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Curtiss SB2C Helldiver.
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The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by
Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United
States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the
Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few survivors are extant.
Initially poor handling characteristics and late
modifications caused lengthy delays to production and deployment, to the extent
that it was investigated by the Truman Committee, which turned in a scathing
report. This contributed to the decline of Curtiss as a company. Neither pilots
nor aircraft carrier skippers seemed to like it. Nevertheless, the type was
faster than the Dauntless, and by the end of the Pacific War, the Helldiver had
become the main dive bomber and attack aircraft on USN carriers.
By the time a land-based variant, known as the A-25 Shrike,
became available in late 1943, the Western Allied air forces had abandoned
dedicated dive-bombers. A majority of A-25s delivered to the US Army Air Forces
were transferred to the US Marine Corps, which used the type only in one side
campaign and non-combat roles. The British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian
Air Force also cancelled substantial orders, retaining only a few aircraft for
research purposes.
Nicknames for the aircraft included "Big-Tailed
Beast" or just "Beast", "Two-Cee", and
"Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class"; the latter nickname was derived from the
name SB2C and the aircraft's reputation for having difficult handling
characteristics.
Design and Development
The Helldiver was developed to
replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless. It was a much larger aircraft, able to
operate from the latest aircraft carriers and carry a considerable array of
armament. It featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying
heavy ordnance. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S.
Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated
features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design.
The Model XSB2C-1 prototype
initially suffered development issues connected to its Wright R-2600 Twin
Cyclone engine and three-bladed propeller; further concerns included structural
weaknesses, poor handling, directional instability, and bad stall
characteristics. In 1939, a student took a model of the new Curtiss XSB2C-1 to
the MIT wind tunnel. Professor of Aeronautical Engineering Otto C. Koppen was
quoted as saying, "if they build more than one of these, they are
crazy". He was referring to controllability issues with the small vertical
tail.
The first prototype made its maiden
flight on 18 December 1940. It crashed on 8 February 1941 when its engine
failed on approach, but Curtiss was asked to rebuild it. The fuselage was
lengthened and a larger tail was fitted, while an autopilot was fitted to help
the poor stability. The revised prototype flew again on 20 October 1941, but
was destroyed when its wing failed during diving tests on 21 December 1941.
Large-scale production had already
been ordered on 29 November 1940, but a large number of modifications were
specified for the production model. Fin and rudder area were increased, fuel
capacity was increased, self-sealing fuel tanks were added, and the fixed armament
was doubled to four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings, compared with
the prototype's two cowling guns. The SB2C-1 was built with larger fuel tanks,
improving its range considerably.
The program suffered so many delays
that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service before the Helldiver, even though
the Avenger had begun its development two years later. Nevertheless, production
tempo accelerated with production at Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories:
Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada), which produced 300 (under the designations
XSBF-l, SBF-l, SBF-3, and SBF-4E), and Canadian Car and Foundry, which built
894 (designated SBW-l, SBW-3, SBW-4, SBW-4E, and SBW-5), these models being
respectively equivalent to their Curtiss-built counterparts. A total of 7,140
SB2Cs and equivalent models were produced in World War II.
Type: Dive bomber
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright
Built by:
Fairchild (Canada) (SBF)
Canadian Car & Foundry (SBW)
Primary users:
United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
United States Army Air Forces
French Navy
Number built: 7,140
Manufactured: 1943–1945
Introduction date: December 1942
First flight: 18 December 1940
Retired: 1959 (Italy)
Developed into: Curtiss XSB3C
Specifications (SB2C-4 Helldiver)
Crew: 2
Length: 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)
Wingspan: 49 ft 9 in (15.16 m)
Height: 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m)
Wing area: 422 sq ft (39.2 m2)
Airfoil:
Root: NACA 23017
Tip: NACA 23009
Empty weight: 10,547 lb (4,784 kg)
Gross weight: 16,616 lb (7,537 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder
air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,900 hp (1,400 kW)
Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 295 mph (475 km/h, 256 kn) at 16,700 ft (5,100 m)
Cruise speed: 158 mph (254 km/h, 137 kn)
Combat range: 1,165 mi (1,875 km, 1,012 nmi) with 1,000 lb (450 kg)
bomb-load
Service ceiling: 29,100 ft (8,900 m)
Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min (9.1 m/s)
Guns:
2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) AN/M2 cannon
in the wings
2 × 0.30 in (7.6 mm) M1919
Browning machine guns in the rear cockpit
4 X 0.50 in (13 mm) M2 Browning
machine guns, two each in gunpods mounted on underwing hardpoints (optional)
Rockets: 8 × 5 in (127 mm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets
Bombs:
in internal bay: 2,000 lb (910 kg)
of bombs or 1 × Mark 13-2 torpedo
on underwing hardpoints: 500 lb
(230 kg) of bombs each
Operational History
US Navy
The U.S. Navy would not accept the
SB2C until 880 modifications to the design and the changes on the production
line had been made, delaying the Curtiss Helldiver's combat debut until 11
November 1943 with squadron VB-17 on Bunker Hill, when they attacked the
Japanese-held port of Rabaul on the island of New Britain, north of Papua New
Guinea. The first version of the SB2C-1 was kept stateside for training, its
various development problems leading to only 200 being built. The first
deployment model was the SB2C-1C. The SB2C-1 could deploy slats mechanically
linked with landing gear actuators, that extended from the outer third of the
wing leading edge to aid lateral control at low speeds. The early prognosis of
the "Beast" was unfavourable; it was strongly disliked by aircrews
due to its size, weight, and reduced range compared to the SBD it replaced.
In the Battle of the Philippine
Sea, 45 Helldivers, most of which had been launched from extreme range, were
lost when they ran out of fuel while returning to their carriers.
Among its major faults, the
Helldiver was underpowered, had a shorter range than the SBD, was equipped with
an unreliable electrical system, and its manufacturing quality control was
often poor. The Curtiss-Electric propeller and the complex hydraulic system had
frequent maintenance problems. One of the faults of the aircraft throughout its
operational life was poor longitudinal stability, resulting from a fuselage
that was too short due to the necessity of fitting onto aircraft carrier
elevators. The Helldiver's aileron response was also poor and handling suffered
greatly under 90 kn (100 mph; 170 km/h) airspeed; since the speed of approach
to land on a carrier was supposed to be 85 kn (98 mph; 157 km/h), this proved
problematic. The 880 changes demanded by the Navy and modification of the
aircraft to its combat role resulted in a 42% weight increase, explaining much
of the problem.
The solution to these problems
began with the introduction of the SB2C-3 beginning in 1944, which used the
R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone engine with 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) and Curtiss' four-bladed
propeller. This substantially solved the chronic lack of power that had plagued
the aircraft. The Helldivers would participate in battles over the Marianas,
Philippines (partly responsible for sinking the battleship Musashi), Taiwan,
Iwo Jima, and Okinawa (in the sinking of the battleship Yamato). They were also
used in the 1945 attacks on the Ryukyu Islands and the Japanese home island of
Honshū in tactical attacks on airfields, communications and shipping. They were
also used extensively in patrols during the period between the dropping of the
atomic bombs and the official Japanese surrender, and in the immediate
pre-occupation period.
An oddity of the SB2Cs with 1942
to 1943-style tricolor camouflage was that the undersides of the outer wing
panels carried dark topside camouflage because the undersurfaces were visible
from above when the wings were folded.
In operational experience, it was
found that the U.S. Navy's Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair fighters
were able to carry an equally heavy bomb load against ground targets and were
vastly more capable of defending themselves against enemy fighters. The
Helldiver, however, could still deliver ordnance with more precision against
specific targets and its two-seat configuration permitted a second set of eyes.
A Helldiver also has a significant advantage in range over a fighter while
carrying a bombload, which is extremely important in naval operations.
The advent of air-to-ground
rockets ensured that the SB2C was the last purpose-built dive bomber produced.
Rockets allowed precision attack against surface naval and land targets, while
avoiding the stresses of near-vertical dives and the demanding performance
requirements that they placed on dive bombers.
The SB2C remained in active
postwar service in active duty US Navy squadrons until 1947 and in Naval
Reserve aviation units until 1950. Surplus aircraft were sold to the naval air
forces of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Thailand. Greek SB2Cs served in
combat in the Greek Civil War with additional machine guns mounted in wing
pods. French SB2Cs flew in the First Indochina War from 1951 to 1954.
US Army and US Marine Corps Service
Built at Curtiss' St. Louis plant,
900 aircraft were ordered by the USAAF under the designation A-25A Shrike. The
first ten aircraft had folding wings, while the remainder of the production
order omitted this feature. Many other changes distinguished the A-25A,
including larger main wheels, a pneumatic tailwheel, ring and bead gunsight,
longer exhaust stubs, and other Army-specified radio equipment. By late 1943,
when the A-25A was being introduced, the USAAF no longer had a role for the
dive bomber, as fighter aircraft such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt had shown
their ability to carry out tactical air support missions with great success.
The USAAF transferred 410
Helldivers to the US Marines. The A-standard 25As were converted to the USMC
variant, SB2C-1A and one squadron, VMSB-151, based on Enjebi (a.k.a. Engebi/Enjibe;
part of Enewetak Atoll) conducted bombing missions on bypassed Japanese
strongpoints nearby. Otherwise, the SB2C-1A variant never saw combat, and was
used primarily as a trainer and target tug.
Australian Service
At an early stage of World War II,
the Australian government noted that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
lacked dedicated dive bombers and ordered 150 Curtiss Shrikes. These aircraft
were paid for by the US Government as Lend Lease aid.
By November 1943, when the first
shipment of 10 Shrikes arrived in Australia, the RAAF had decided that dive
bombing was an outmoded tactic. Vultee Vengeance dive bombers, which were
already in service with the RAAF, were being replaced by light bombers. As a
result, the order for the remaining 140 Shrikes was cancelled.
While the 10 aircraft received
were taken on strength, with the RAAF serial prefix A69, only one of these
Shrikes officially took to the air in RAAF service. A69-4 was assigned to No. 1
Air Performance Unit, for performance testing, between December 1943 and April
1944. The RAAF and US Fifth Air Force already operated a joint pool of aircraft
types common to both services in the South West Pacific theatre and, by
mid-January 1944, the other nine Shrikes had been transferred to USAAF units.
A69-4 was also transferred to the USAAF in December 1944.
British Service
The Helldiver's service with the
British resembled Australian experience with the type. A total of 26 aircraft,
out of 450 ordered, were delivered to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, where
they were known as the Helldiver I. After unsatisfactory tests by the A&AEE
that pinpointed "appalling handling", none of the British Helldivers
were used in action.
Greek Service
American aid provided the Royal
Hellenic Air Force with 48 Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers from surplus U.S. Navy
stocks. The aircraft were delivered by the aircraft carrier USS Sicily
(CVE-118) in the spring of 1949. From the 48 aircraft, 6 were used for ground
instruction or spare parts and 42 were given to 336th Fighter Squadron (336
Μοίρα Διώξεως) to replace Supermarine Spitfires and the squadron's name was
changed to 336th Bomber Squadron (336 Μοίρα Βομβαρδισμού).
Greek SB2C-5 Helldivers had minor
changes for their COIN operations: the hard rubber tailwheel (for carrier use)
was replaced by a bigger pneumatic tire for use on landing strips; and the rear
gunner station and its twin MGs were deleted, as no aerial opposition existed
and weight reduction was used for bombs and extra machine guns.
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers,
Supermarine Spitfires, and North American T-6D/Gs were used in ground-attack
missions against Communist ground forces, camps, and transports during the last
stages of the Greek Civil War.
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers saw a
relatively brief combat service and were gradually phased out by 1953. A few
were in use until 1957 as photographic aircraft. One Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver
was restored in 1997 and is displayed in the Hellenic Air Force Museum.
French Service
Between 1949 and 1954, France
bought 110 SB2C-5 Helldiver aircraft to replace their aging SBD-5 Dauntless
that had been flying in combat in Vietnam. The French Aeronavale flew the
Helldiver from 1951 to 1958.
Some of these aircraft were
allotted to flottilles 3F and 9F stationed on board the carriers Arromanches,
Bois Belleau, and La Fayette, during the First Indochina War. The Helldivers
were used to support French troops on the ground during the Battle of Dien Bien
Phu in 1954.
Variants
XSB2C-1: Prototype powered by a 1,700
hp (1,268 kW) R-2600-8 engine
SB2C-1: Production version for United
States Navy with four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm)
dorsal gun, 200 built.
SB2C-1A: Original designation for
United States Army Air Corps version which became A-25A later used for 410
A-25As transferred to the United States Marine Corps.
SB2C-1C: SB2C-1 with two 20 mm (0.79
in) wing-mounted cannons and hydraulically operated flaps, 778 built. First to
see combat.
XSB2C-2: One SB2C-1 fitted with twin
floats in 1942.
SB2C-2: Production float plane version,
287 cancelled and not built.
XSB2C-3: One SB2C-1 re-engined with a
1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-20.
SB2C-3: As SB2C-1c re-engined with a
1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-20 and four-bladed propeller, 1,112 built.
SB2C-3E: SB2C-3s fitted with APS-4
radar.
SB2C-4: SB2C-1c but fitted with wing
racks for eight 5 in (127 mm) rockets or 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, 2,045 built.
SB2C-4E: SB2C-4s fitted with APS-4
radar.
XSB2C-5: Two SB2C-4s converted as
prototypes for -5 variant.
SB2C-5: SB2C-4 with increased fuel
capacity, frameless sliding canopy, tailhook fixed in extended position, and
deletion of the ASB radar, 970 built (2,500 cancelled).
XSB2C-6: Two SB2C-1Cs fitted with 2,100
hp (1,566 kW) R-2600-22 engine and increased fuel capacity.
SBF-1: Canadian built version of the
SB2C-1, 50 built by Fairchild-Canada
SBF-3: Canadian built version of the
SB2C-3, 150 built by Fairchild-Canada.
SBF-4E: Canadian built version of the
SB2C-4E, 100 built by Fairchild-Canada.
SBW-1: Canadian built version of the
SB2C-1, 38 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
SBW-1B: Canadian built version for
lend-lease to the Royal Navy as the Helldiver I, 28 aircraft built by Canadian
Car & Foundry company.
SBW-3: Canadian built version of the
SB2C-3, 413 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
SBW-4E: Canadian built version of the
SB2C-4E, 270 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
SBW-5: Canadian-built version of the
SB2C-5, 85 built (165 cancelled) by the Canadian Car & Foundry company.
A-25A Shrike: United States Army Air
Corps version without arrester gear or folding wings and equipment changed, 900
built
Helldiver I: Royal Navy designation for
28 Canadian-built SBW-1Bs
Operators
Australia: Royal Australian Air Force
France: French Navy Aviation Navale
Greece: Royal Hellenic Air Force
Italy: Italian Air Force operated 42 aircraft from 1950 until 1959
Portugal
Portuguese Navy (until 1952)
Portuguese Air Force (after 1952)
Thailand
Royal Thai Air Force
Royal Thai Navy
United Kingdom: Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
United States
United States Army Air Forces
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
Surviving Aircraft
NOTE: All surviving aircraft
identified by original US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) Bureau Numbers
(BuNo).
Greece
On Display
SB2C-5: 83321 - Hellenic Air Force
Museum, Decelea Air Base.
Thailand
On Display
SB2C-5: 83410 - Royal Thai Air Force
Museum, Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, Bangkok.
United States
Airworthy
A-25A Shrike/SB2C-1A: 75552 - based at
the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
SB2C-5
83393 - based at the Fagen Fighters
WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
83589 - based at the Commemorative Air
Force (West Texas Wing) in Houston, Texas. This late-production Helldiver,
built in 1945, makes frequent airshow appearances. In 1982, it experienced
engine failure and a hard emergency landing that caused extensive damage;
volunteers of the CAF put in thousands of hours and spent in excess of $200,000
to restore the aircraft to flying condition once more.
On Display
SB2C-5: 83479 - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia.
Under Restoration or in Storage
A-25A Shrike/SB2C-1A: 76805 - in
storage at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson
AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
SB2C-3: 19075 - to airworthiness at the
Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California
SB2C-4: 19866 - in storage at the
National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. It
crashed on 28 May 1945 in Lower Otay Reservoir, near San Diego, California
after engine failure during a training exercise. Both pilot E.D. Frazer and his
passenger escaped uninjured, but the Helldiver sank in 90 ft. of water. The
aircraft was discovered in February 2010 by a fisherman and recovered on 20
August 2010 for restoration.
Wrecks
A SB2C-4E Helldiver belonging to
the United States Navy crashed and burned in foul weather on 9 October 1945,
while en route from New Cumberland, Pennsylvania to its base at Naval Air
Station Grosse Ile, Michigan after participating in Nimitz Day celebrations
held in Washington, D.C. Pilot Frank Campbell and gunner George Cohlmia, both
World War II veterans, were killed in the crash. The remains of the plane are
still located at the crash site on Laurel Hill in Ligonier Township,
Pennsylvania, three miles southeast of the village of Waterford.
In January 2010, a scuba diver
discovered a SB2C-1C Helldiver that was ditched in Maalaea Bay off South Maui
in August 1944. The Helldiver is covered in coral and is missing its tail
section. The aircraft experienced problems with its empennage after dive
bombing maneuvers which forced pilot Lieutenant William Dill to ditch. It lies
in 50 ft of water facing east. The site, which is protected under state and
federal law, is in the process of being marked with a plaque by the U.S. Navy.
A mooring may be installed at a later point in time to facilitate dives on the
site.
On 19 December 2011 scuba divers
discovered an SB2C Helldiver off the coast of Jupiter, Florida. The aircraft is
mostly intact and was found inverted with the landing gear retracted. In May
2012, the US Navy conducted a survey of the aircraft, recovering a data plate
from the horizontal stabilizer. The Naval History and Heritage Command's
Underwater Archaeology Branch were attempting to determine if the numbers
stamped on the data plate were readable to identify the aircraft.
SB2C-5: 83414 - On 25 March 2010, the
Oregon State Police, Tillamook County Sheriff's Office, and the United States
Navy announced that during a logging operation near Rockaway Beach, Oregon, the
wreck of an SB2C Helldiver was located. Initial responders believe there may be
human remains on the scene.
Bibliography
Abzug, Malcolm
J. and E. Eugene Larrabee. Airplane Stability and Control: A History of the
Technologies that Made Aviation Possible (Cambridge Aerospace Series).
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Andrews, Harald.
The Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver, Aircraft in Profile 124. Windsor, Berkshire, UK:
Profile publications Ltd., 1967, reprinted 1971 and 1982.
Bowers, Peter M.
Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. Brown,
Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN., William Green and Gordon Swanborough. "Curtiss
Helldiver". Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War
Two. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, pp. 90–99.
Crosnier, Alain
and Jean-Pierre Dubois. Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless & Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver:
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Factfile. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004.
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SB2C-1 Helldiver, circa 1941.
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SB2C-1 Helldiver.
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SB2C Helldiver.
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| SB2C Helldiver. |
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| SB2C Helldiver, white B-9, moving forward for launch from an aircraft carrier. |
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| SB2C-1 Helldiver in USAAF service as the A-25. |
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| SB2C Helldiver, Training Squadron 75 (75-VT-22). |
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| Curtiss XSB2C-2 Helldiver floatplane. |
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| Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver, “177.” |
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| Curtiss XSB2C-3 Helldiver ("FT" = Flight Test). |
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| Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver, "black 51". |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver accompanied by a Grumman F6F Hellcat. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, "white 75". |
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| Curtiss A-25 Helldivers, USAAF. |
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| Curtiss A-25A Helldiver, “K-42” (41-18850), USAAF, Nashville, Tennessee, 12 December 1943. A variety of other aircraft are visible on the field, including a Martin B-26 Marauder, Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Consolidated B-24 Liberator. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldivers from the Fast Carrier Task Force 58 are seen midair on a mission over Saipan, in the Mariana Islands, August 24, 1944. |
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| Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldivers bank over USS Hornet (CV-12) before landing, following strikes on Japanese shipping in the China Sea, circa mid-January 1945. Photographed by Lt. Cmdr. Charles Kerlee, USNR. |
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| Another view of the same scene as seen in the above photo, taken a few seconds later. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-320999) |
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| SB2Cs, F6Fs, and TBFs, on a carrier deck ready for take-off. |
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| Curtiss SB2C gets the “Go!” signal from FLY 1. |
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| Curtiss SB2C with Grumman F6F Hellcat at left during launching operations on an aircraft carrier. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver misses the wire and crashes into the island of the USS Hancock. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver from USS Hornet over a burning Japanese tanker. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldivers. |
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| Canadian-built Curtiss Helldiver, the SBW-1. Although able to carry bigger loads further the “Beast” never earned the reputation of the Douglas SBD Dauntless. |
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| Curtiss 84 XSB2C-1 Helldiver BuNo 1758 US Navy. |
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| Curtiss 84 XSB2C-1 Helldiver BuNo 1758 US Navy. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver’s pilot and gunner dressed in flight gear, ready to go aloft. |
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| Curtiss A-25A-20-CS Helldiver s/n 42-79959. |
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Curtiss SB2C Helldivers on the deck of an aircraft carrier as an armorer carries a belt of ammunition.
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers returning to their carrier after a mission. |
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| A student officer reloads the twin .30 caliber machine guns in the rear gun position of a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bomber. The student pilot had to learn not only to fly the plane, but also to do all of the work on it normally done by the aircrewman. |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. |
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| A Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, 8-B-21, flies escort over a convoy in the Pacific. The wavy lined running down the right side of the image is a water stain on the photographic print. |
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| A Curtiss SB2C Helldiver in tricolour scheme and tail markings for Bombing Squadron 80 (VB-80), which operated off the aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19), in February 1945. This aircraft is the SB2C-5, BuNo 83589. It is flying with the Commemorative Air Force, based in Graham, Texas. |
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Curtiss XSB2C Helldiver prototype on its maiden flight on 18 December 1940.
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver bomber from Bombing Squadron VB-3, Carrier Air Group 3 (CVG-3), assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), fly over the invasion fleet, during strikes on Iwo Jima on 22 February 1945. Note Yorktown´s geometric air group identification symbol on the SB2Cs. (Naval History & Heritage Command 80-G-304753) |
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| U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver bombers Bombing Squadron Five (VB-5) pictured on the flight deck aboard the ciarctaft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10). VB-5 went aboard Yorktown during May-June 1943 to participate in the ship's shakedown cruise. The results were disastrous, for the squadron's SB2C Helldivers suffered numerous mechanical difficulties, not the least of which was the propensity for the aircrafts' tailhooks to pull out of their wells during recovery aboard the ship. Yorktown´s skipper, Capt. Joseph C. Jocko Clark, became so irate that he had them replaced with Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive-bombers, which VB-5 eventually took into combat. (US Navy) |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver on flight deck during take off from aircraft carrier. |
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| U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers of Attack Squadron 1A (VA-1A) "Tophatters" roll into dives to support amphibious forces during postwar landing exercise. VA-1A was known as VB-4 before being redesignated in November 1946. VA-1A was assigned to Carrier Air Group 1 (CVAG-1) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa (CV-40). (U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation 1996.253.136) |
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| A Royal Australian Air Force Curtiss A-25A Shrike in flight over the United States, circa in 1943. A land-based variant of the U.S. Navy SB2C-1, 150 A-25s were ordered by the RAAF to fill the dive-bomber role. Due to its long development, only 10 (serials A69-1 to A69-10) were delivered in November 1943 after the perceived need for them had passed. (U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation 1996.253.526) |
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| Eight Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver dive bombers (Escadrille 3F) and six Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat fighters (Escadrille 1F) on the flight deck of the French aircraft carrier Arromanches (R95) in the Gulf of Tonkin, circa 1951. The Arromanches (R95), the former HMS Colossus (R15), arrived on station off Indochina in 1948 operating Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and Supermarine Seafire fighters. After a period of overhaul, the carrier returned to combat in late 1951 and over the course of the next three years operated SB2C-5s, and F6F-5s Hellcats in the French Indochina War. Note the Sikorsky HO3S plane guard helicopter. (U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation 1996.253.527) |
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| Curtiss A-25A-5-CS Shrike (Serial Number: 41-18787). (USAAF) |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. |
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| XSB2C's of VMSB-244, the Bombing Banshees, fly toward Davao on Mindanao for bombing, strafing, and rocket runs in support of Army ground troops there. The squadron which used SBDs in the Luzon campaign is now using SB2C's in the Mindanao operation. Location: Davao, Mindanao. Unit: VMSB-244. 12 June 1945. (US National Archives) |
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| Two SB2C's of VMSB-244, the Bombing Banshees, are shown on a mission over Davao, Mindanao. They are flying support for the Army troops in the Davao area from their strip at Malabang. Location: Davao, Mindanao Philippines Unit: 1st MAW / MAG-24. 12 June 1945. (US National Archives) |
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| Helldivers of VMSB-244 "Bombing Banshees" of the First Marine Air Wing, return from a strike in support of Army ground troops in the Davao area of Mindanao. Location: Mindanao, Philippines. Unit: 1st MAW / MAG-24. 28 July 1945. (US National Archives) |
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| Helldivers of VMSB-244 "Bombing Banshees" from the First Marine Air Wing en route to a target in the Davao area of Mindanao. 28 July 1945. (US National Archives) |
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| A U.S. Marine Corps Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver piloted by Lt. Frederick C. Lambert, USMCR, flying over Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands, in October 1945. The Japanese light cruiser Kashima and the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Thornhill (DE-195) are visible in the background. Kashima was at Jaluit on 22-23 October 1945 to take 911 Japanese soldiers on board for repatriation to Japan. Thornhill was station ship at Jaluit for the whole month. (US Navy National Naval Aviation Museum NNAM.1996.253.538) |
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| U.S. Marine Corps Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver bombers, probably of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 333 (VMSB-333), pictured at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Territory of Hawaii, circa 1945. (U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation 1996.253.436) |
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| U.S. Marines SB2Cs on Falalop Island, Uluthi atoll, December 1944. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-408109) |
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| Battle of Iwo Jima, March 1945. SB2C’s give air support to initial landings on Iwo Jima. (Museum of the U.S. Navy 80-G-412527) |
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| Two U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-1C Helldiver dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-1 in the landing circle of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) in July 1944. (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-376123) |
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| Aircraft of Carrier Air Group 18 (CVG-18) warm up their engines before launching from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Leyte (CV-32). CVG-18 was assigned to the Leyte for her shakedown cruise to the Caribbean from 16 September to 12 December 1946. Visible are six Grumman F8F-1 Bearcats from Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) and/or from Bombing Fighting Squadron 18 (VBF-18) "Bearcats", eight Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers from Bombing Squadron 18 (VB-18) "Sunday Punchers", and eight Grumman TBM-3E Avengers from Torpedo Squadron 18 (VT-18) "Carrier Clowns". (U.S. Navy photo from the USS Leyte (CV-32) 1946 cruise book) |
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| A U.S. Navy Vought F4U-1D Corsairs and Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldivers of Carrier Air Group 5 (CVG-5) spotted on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) during operations in the Pacific, circa February 1945. (U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.210.192) |
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldiver caught in the after radio mast of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) after a night landing accident on 30 October 1944. The plane was assigned to Bombing Squadron 7 (VB-7) aboard USS Hancock (CV-19). (US Naval History & Heritage Command NH 95398) |
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver after hitting the crash barrier during a landing aboard the escort carrier USS Tripoli (CVE-64), in 1945. From January to November 1945, Tripoli was assigned to Carrier Division 11 and trained pilots off Hilo, Hawaii. (U.S. Navy photo from the USS Tripoli (CVE-64) 1943-1945 cruise book) |
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is stopped by the crash barrier aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19), circa 1944. (U.S. Navy photo from the USS Hancock (CV-19) 1944-1946 cruise book) |
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver landing aboard the escort carrier USS Tripoli (CVE-64), in 1945. Note that the aircraft is coming in too high and flies into the crash barrier. From January to November 1945, Tripoli was assigned to Carrier Division 11 and trained pilots off Hilo, Hawaii. (U.S. Navy photo from the USS Tripoli (CVE-64) 1943-1945 cruise book) |
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| U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C Helldivers from Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16) fly past Mout Fuji, Japan, in August 1945. VB-16 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 16 (CVG-16) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CV-15). Note Randolph's carrier air group identification letter "L", introduced on 27 July 1945. (U.S. Navy photo from the USS Randolph (CV-15) World War II cruise book) |
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver dropping a bomb, circa in 1943. This aircraft, coded "Fox Baker Tare-5" (FBT-5), was used for dive bombing pictures for publicity. |
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| A U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) lands on board the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) with a broken tail wheel, circa in May 1943. The SB2C-1 Helldivers were then undergoing carrier qualification tests on the Yorktown. Note the flight deck crewmen running to assist. The results of the carrier qualifications were disastrous, for the SB2C Helldivers suffered numerous mechanical difficulties, not the least of which was the propensity for the aircrafts' tailhooks to pull out of their wells during recovery aboard the ship. Yorktown's skipper, Captain Joseph C. "Jocko" Clark, became so irate that he had them replaced with Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive-bombers, which VB-5 eventually took into combat. Clark even recommended the dropping of the SB2C program. (US Naval History & Heritage Command 80-G-K-15830) |
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| U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver of Bombing Squadron 17 (VB-17) in flight over Betio, Tarawa Atoll, in November 1943. (U.S. Navy photo from the USS Bunker Hill 1943-1944 cruise book) |
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| Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver aircraft on deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), probably taken during the carrier qualifications of the SB2C, circa May 1943. As a result of these trials, Captain J.J. Clark, USN, of the Yorktown recommended the dropping of the SB2C program. (US Naval History & Heritage Command 80-G-K-15598) |
