the original SBD-1. ![]() The Douglas SBD Dauntless had a number of variants that improved upon the original design which had several bad qualities. For example, the "SB" from the title SBD stands for Scout Bomber while "D" stands for Douglas. The title of the Dauntless was not unusual nor random and was created from the beginning letters of the company and aircraft type. One of the SBD's most unusual facts about designing was that it lacked folding wings that were used with other carrier aircraft. The service ceiling for the SBD was about 8,260 meters and the dive brakes were punched with 7.62 cm holes. The unloaded weight of the Dauntless was 2,905 kg and the length was 10.09 meters. The max range of the SBD was 1,795 kilometers and the rate of climb of 8.6 m/sec. 30 Browning M1919 MG mounted in the gunner position and up to 1,020.58 kg of bombs. 50 M2 Machine guns mounted in the nose of the aircraft, one. It also had a crew of two and an armament of 2x. The propeller of the Dauntless had only three blades. It had a 1,200 hp,air-cooled, Wright R-1820-60 Engine capable of propelling the Dauntless at speeds of up to 410 km/h.
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