Douglas SBD 'Dauntless'
The Douglas SBD 'Dauntless' was a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. Originally designed from the Northrop XBT-2 prototype, it was accepted by the US Navy in 1939, with a production order placed in February of that year for 144 aircraft, to be designated "SBD-1", the "SB" standing for "Scout Bomber" and the "D" for "Douglas". The SBD was the only US aircraft to participate in all five naval engagements fought exclusively between carriers, and deficiencies notwithstanding, it emerged with an almost legendary reputation as the most successful shipboard dive bomber of all time. However, the Dauntless was underpowered, painfully slow, short on range, woefully vulnerable to fighters, and uncomfortable and fatiguing to fly for any length of time, being inherently noisy and draughty. But it did possess certain invaluable assets that mitigated these shortcomings. Its handling characteristics were, for the most part, innocuous and it was responsive, it was also dependable and extremely sturdy, capable of absorbing considerable battle damage and remaining airborne, and, most important, it was an accurate dive bomber. The SBD was the U.S. Navy's main carrier-borne scout plane and dive bomber and was also flown by the U.S. Marine Corps(USMC), both from land air bases and aircraft carriers, from mid-1940 through mid-1944.
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Development
Prototype of the SBD was a production Northrop BT-l first developed in 1935, then redesignated XBT-2 for development purposes. By the time this machine had undergone engine and structural changes that made it virtually a new aeroplane, the Northrop company had become the El Segundo Division of Douglas and it was therefore reasonable to give the new scout- and dive-bomber a Douglas suffix. The distinctive perforated split flaps or "dive-brakes" had been incorporated into the BT-1 to eliminate tail buffeting during diving maneuvers. Surprisingly, the SBD did not have folding wings for carrier operations. Production orders were placed on April 8, 1939, for 57 SBD-ls and 87 SBD-2s. All the SBD-ls were sent to Marine Corps units, starting with VMB-2 late in 1940 and VMB-l in 1941. The SBD-2s, with added armament and fuel capacity, equipped Navy squadrons VB-6 and VS-6 aboard the USS Enterprise and VB-2 aboard the USS Lexington by the end of 1941. Whereas the SBD-1 and SBD-2 had two 030-in guns in the cowling, plus one or two for rear defense, the SBD-3 which appeared in March 1941 had .050s in the cowling. Self-sealing tanks were introduced, as well as protective armour, and the engine was the 1,000 hp R-1820-52. The next (and most produced) version, the SBD-5, was produced mostly in the Douglas plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This version was equipped with a 1,200 hp (890 kW) engine and an increased ammunition supply with over 2,400 of these being built.
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In Action
In early 1942, the US Navy conducted a series of hit-and-run raids on Japanese bases around the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. They were intended to bolster civilian morale and hopefully throw the Japanese off balance. The raids caused little harm but substantial irritation to the Japanese, and they provided combat experience to Navy crews that would come in useful when the time came to take serious action against the enemy. In early May 1942, US Navy signals intelligence revealed that the Japanese were planning an amphibious assault against Port Moresby in southern New Guinea, increasing the threat to Australia. A US Navy task force built around the carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown moved to block the Japanese. On May the 7th 1942, Dauntlesses sank the IJN light carrier Shoho, resulting in the excited report: "Scratch one flattop!". However, the next day the Japanese got the better of the match, sinking the USS Lexington and damaging the USS Yorktown, though the SBDs badly damaged the IJN heavy carrier Shokaku in return. Both sides also lost smaller vessels and numbers of planes, with the Japanese suffering greater aerial losses. A strategic victory was gained when the Japanese withdrew their invasion force back to Rabaul. The USS Yorktown which had been damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea, was sent to Pearl Harbour as intelligence had determined that the Japanese were going to invade Midway within the next few weeks. It was rushed back out with repair crews still aboard to meet the threat. Sailing with the USS Yorktown were her sister ships, the USS Hornet and the USS Enterprise. On June the 4th, the Americans found the Japanese fleet first, with an attack by Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers being badly mauled. However, the Devastators had managed to distract the Japanese so that they were unprepared when SBDs then came diving out of the sky on carriers crowded with aircraft loaded with bombs and fuel for a counterstrike. The IJN carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu were mortally wounded. The IJN carrier Hiryu, which had been steaming separately, launched an attack which mortally wounded the USS Yorktown, only to be then hit by SBDs and damaged so badly that it had to be scuttled the next day. The day after that, 6 June, Dauntlesses also sank the IJN cruiser Mikuma.
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The Americans invaded Guadalcanal in August 1942, taking an airbase that the Japanese were in the process of building. It was here where major naval and air battles would rage, with the Japanese operating from Rabaul, attempting to both destroy the Americans and reinforce their own troops over the next six months. SBDs played a major role in the Guadalcanal campaign, operating off both American carriers and from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. SBDs attacked Japanese shipping throughout the campaign, and proved lethal to Japanese shipping that failed to clear the slot by daylight. Losses inflicted included the IJN carrier Ryujo, sunk near the Solomon Islands on 24 August. Three other Japanese carriers were damaged during the six-month campaign. SBDs also sank a cruiser and nine transports during the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The SBD's were involved in several more carrier naval battles in 1942, but by the time the navies clashed again in June 1944, most of the SBD's had been replaced with the newer Curtiss SB2C 'Helldiver'.
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Atlantic Service
In the Atlantic Ocean the SBD saw action during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942. The SBDs flew from the USS Ranger and two escort carriers. Eleven months later, during Operation Leader, the SBDs saw their European debut when aircraft from the USS Ranger attacked Nazi German shipping around Bodų, Norway, but otherwise its further operations against the Germans would be in the antisubmarine warfare role, carrying depth charges.
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Foreign Service
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) ordered 78 SBD-3s with no arresting hook and a bigger, pneumatic rear tire. They were given the designation of 'A-24 Banshee' and delivered in the last half of 1941. USAAF crews never developed good rapport with the aircraft and it suffered badly in combat with Japanese fighters. It was withdrawn from combat before the end of 1942 and used for training.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force received 18 SBD-3s and 23 SDB-4s, and did use them successfully in combat in the South Pacific.
The Free French used about 80 SBD-5s and A-24Bs as trainers and close-support aircraft. The French Dauntlesses would be the last of the type to see combat, operating during the Indochina War off the French aircraft carrier Arromanches. The French Navy removed the SBD 'Dauntless' from combat status in 1949, but the SBD was still operated in the training role until 1953.
The Mexican Air Force operated a handful of Dauntlesses for patrol, and was the last military organization to fly the type, removing it from service in 1959
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Retirement
The SBD 'Dauntless' was one of the most important aircraft in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, sinking more enemy shipping in the War in the Pacific than any other Allied bomber. The virtues of the "Slow But Deadly" (also known as The Barge or The Clunk) the SBD 'Dauntless' seemed to more than make up for its defects, but it was to be replaced by the Curtiss SB2C 'Helldiver', though the SB2C proved a very troublesome aircraft and so the SBD 'Dauntless' would hang on in service much longer than expected. It served with distinction in the fight for Guadalcanal, beginning in August 1942, and in the invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch, in November 1942 and also fly in an operation against Nazi installations in Norway in October 1943. Its battle record shows that in addition to six Japanese carriers, 14 enemy cruisers had been sunk, along with six destroyers, 15 transports or cargo ships and scores of various lesser craft. When the last SBD-6 was delivered, Douglas had built 5,321 examples.
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F2A Buffalo
F4F Wildcat
F6F Hellcat
F4U Corsair
SB2C Helldiver
TBF Avenger
PBY Catalina
