Douglas SBD Dauntless

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, both from land air bases and aircraft carriers. The SBD is best remembered as the bomber that delivered the fatal blows to the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942.^[1] The type earned its nickname "Slow But Deadly" (from its SBD initials) during this period, along with a rarely-used accompanying nickname of "Furious D."

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. One land-based variant of the SBD – omitting the arrestor hook — was purpose-built for the U.S. Army Air Forces, as the A-24 Banshee.

Free French squadrons received 40 to 50 A-24Bs in and Algeria during 1943.

Morocco

French Naval Aviation (Aeronautique Navale) received 32 in late 1944 for Flotilles 3FB and 4FB (16 SBD-5s for each).

operated A-24B Banshees.^[20]^[21]

Chilean Air Force

On 7 December 1943, during a joint U.S. Navy–U.S. Marine simulated exercise near Pauwela, Maui, Territory of Hawaii, the pilot of a U.S. Navy SBD-5, BuNo 36045^[26] of squadron VB-10,^[27] initiated a slight right-hand turn and deployed dive brakes in preparation for a bomb run, but his aircraft was struck by a second VB-10^[27] SBD-5, 36099,^[26] that did not have dive brakes deployed. Both aircraft crashed, and a bomb knocked loose from 36045 fell in the midst of a group of marines and detonated, killing 20 and seriously injuring 24. Both SBD pilots parachuted to safety, but both SBD gunners died, one after an unsuccessful bailout attempt. The collision was attributed to poor judgment and flying technique by both pilots.^[26] Aviation Archaeology Investigation & Research gives the date of this accident as 6 December.^[27]

close air support

06853 – in Christchurch.^[28]

Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum

Crew: 2

Length: 33 ft 1.25 in (10.0902 m)

Wingspan: 41 ft 6.375 in (12.65873 m)

Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)

Wing area: 325 sq ft (30.2 m²)

: root: NACA 2415; tip: NACA 2407^[63]

Airfoil

Empty weight: 6,404 lb (2,905 kg)

Gross weight: 9,359 lb (4,245 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)

Fuel capacity: 260 US gal (220 imp gal; 980 L) in non-metallic self-sealing fuel tanks

Powerplant: 1 × 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW)

Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone

Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller

Hamilton-Standard

Data from McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I^[62]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Northrop YA-13

Northrop A-17

Northrop BT

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Warbird Alley: SBD

The SBD Shipborne Dive Bomber

Aero-Web.org: SBD-5 Dauntless

Boeing history of SBD Dauntless Divebomber

Douglas SBD Dauntless onboard the USS Yorktown (CV-10) at Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum near Charleston, SC

"Diving Artillery" , April 1942, Popular Science article on the first U.S. Army A-24 unit, with rare photos of the A-24

Archived 5 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine