Douglas SBD Dauntless: American Scout Plane and Dive Bomber

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. 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.

Design work on the Northrop BT-1 began in 1935. In 1937, the Northrop Corporation was taken over by Douglas, and the active Northrop projects continued under Douglas Aircraft Corporation. The Northrop BT-2 was developed from the BT-1 by modifications ordered in November 1937, and provided the basis of the SBD, which first entered service in mid-1939. Ed Heinemann led a team of designers who considered a development with a 1,000 hp (750 kW) Wright Cyclone engine. The plane was developed at the Douglas El Segundo, California, plant, and that facility, along with the company's Oklahoma City plant, built almost all the SBDs produced. One year earlier, both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps had placed orders for the new dive bomber, designated the SBD-1 and SBD-2 (the latter had increased fuel capacity and different armament). The SBD-1 went to the Marine Corps in late 1940, and the SBD-2 to the Navy in early 1941, replacing the SBU Corsair and Curtiss SBC Helldiver squadrons on US carriers. Distinctive perforated split flaps or "dive-brakes" had been incorporated into the BT-1 to eliminate tail buffeting during diving maneuvers. Unusual for carrier aircraft, folding wings were not chosen for the design, opting instead for structural strength.

The next version was the SBD-3, which began manufacture in early 1941. It had increased armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and four machine guns. The SBD-4 provided a 12-volt (up from 6-volt) electrical system, and a few were converted into SBD-4P reconnaissance aircraft.

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. Over 2,400 of these were built. A few of them were shipped to the Royal Navy for evaluation. In addition to American service, the SBD saw combat against the Japanese Army and Navy with No. 25 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force—but the RNZAF soon replaced them with the larger, faster, heavier and land-based Vought F4U Corsairs.

Some SBDs were also flown by the Free French Air Force against the German Heer and Luftwaffe. SBDs were also sold to Mexico.

The final version, the SBD-6, had more improvements, but its production ended during the summer of 1944.

The U.S. Army Air Force had its own version of the SBD, called the A-24 Banshee. It lacked the tail hook used for carrier landings, and a pneumatic tire replaced the solid tail wheel. First assigned to the 27th Bombardment Group (Light) at Hunter Field, Georgia, A-24s flew in the Louisiana maneuvers of September 1941. There were three versions of the Banshee (A-24, A-24A and A-24B) flown by the army to a very minor degree in the early stages of the war. The USAAF used 948 of the 5,937 Dauntlesses built.

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps SBDs saw their first action at Pearl Harbor, when most of the Marine Corps SBDs of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 232 (VMSB-232) were destroyed on the ground at Ewa Mooring Mast Field. Most U.S. Navy SBDs flew from their aircraft carriers, which did not operate in close cooperation with the rest of the fleet. Most Navy SBDs at Pearl Harbor, like their Marine Corps counterparts, were destroyed on the ground. On 10 December 1941, SBDs from USS Enterprise sank the Japanese submarine I-70. In February–March 1942, SBDs from the carriers USS Lexington, USS Yorktown, and USS Enterprise, took part in various raids on Japanese installations in the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, New Guinea, Rabaul, Wake Island, and Marcus Island.

The first major use of the SBD in combat was at the Battle of the Coral Sea where SBDs and TBD Devastators sank the Japanese light aircraft carrier (CVL) Shōhō and damaged the Japanese fleet carrier Shōkaku. SBDs were also used for anti-torpedo combat air patrols (CAP) and these scored several victories against Japanese aircraft trying to attack Lexington and Yorktown. Their relatively heavy gun armament with two forward-firing .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns and either one or two rear flexible-mount .30 in (7.62 mm) AN/M2 machine guns was effective against the lightly built Japanese fighters, and many pilots and gunners took aggressive attitudes to the fighters that attacked them. SBD pilot Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa was attacked by three A6M2 Zero fighters; he shot down two of them and cut off the wing of the third in a head-on pass with his wingtip. Vejtasa's skill thus having been clearly demonstrated, he was transferred to fighters; in October 1942, he shot down seven enemy aircraft in one day.

The SBD's most important contribution to the American war effort came during the Battle of Midway in early June 1942. Four squadrons of Navy SBD dive bombers attacked and sank or fatally damaged all four Japanese fleet carriers present, disabling three of them in the span of just six minutes (Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū) and, later in the day, Hiryū. They also caught two straggling heavy cruisers of the Midway bombardment group of four, heavily damaging them, with Mikuma eventually sinking.

At the Battle of Midway, Marine Corps SBDs were not as effective. One squadron, VMSB-241, flying from Midway Atoll, was not trained in the techniques of dive-bombing with their new Dauntlesses (having just partially converted from the SB2U Vindicator). Its pilots resorted to the slower but easier glide bombing technique. This led to many of the SBDs being shot down during their glide, although one survivor from these attacks is now on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum and is the last surviving aircraft to have flown in the battle. The carrier-borne squadrons were effective, especially when they were escorted by Grumman F4F Wildcats. The success of dive bombing resulted from one important circumstance:

Unlike American squadrons that attacked shortly before one at a time, allowing defending Japanese Zero fighters to concentrate on each squadron to shoot them down or drive them away from the carriers, three squadrons totaling 47 SBDs (VS-6, VB-6, and VB-3), one squadron of 12 TBD torpedo aircraft (VT-3), and six F4F fighters (from VF-3) all arrived simultaneously, with two of the SBD squadrons (VS-6 and VB-6) arriving from a different direction from the other squadrons. Without central fighter direction, the approximately 40 Zeros concentrated on the TBDs, with some fighting the F4Fs covering the TBDs, leaving the SBDs unhindered by fighter opposition in their approach and attack (although most of the TBDs were shot down).

SBDs played a major role in the Guadalcanal campaign, operating off both American carriers and from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. SBDs proved lethal to Japanese shipping that failed to clear New Georgia Sound (The Slot) by daylight. Losses inflicted included the carrier Ryūjō, sunk near the Solomon Islands on 24 August. Three other Japanese carriers were damaged during the six-month campaign. SBDs sank a cruiser and nine transports during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

The SBD's strengths and weaknesses became evident. While the American strength was dive bombing, the Japanese stressed their Nakajima B5N2 "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. The SBDs flew from USS Ranger and two escort carriers. Eleven months later, during Operation Leader, the SBDs saw their European debut when aircraft from Ranger attacked Nazi German shipping around Bodø, Norway.

By 1944 the U.S. Navy began replacing the SBD with the more powerful SB2C Helldiver. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, a long range twilight strike was made against the retreating Japanese fleet, at (or beyond) the limit of the combat radius of the aircraft. The force had about twenty minutes of daylight over their targets before attempting the long return in the dark. Of the 215 aircraft, only 115 made it back. Twenty were lost to enemy action in the attack, and 80 were lost as one by one they expended their fuel and had to ditch into the sea. In the attack were 26 SBDs, all of which made it back to the carriers.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the last major engagement of the carrier-borne SBDs. Marine squadrons continued to fly SBDs until the end of the war. Although the Curtiss Helldiver had a more powerful engine, a higher maximum speed and could carry nearly a thousand pounds more in bomb load, many of the dive bomber pilots preferred the SBD, which was lighter and had better low-speed handling characteristics, critical for carrier landings.

The Dauntless was one of the most important aircraft in the Pacific War, sinking more enemy shipping in the Pacific than any other Allied bomber. Barrett Tillman, in his book on the Dauntless, claims that it has a "plus" score against enemy aircraft, meaning it was credited with more victories over enemy planes than losses from enemy action. This is considered to be a rare event for a nominal "bomber".

A total of 5,936 SBDs were produced during the war. The last SBD rolled off the assembly lines at the Douglas Aircraft plant in El Segundo, California, on 21 July 1944. The Navy placed emphasis on the heavier, faster and longer-ranged SB2C. From Pearl Harbor through April 1944, SBDs had flown 1,189,473 operational hours, with 25% of all operational hours flown off aircraft carriers being in SBDs. 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.

The USAAF sent 52 A-24 Banshees in crates to the Philippines in the fall of 1941 to equip the 27th Bombardment Group, whose personnel were sent separately. However, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, these bombers were diverted to Australia and the 27th BG fought on the Bataan Peninsula as infantry. While in Australia the aircraft were reassembled for flight to the Philippines, but their missing parts, including solenoids, trigger motors and gun mounts delayed their shipment. Plagued with mechanical problems, the A-24s were diverted to the 91st Bombardment Squadron and designated for assignment to Java instead.

Referring to themselves as "Blue Rock Clay Pigeons" (after a brand of trap shooting targets), the 91st BS based at Malang attacked the enemy-held harbor and airbase at Bali and damaged or sank numerous ships around Java during the Dutch East Indies campaign. After the Japanese downed two A-24s and damaged three so badly that they could no longer fly, the 91st received orders to evacuate Java in early March 1942.

The A-24s remaining in Australia were assigned to the 8th Bombardment Squadron of 3d Bombardment Group, to defend New Guinea. On 29 July 1942, seven A-24s attacked a convoy off Buna, but only one survived: the Japanese shot down five of them and damaged the sixth so badly that it did not make it back to base. Regarded by many pilots as too slow, short ranged and poorly armed, the remaining A-24s were relegated to non-combat missions. In the U.S., the A-24s became training aircraft or towed targets for aerial gunnery training. The more powerful A-24B was used later against the Japanese forces in the Gilbert Islands. From December 1943 until March 1944, the 531st Fighter Squadron of the 7th Air Force flew A-24Bs from Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands against Japanese controlled islands in the Marshall Islands. The A-24Bs were then withdrawn from combat.

The A-24B (equivalent to the U.S. Navy SBD-5, with the omission of the arrestor hook) arrived in 1943 with the more powerful 1,200-hp Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone engine, a more powerful engine than either the A-24 or A-24A. As a result, the A-24B could fly slightly faster and higher than the earlier models. The A-24B lacked the small air intake on the top of the engine cowling present on the earlier models and that is an easy way to distinguish the B model. The 407th Bomb Group, assigned to the 11th Air Force, flew A-24Bs against the Japanese held island of Kiska, Alaska, during July and August 1943.

A handful of A-24s survived in the inventory of the USAAF long enough to be taken over by the Air Force (USAF) when that service became independent of the Army in September 1947. The USAF established a new designation system for its aircraft, eliminating the "A-" (for attack) category (through 1962); all of the single-engined "A-" aircraft were given "F-" (for fighter) nomenclature (or were determined to be obsolete and scrapped); thus the few remaining A-24 Banshees became known as F-24 Banshees, soldiering on in a reserve role until 1950 when they were scrapped.

The first production Dauntless sent into action was the "SBD-3", which was produced for the French Naval Aviation. A total of 174 Dauntlesses were ordered by the French Navy, but with the fall of France in the spring of 1940 that production batch was diverted to the U.S. Navy, which ordered 410 more.

The Free French received about 80 SBD-5s and A-24Bs from the United States in 1944. They were used as trainers and close-support aircraft.

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

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

Squadron I/17 Picardie used a few A-24Bs for coastal patrol. The most combat-experienced of the Banshee units was GC 1/18 Vendee, which flew A-24Bs in support of Allied forces in southern France and also experienced how deadly German flak was, losing several aircraft in 1944. This squadron flew from North Africa to recently liberated Toulouse to support Allied and French resistance troops. Later, the unit was assigned to support attacks on cities occupied by the Germans on the French Atlantic coast. In April 1945 each SBD-5 averaged three missions a day in the European theater. In 1946 the French Air Force based its A-24Bs in Morocco as trainers.

French Navy Dauntlesses were based in Cognac at the end of 1944. The French Navy Dauntlesses were the last ones to see combat, during the Indochina War, flying from the carrier Arromanches (the former Royal Navy carrier Colossus). In late 1947 during one operation in the Indochina War, Flotille 4F flew 200 missions and dropped 65 tons of bombs. By 1949, the French Navy removed the Dauntless from combat status although the type was still flown as a trainer through 1953.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force received 18 SBD-3s and 23 SBD-4s and No. 25 Squadron RNZAF used them in combat over the South Pacific. Under the original plan, four Squadrons (25, 26, 27 and 28) of the RNZAF were going to be equipped with the Dauntless but only 25 Squadron used them. The RNZAF soon replaced them with F4U Corsairs.

Role:

Dive bomber

Scout plane

National origin: United States

Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft

Designer: Ed Heinemann

First flight: 1 May 1940

Introduction: 1940

Retired: 1959 (Mexico)

Primary users:

United States Navy

United States Marine Corps

United States Army Air Forces

Free French Air Force

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Produced: 1940–1944

Number built: 5,936

Developed from: Northrop BT

Variants

XBT-2: prototype, airframe was a production Northrop BT-1 heavily modified and redesignated as the XBT-2. Further modified by Douglas as the XSBD-1.

SBD-1: Marine Corps version without self-sealing fuel tanks; 57 built.

SBD-1P: reconnaissance aircraft, converted from SBD-1s.

SBD-2: Navy version with increased fuel capacity and different armament but without self-sealing fuel tanks, starting in early 1941; 87 built.

SBD-2P: reconnaissance aircraft, converted from SBD-2s.

SBD-3: began to be manufactured in early 1941. This provided increased protection, self-sealing fuel tanks, and four machine guns; 584 were built.

SBD-4: provided a 24-volt (up from 12 volt) electrical system; In addition, a new propeller and fuel pumps rounded out the improvements over the SBD-3. 780 built.

SBD-4P: reconnaissance aircraft, converted from SBD-4s.

SBD-5: The most produced version, primarily produced at the Douglas Aircraft plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Equipped with a 1,200-hp engine and an increased ammunition supply. A total of 2,965 were built, and a few were shipped to the Royal Navy for evaluation. In addition to American service, these saw combat against the Japanese with No. 25 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force which soon replaced them with F4Us, and against the Luftwaffe with the Free French Air Force. A few were also sent to Mexico.

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)

Airfoil:

Root: NACA 2415

Tip: NACA 2407

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

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

Maximum 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 × Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW)

Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton-Standard constant-speed propeller

Maximum speed: 255 mph (410 km/h, 222 kn) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)

Cruise speed: 185 mph (298 km/h, 161 kn)

Range: 1,115 mi (1,794 km, 969 nmi)

Ferry range: 1,565 mi (2,519 km, 1,360 nmi)

Service ceiling: 25,530 ft (7,780 m)

Rate of climb: 1,700 ft/min (8.6 m/s)

Wing loading: 28.8 lb/sq ft (141 kg/m2)

Power/mass: 0.128 hp/lb (0.210 kW/kg)

Armament:

Guns:

2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) forward-firing synchronized Browning M2 machine guns in engine cowling

2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) flexible-mounted Browning M1919 machine guns in rear

Bombs: 2,250 lb (1,020 kg) of bombs

SBD-5A: as A-24B, for USAAF but delivered to USMC; 60 built.

SBD-6: The final version, providing more improvements, including a 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) engine, but production ended in the summer of 1944; 450 built.

A-24 Banshee (SBD-3A): USAAF equivalent of the SBD-3 without arrestor hook; 168 built.

A-24A Banshee (SBD-4A): USAAF equivalent of the SBD-4; 170 built.

A-24B Banshee (SBD-5A): USAAF equivalent of the SBD-5; 615 built.

Operators

Chile: Chilean Air Force operated A-24B Banshees.

France:

French Air Force

French Navy

Mexico: Mexican Air Force

Morocco: Moroccan Desert Police

New Zealand:

Royal New Zealand Air Force

No. 25 Squadron RNZAF

United Kingdom:

Royal Air Force received aircraft for evaluation from the nine originally tested by the Fleet Air Arm.

Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm received nine former United States Navy SBD-5s for evaluation.

United States:

United States Army Air Forces

339th Bombardment Group (Dive), as operational training unit in 1942-1943

United States Marine Corps

United States Navy

Notable Accidents

On 7 December 1943, during a joint U.S. Navy–U.S. Marine simulated close air support exercise near Pauwela, Maui, Territory of Hawaii, the pilot of a U.S. Navy SBD-5, BuNo 36045 of squadron VB-10, 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 SBD-5, 36099, 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. Aviation Archaeology Investigation & Research gives the date of this accident as 6 December.

Surviving Aircraft

The hyphenated numbers are original U.S. Army Air Forces Serial Numbers (AAF Ser. No.); four or five digit numbers are original U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) Bureau Numbers (BuNo).

New Zealand:

On display

SBD-4: 06853 – Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch.

Solomon Islands

On display

SBD-?: Unknown – Vilu Military Museum in Guadalcanal.

United States

Airworthy

A-24A

42-60817 – based at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon as an SBD-3.

A-24B

42-54682 – based at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston, Texas as an SBD-5.

SBD-4

10518 – based at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.

10694 – based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SBD-5

28536 – based at the Planes of Fame in Chino, California.

54532 – based at the Commemorative Air Force – Airbase Georgia in Peachtree City, Georgia

On display

A-24B

42-54582 – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

42-54654 – Pima Air & Space Museum, adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona.

SBD-2

02106 – National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Veteran of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Battle of Midway.

02173 – Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum at Ford Island, Hawaii.

SBD-3

06508 – National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

06583 – National Museum of the Marine Corps at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

06624 – Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is on loan from National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

06694 – USS Lexington (CV-16) museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is on loan from National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

SBD-4

06833 – National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in its recovered condition in a simulated underwater exhibit.

06900 – San Diego Aerospace Museum in San Diego, California. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

10575 – Battle of Midway Memorial at Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois.

SBD-5

36173 – USS Yorktown (CV-10) at the Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

36176 – Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.

36291 - Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville, Florida. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

36711 - American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Massachusetts. Long term loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Formerly on display at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum at Ford Island, Hawaii.

SBD-6

54605 – National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

54654 – USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California.

Under restoration or in storage

SBD-1

1612 – for display at the Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan.

SBD-4

10508 – for display at the Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California.

SBD-5

36175 – to flightworthiness at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Bibliography

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Brazelton, David. The Douglas SBD Dauntless, Aircraft in Profile 196. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967.

Brown, Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN, William Green and Gordon Swanborough. "Douglas Dauntless". Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, pp. 52–60.

Buell, Harold L. Dauntless Helldivers: A Dive Bomber Pilot's Epic Story of the Carrier Battles. New York: Crown, 1991.

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Drendel, Lou. U.S. Navy Carrier Bombers of World War II. Carrollton, Texas, USA: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1987.

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Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated History of McDonnell Douglas Aircraft: From Cloudster to Boeing. London: Osprey Publishing, 1999.

Hernandez, Daniel V. with Lt. CDR Richard H. Best, USN Ret. SBD-3 Dauntless and the Battle of Midway. Valencia, Spain: Aeronaval Publishing, 2004.

Howard, John Jr. A Marine Dive-Bomber Pilot at Guadalcanal. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA: University of Alabama Press, 1987.

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U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless (1621) of Marine Aircraft Group Eleven-1, in flight, ca. 1941.

U.S. Marine Corps SBD-1 Dauntless (132-B-4) of Scout Bomber Squadron 132 from Quantico, Virginia, ca. 1941.

U.S. Marine Corps SBD-1 Dauntless (132-B-4) of Scout Bomber Squadron 132 from Quantico, Virginia, ca. 1941.

U.S. Marine Corps SBD-1 Dauntless (132-B-4) of Scout Bomber Squadron 132 from Quantico, Virginia, ca. 1941.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (5-S-8, 5-S-9, 5-S-7, 5-S-3, 5-S-1, 5-S-2, 5-S-4, 5-S-14, and 5-S-18), of Scouting Squadron 5 from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown, ca. 1941.

Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless coded 132-B-4, 132-B-14, and 132-B-11 from Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 132 (VMSB-132) from Quantico in Virginia circa 1941.

A Douglas SBD Dauntless uses a road as a runway near Safi, French Morocco, on December 11, 1942, but hits a soft shoulder in the takeoff.

Douglas A-24 Dauntless USAAF.

Douglas SBD-5A Dauntless 109, circa 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntless.

Two U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless aircraft of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) turn into the landing pattern as they return to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) after strikes on the Palau Islands on 20-30 March 1944. Note tail hooks in down position. 

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bomber of Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6) from the USS Enterprise (CV 6), after landing on the USS Yorktown (CV 5) at about 1140 hrs on June 4, 1942, during the Battle of Midway. This plane, damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga that morning, landed on the Yorktown as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier. Its crew, Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr., are still in the cockpit. The damage to the horizontal tail attests to the fact that the SBDs attack was no cakewalk.

A VB-8 SBD lands well off centerline, almost on top of the LSO, during the Battle of Midway.

U.S. Navy LCdr Maxwell F. Leslie, commanding officer of Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3), ditches his Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless next to the heavy cruiser USS Astoria (CA-34) after successfully attacking the Japanese carrier Soryu during the Battle of Midway, 13:48 hrs, 4 June 1942. Leslie and his wingman Lt(jg) P.A. Holmberg ditched near Astoria due to fuel exhaustion, after their parent carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) was under attack by Japanese planes when they returned. Leslie, Holmberg, and their gunners were rescued by one of the cruiser's whaleboats. Note one of the cruiser's Curtiss SOC Seagull floatplanes on the catapult.

Ensign Leif Larsen and rear gunner John F. Gardener in their Scouting Five (VS-5) Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber warming on deck before launching to attack the Hiryu, the one remaining Japanese carrier. Although the Hiryu would ultimately sink due to the attack, the Yorktown’s aircraft would have to land elsewhere, as a Japanese strike would cripple her as well.

View of the commencement of a launch of the Saratoga Air Group on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) in the Autumn of 1941. The plane nearest to the camera is a Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat of Fighting Squadron 3 (3-F-15 of VF-3), followed by Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3). Douglas TBD-1 Devastators of Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3) are spotted on the aft part of the flight deck (wings folded), followed by SBD-3s, probably of Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3). Note the overall light gray paint schemes with white lettering and numbering that was carried aboard naval aircraft for a short time during 1941.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers flying over Naval Air Station Daytona Beach, Florida in October 1942.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) in flight. This is a composite photograph of nine planes in flight, with the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) and a plane guard destroyer below. The original photo is dated 27 October 1941. Note the differences in ocean surface wave patterns between the upper and lower images, skillfully blended to combine the two photographs.

 

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-16 off USS Lexington (CV-16) fly low over Japanese installations on Param Island, Truk Atoll on 17-18 February 1944. Note the smoke rising from the buildings. VB-16 operated from Lexington during the period September 1943-June 1944, and was for a time one of only two Dauntless squadrons assigned to Pacific fleet carriers. The squadron participated in the famous attack against the Japanese Fleet during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944.

Workers assembling the engine compartment for the Wright R-1820 radial engine of SBD Dauntless dive bombers at the Douglas aircraft plant at El Segundo, California in August 1943.

A U.S. Navy Radioman-Gunner of a Douglas SBD Dauntless aims his aircraft's twin 0.30 caliber Browning M1919 machine guns aboard the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22), during the carrier's shakedown period, 30 April 1943. Note the guns' armor plate, gunsight, and variety of bullet types (with tip marking sequence: red, black, light blue and plain).

SBD dive bombers on USS Yorktown in April 1942. At the command prepare for launching planes, the flight deck of an aircraft carrier becomes as busy as a midtown street crossing.

Douglas SBD Dauntless over Dublon island in Truk lagoon.

Douglas SBD Dauntless (35), 1944.

Close-up in-flight view of the same Douglas SBD Dauntless (35) piloted by American Lt. George Glacken (left) with his gunner Leo Boulanger, near New Guinea, early April 1944.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers assigned to Composite Squadron 40 (VC-40) pictured at Piva Uncle Airstrip, Torokina prior to taking off on strike against Talili Bay, Rabaul, on 6 April 1944. The strike group that day consisted of 54 SBDs and 36 Grumman TBF Avengers with launch beginning at 1000 and the attack commencing at 1200.

SBD-5 from NAS Alameda landing at OLF Concord in March 1944.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Scouting Squadron Five (VS-5) roars off the deck of USS Enterprise (CV-6) for an early morning attack against Tulagi/Guadalcanal as part of Operation Watchtower. Manning the aircraft were Lt. Turner F. Caldwell, the squadron commander, and ACRM(AA) Willard E. Glidewell. During operations off Guadalcanal, VS-5 participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and also operated from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as part of Flight 300, a mixture of aircraft from Enterprise, during August-September 1942. Caldwell commanded Flight 300 during this time.

A Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless ready for delivery at Douglas Aircraft Company's El Segundo, California plant on 4 March 1942. The red and white stripe rudder markings and national insignia featuring a red circle in the middle were just months from being changed based on experience at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The red in the insignia caused confusion when engaging Japanese aircraft, which featured red discs on their wings and fuselages. The red and white stripes detracted from the overall camouflage of the airplane's paint scheme.

U.S. Army Air Force Douglas A-24 in flight, circa 1942.

A formation of SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron (VB) 10 off the carrier Enterprise (CV-6) pictured during a mission against Palau on 29-30 March 1944.

Two Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless dive bombers (1603 and 1605) assigned to Marine Bombing Squadron VMB-1 pictured on the ground, possibly at the El Segundo Division of Douglas Aircraft Company in 1940. Note the bare metal paint schemes coupled with section markings and the Marine Corps emblem on the fuselage. VMB-1 and VMB-2 were the first squadrons to receive the Dauntless, taking delivery of their first SBD-1s in 1940. VMB-1 was redesignated Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 132 (VMSB-132) in July 1941.

Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless (1603) US Marine Corps. This is aircraft number 1 of Marine Bombing Squadron One (VMB-1), Aircraft One, Fleet Marine Force, and based at MCAS Quantico, Virginia, ca. late 1940.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless (1597) of Marine Bombing Squadron 1 (VMB-2) in flight. Note the overall bare metal scheme with colorful tail, fuselage, and cowl markings. SBD-1 1597 was written off on 15 March 1944. Among the first squadrons to receive the Dauntless in late 1940, VMB-2 was redesignated Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 232 (VMSB-232) in 1941. The squadron suffered heavy aircraft losses during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and entered combat at Guadalcanal in August 1942 under the command of legendary Marine pilot Major Richard C. Mangrum. Later redesignated a Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron (VMTB), the squadron also participated in campaigns against Bougainville, Rabaul, and Okinawa.

Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless (1597) flown by Commanding Officer VMB-2, Marine Air Group 11.

Another view of SBD-1 (1597) of VMB-2.

Another view of SBD-1 (1597) of VMB-2.

Another view of SBD-1 (1597) of VMB-2.

Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless (1626) of Marine Bombing Squadron VMB-2 in late 1940. VMB-2 was the first squadron to be equipped with the then-new Douglas SBD. The squadron was later redesignated VMSB-232.

Fifth Section Leader’s SBD-1 2-MB-13 of VMB-2, late 1940.

Douglas A-24 Banshee USAAF.

Douglas RA-24B-15-DT (42-54897) assigned to Air Transport Command, USAAF.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless from Marine Scout/Bombing Squadron VMSB-231 Ace of Spades flying from Majuro Atoll in early 1944. The markings indicate 23 bombing missions having been flown by the aircraft. Note the mission markings and Ace of Spades insignia on the aircraft. The pilot of the aircraft is Major Elmer G. Glidden, a Midway and Guadalcanal veteran, who commanded VMSB-231 twice during the period September 1942-September 1943 and 1 November 1943-September 1944. He logged 104 combat dives during World War II. Redesignated from Marine Scouting Squadron Two (VMS-2) in July 1941, VMSB-231 aircraft flew to Midway in December 1941, and in March 1942 some elements returned to Hawaii. The remaining personnel formed the nucleus of a new squadron, VMSB-241, which fought during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Following the battle, the survivors returned to VMSB-231. The squadron arrived at Guadalcanal on 30 August 1942, and remained there until November. Subsequently, the squadron served in the Marshalls, where for a brief time it flew F4U Corsairs under the designation VMBF-231. The squadron was redesignated VMTB-231 in August 1945.

Another view of U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless from Marine Scout/Bombing Squadron VMSB-231 Ace of Spades flying from Majuro Atoll in early 1944.

Douglas A-24 Banshee USAAF.

Douglas A-24-DE (41-15802) USAAF at Amberley Field.

USAAF Douglas A-24B-15-DT Banshee (42-54735) of Headquarters Flight Section, 13th Air Force, on Morotai Island, Halmahera Islands, Netherlands East Indies on 1 January 1945.

U.S. Navy deck handlers spot Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers of Escort-Scouting Squadron 29 (VGS-29) on the forward part of the flight deck of the escort carrier USS Santee (ACV-29) on 27 December 1942. Santee had left Norfolk, Virginia, on the previous day and reached Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 1 January 1943.

Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bombers from the 635th Bombardment Squadron, 407th Bombardment Group, USAAF flying over the Aleutians carrying out an attack on Kiska Island on August 4, 1943.

USAAF Douglas A-24-DE Banshee (41-15780) converted to A-24A prototype in 1943.

Douglas A-24B Banshee USAAF.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-16 flies an antisubmarine patrol low over the battleship USS Washington (BB-56) en route to the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, 12 November 1943. The ship in the background is USS Lexington (CV-16), the aircraft's home carrier. Note the depth charge below the SBD.

Douglas SBD Dauntless preparing for launch from an aircraft carrier.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters on an aircraft carrier, Operation Torch, November 1942.

Ewa Airfield, Hawaii, 1942. A variety of aircraft including those of VMF-232 are visible.

USS Enterprise CV-6 recovers an SBD.

U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers fly over Midway Atoll. Circa 1942-1943.

U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers fly over Midway Atoll. Circa 1942-1943.

U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers fly over Midway Atoll. Circa 1942-1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers.

SBD Dauntless, 1942.

This is a small part of Task Force 58’s striking force on its way to attack Hollandia. At left and top right are Douglas SBD Dauntlesses and at lower right Grumman TBF Avengers.

SBD Dauntless on USS Enterprise.

SBD Dauntlesses on Saratoga. Note red bordered national insignia.

Five U.S. Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers of Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6) pictured lined up for launch behind a SBD-2/-3 from Scouting Squadron Six (VS-6) on board the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) in early 1942. Armed with depth charges, the planes are obviously taking off for an anti-submarine patrol.

Douglas SBD-5, USMC, Q-53.

Pilot in Douglas SBD Dauntless "Lone Star Express", Midway Island, September 20, 1942.

Squadron pilots with  Douglas SBD Dauntless.

Tom Lea’s depiction of a gunner in a Douglas SBD Dauntless scanning for enemy warplanes.

Rear gunner of a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber sights his .30-caliber machine gun.

Douglas SBD Dauntless rear gunner manning a single Browning .30 caliber aircraft machine gun M2.

SBD Dauntless, 1942.

SBD Dauntless, 1942.

SBD Dauntless, 1942.

SBD Dauntlesses.

SBD-2 Dauntless aircraft of US Marine Corps squadron VMSB-241 at Midway Atoll, 4 Jun 1942; note damage sustained during attack on Hiryu.

SBD-2 Dauntless aircraft of US Marine Corps squadron VMSB-241 at Midway Atoll, 4 Jun 1942; note damage sustained during attack on Hiryu.

SBD Dauntless, 1942.

A Douglas SBD Dauntless of Marine squadron VMB-2 has an encounter with a house at Rockwell Field, California, early 1941.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses.

Douglas SBD Dauntless.

Douglas SBD Dauntless in the air over Guadalcanal, off on one of its regular runs to bomb the tottering Japanese air bases at Munda Point.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers landing on Northwest Field, Guam.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers. After the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, in which the USS Enterprise was damaged and forced to return to Pearl Harbor, these aircraft operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.

SBD Dauntless bomb cradle.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless scout bomber goes around for another landing attempt, after being "waved off" by the Landing Signal Officer on USS Ranger (CV-4), circa June 1942.

Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bombers preparing to take off, during operations in the Coral Sea, 18 April 1942. The first plane is from Scouting Squadron Five (VS-5). Note that it has no insignia painted under its starboard wing, and that the insignia below its port wing is much smaller than that on the next SBD. Man standing at left, just beyond the first plane's wingtip, is Boatswain Chester E. Briggs, Jr.

A comparison of the Northrop XBT-1 and XBT-2. The upper photo shows the XBT-1 (BuNo 9745) on 4 December 1936, the lower the XBT-2 (BuNo 0627) prototype on 23 July 1938. This was to be the prototype of the later Douglas SBD Dauntless, although canopy and tail would differ from the XBT-2.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" scout bomber (BuNo 4542), of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) from USS Enterprise (CV-6), after landing on USS Yorktown (CV-5) at about 1140 hrs on 4 June 1942, during the Battle of Midway. This plane, damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga that morning, landed on Yorktown as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier. Its crew, Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr., are still in the cockpit. Note damage to the horizontal tail.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dropping a bomb, circa 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) over Wake Island, 5 or 6 October 1943. Photographed by Lt. Charles Kerlee of the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit commanded by LCdr. Edward Steichen.

A Douglas SBD Dauntless of U.S. Navy bombing squadron VB-4 during Operation Leader, on 4 October 1943, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). The objective of the force was the Norwegian port of Bodø. The task force reached launch position off Vestfjord before dawn 4 October completely undetected. At 0618, Ranger launched 20 Dauntless dive bombers and an escort of eight Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of VF-4. One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter LaPlata, while the rest continued north to attack a small German convoy. They severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport. They also sank two of four small German merchantmen in the Bodø roadstead. The SBD "4-B-19" was piloted by Lt(jg) Clyde A. Tucker with ARM2c Stephen D. Bakran as gunner and passes Kunna Head South of Bodø. It was one of two planes later lost in the attack.

A USAAF Douglas A-24B-5-DT (S/N 42-54459) Banshee of the 531st Fighter Squadron taxis on 13 December 1943. This was the first A-24B to arrive on Makin in the Gilbert Island Chain.

SBD-5s pictured on the assembly line at Douglas Aircraft Company's El Segundo Plant, California, 1943.

5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets (FFARs) mounted on a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber at Harvey Field, Inyokern, California. 20 April 1944.

A Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless (BuNo 06766, RNZAF serial NZ5034) assigned to the Royal New Zealand Air Force receives the attention of ground personnel on Espiritu Santo, in 1944. This aircraft was one of 27 SBD-4s obtained by the RNZAF and operated in the Solomon Islands by No. 25 Squadron RNZAF in 1943/44 until being replaced by Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighters. The SBD-4 BuNo 06766 (c/n 1611) was returned to the U.S. Marine Corps in March 1944.

One of nine Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers supplied to the United Kingdom in late 1943. Registered as JS997 the plane was named Dauntless Mk. I, but was not used operationally by the Royal Navy.

Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless.

A 3-view drawing of a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless published by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics on 1 June 1944.

Line workers at work on a production line of SBD-2/3 Dauntless aircraft at Douglas Aircraft Company's El Segundo plant, California, circa 1941.

Douglas aircraft plant, El Segundo, California: SBD-5 Dauntless scout bombers on the factory's 520 m (1,700 ft) long assembly line, August 1943. The planes in the foreground are in the BuNo 28490-94 serial number range.

Inside the Douglas aircraft plant at El Segundo, Cal. Women riveters working on a wing panel of an SBD. August 1943.

First plane (SBD) to land on new fighter ship. Forced landing made on November 21st, due to motor trouble. Plane repaired and take-off made on November 23rd. Pilot and Gunner seen in front of plane. (Pilot (on right side) is Lt. Judson C. Richardson, USMCR.)

Ordnancemen of U.S. Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241) "Sons of Satan" load a 1,000 pound bomb onto the bomb rack of a Douglas SBD Dauntless. "one of the obsolete planes that are giving the Japs so much hell on Luzon, where they operate in close support of Army infantry". Note the smaller bombs suspended from wing racks. Location: Luzon P.I. Unit: MAG-24 6 March 1945.

The end of the SBD was marked with ceremonies at Malabang, Mindanao on July 28th by members of Marine Air Group 24 of the First Marine Air Wing. Squadrons of that group were the last Marine units to use the Douglas Dauntless dive bomber in the Philippines campaign. Location: Malabang Philippines. Unit: MAG-24 / 1st MAW. 28 July 1945.

Fleecy clouds provide a dramatic background for a pilot in his SBD. 27 August 1943.

Majuro Island, Marshall Islands. Bombs are wheeled up to the flight line, to be loaded on the SBD-5 bombers parked there, 19 March 1944.

SBD’s of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 236 (VMSB-236) line up for early morning take-off from Bougainville Island air strips.

SBD’s of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 236 (VMSB-236) line up for early morning take-off from Bougainville Island air strips. Note, the metal-chain runway.

SBD taking off from the deck of USS Independence (CV 22). As the Flight Operations Director looks on from Flight Control, the time consumed in take-off is carefully noted by the enlisted man on the left. Photograph, April 30, 1943.

A flight deck tractor races down the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) to pick up another plane, during the Gilberts Operation, in November 1943. The tractor is a modified farm vehicle. The planes in foreground are Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16).

A ground crew watches a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber take off for a raid on Matanikau during the Guadalcanal Campaign, circa 1942. Note the USAAF Bell P-39/P-400 Airacobra in the background.

A parked Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless topples off of the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) as she heels sharply over after being hit by a bomb during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942.

Contemporary post card "Keep 'Em Flying" with SBD aircraft.

U.S. Navy aircraft of Carrier Air Group 4 (CVG-4) on deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) during operations in the North Atlantic on 29 June 1943. In front are Grumman TBF-1 Avengers from Torpedo Squadron VT-4, followed by Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats from Fighting Squadron VF-41 Red Rippers; Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless from Bombing Squadron VB-41 Tophatters are parked on the end of the flight deck.

Ammunition hoists bringing bombs to the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during operations in early 1942. Note the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers on the flight deck.

Aircraft at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Territory of Hawaii, circa in early 1941. Visible are four Grumman F3F-2 of Marine Fighting Squadron 2 (VMF-2), 13 Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless of Marine Bombing Squadron 2 (VMB-2) and a utility plane (probably a Vought O3U/SU). VMF-2 and VMB-2 were re-designated VMF-211 and VMSB-232 on 1 July 1941. VMSB-232 lost nine SBDs during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

U.S. Navy aircraft from Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12) landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless is in the foreground, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats are landing. November 1943.

View of the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) with aircraft of Carrier Air Group 5 (CVG-5) warming up, circa in November-December 1943. Visible are 18 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat of Fighting Squadron 5 (VF-5), 17 Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) and seven Grumman TBF-1 Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 5 (VT-5).

Douglas SBD-2/-3 Dauntless dive bombers and a single Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighter on the USS Enterprise (CV-6) (foreground) and the USS Hornet (CV-8) (background) speed towards Japan's Home Islands to launch the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942.

Aircrewmen, wounded during raid on Rabaul, on board the USS Saratoga (CV-3). Alva Parker (ARM1) who suffered shrapnel wounds in neck and shoulders, is helped from SBD. 5 November 1943.

U.S. Navy ordnancemen loading belted cartridges into a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless at Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia, circa September 1942.

An American SBD sweeps overhead to strafe the enemy hidden in their coral trenches, while a group of Marines lie prone in the sand peppering the Japanese across smoking No-Man's Land with rifle fire. Eniwetok Atoll, February 1944.

U.S. Navy ordnancemen of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) load a 500 pound (227 kg) demolition bomb on a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), during the first day of strikes on Guadalcanal and Tulagi, 7 August 1942. Note the aircraft's landing gear and the bomb crutch, the bomb cart, and the hoist.

U.S. Navy Aviation Ordnancemen loading a 1000-pound (454kg) general purpose bomb on a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless diver bomber on board an aircraft carrier, circa 1943-44. Note the landing gear details, the bomb cart and crutch, the block in the plane's intake, and the false gun ports painted on the wing.

Barrier crash of a U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless aboard the escort carrier USS Charger (ACV-30) on 16 March 1943.

Smoke rises from the site of an explosion following a bomb drop on a hill behind Choiseul Bay during an attack on a Japanese transit base at Choiseul Bay, Choiseul (Lauru) Island, Solomon Islands. The flight was guided by Sub-Lieutenant Alexander Nicol Anton Waddell, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RANVR), who had been a coastwatcher on the island since October 1942. 15 February 1944.

Scene on the port bridge wing of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7), during operations off Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942. Among those present are (from left to right, in the right center) Commander D.F. Smith (hatless); Captain Forrest P. Sherman, Commanding Officer (wearing helmet); Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes, Commander Task Group 61.1 (facing camera); and Lieutenant Commander Wallace M. Beakley, Commander Wasp Air Group, who is making his report to RAdm. Noyes. Note Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bombers (one with a rather small national star painted on its fuselage) on the flight deck and .30 caliber machine gun mounted on the bridge bulwark.

Cactus Air Force aircraft crowd Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, circa 1942. Visible are (circa) 21 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, eight Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bombers, three Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina patrol planes and four Boeing B-17E/F Flying Fortress bombers.

Aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), PhoM 1/c Joe Day (foreground) and PhoM 1/c Len Globus (top) examine a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10), damaged during a photographic mission over Truk Atoll, 16-17 February 1944.

The burning wreckage of an U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber pictured at Ewa Mooring Mast Field (later Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Ewa, Hawaii) after the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) in the water, after ditching, 30 March 1944. It’s crew is abandoning the plane to await rescue. This SBD was hit by anti-aircraft fire during a raid on the Palau Islands.

Training on a Douglas SBD Dauntless at the Naval Air Technical Training Center, Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee (USA), circa 1944. This SBD is completely equipped with guns, radio equipment, etc. and is used for plane familiarization in the ARM school.

Guadalcanal-Tulagi Operation, 1942: U.S. Navy LCP(L) and other landing craft maneuver near the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 24 July 1942, during preparations for the invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Note the Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bombers on the carrier's flight deck. The aircraft in the foreground has interesting markings: the mission letter (S) appears on the fin, with the individual aircraft number aft of the fuselage star. The plane to the left illustrates the usual practice, with the mission letter (B) and individual aircraft number both painted forward of the star. "S-8" identifies it as an aircraft of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6), "B-3" as one of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6).

Douglas SBD "Dauntless" dive bomber balanced on nose after crash landing on carrier flight deck, June 21, 1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless landing aboard the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25), circa in mid-1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), circa June 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (41-B-15) of Bombing Squadron 41 (VB-41) taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), in 1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2/3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) and Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 19 May 1942.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers prepare to take off from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), circa June 1942. Note the tail of a Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat in the foreground.

A Refueling Detail (red caps and jerseys) refueling a U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless, on the flight deck of a training escort carrier, circa mid-1943. The Detail consists of hose man, swab man, and fire extinguisher (CO2) man. The plane captain (brown cap and jersey) is in the cockpit.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless of Marine scout bomber squadron VMSB-233 at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in 1943. Note the bombload and the rough hand-painted side number on the fuselage. VMSB-233 was established on 1 May 1942, and arrived at Guadalcanal in January 1943. The squadron was later redesignated VMTB-233 and operated during the Okinawa campaign from the escort carrier USS Block Island (CVE-106).

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Marine scout bomber squadron VMSB-243 Flying Goldbricks in 1944-1945.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless dive bomber of either Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) or Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) prepares for takeoff during the 1 February 1942 Marshall Islands Raid.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (6-S-7) of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), in May 1942. During the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942, 6-S-7, crew Lt(jg) Norman J. "Dusty" Kleiss, RM3c J.W. Snowden, participated in the attacks on the Japanese aircraft carriers Kaga and Hiryū on 4 June. On 5 June and 6 June, plane and crew attacked the heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma. Kleiss was credited with a bomb hit each on Kaga, Hiryū and Mikuma.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (marked "GC" for "[Air] Group Commander", officially "Commander Enterprise Air Group (CEAG)") taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), in May 1942. During the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942, this plane was flown by LCdr. Wade McClusky, gunner W.G. Chochalousek, ARM1c, and participated in the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (6-B-1) of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 19 May 1942. During the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942, 6-B-1, crew Lt. Richard H. Best (Commanding Officer VB-6), J.F. Murray, ACRM(PA), participated in the attacks on the Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi and Hiryū on 4 June. Best scored the single hit on Akagi that eventually sank her, he probably also hit Hiryū. On 5 June (crew Lt.(jg) E.L. Anderson, W.G. Chochalousek, ARM1c) and 6 June (crew Lt. L.A. Smith, H.H. Caruthers, AMM2c), the plane attacked the heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (BuNo 03224, "6-S-5") of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), in May 1942. During the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942, 6-S-5 participated in the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, but had to ditch on the return flight to USS Enterprise. The crew, Ens. F.W. O'Flaherty, AMM1C B.P. Gaido, was recovered by the Japanese destroyer Makigumo but both were executed on 15 June 1942.

Flight deck scene aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 1 February 1942, during the raids against the Japanese-held Marshall Islands. Note the belts of .50 caliber ammunition being carried around by the crewman in the foreground. The aircraft in the background are part of the carrier's air group Douglas SBD-3 Dauntlesses.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber of scouting squadron VS-8, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), taking off in May 1942. U.S. Navy "Battle of Midway" movie screenshot.

U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless of Marine Scouting Bombing Squadron 233 (VMSB-233) "Bulldogs" take off from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, in 1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16) lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16), during the Marshalls and Gilberts Campaign, circa November 1943. Note the tail hook man running toward the plane to release the arresting wire.

A U.S. Navy plane director (in yellow cap and jersey) guides plane handlers (blue caps and jerseys) in "spotting" a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bomber (BuNo 28360) on the hangar deck of an escort carrier, circa 1943-1945. The ship was on training duty at the time.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless and Grumman TBF-1 Avenger ready for takeoff from an escort carrier on training duty, circa mid-1943. The flight deck officer is in left center, while chock men stand ready to pull chocks on his order. Note the yellow training unit markings, and the red-bordered national insignias on the planes.

U.S. Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator aircraft of Torpedo Squadron 5 (VT-5) parked at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 September 1941. Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless planes of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) are beyond the TBDs, with Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters and Vought SB2U Vindicator scout bombers further in the left background. The TBDs have been recently repainted in the new blue gray & light gray color scheme, while the other planes are still in the earlier overall light gray. VT-5 and VB-5 were assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) , which left Norfolk on the following day for operations in the North Atlantic.

Aircraft of U.S. Marine Corps Marine Air Group 22 (MAG-22) at Engebi Island, Eniwetok Atoll, in 1944. In the foreground are two Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers, in the background are Vought F4U-1A Corsair fighters from Marine fighter squadron VMF-113 Whistling Death.

A U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat of Fighting Squadron VF-10 "Grim Reapers" and a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) off Guadalcanal, in 1942.

Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat of Fighting Squadron 71 (VF-71) and Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7), in 1942.

A tail gunner with a flexible 7.62 mm (0.30 in) Browning M1919 machine gun in the rear cockpit of a Douglas SBD Dauntless. In 1942, the SBD receive a twin mount in the rear cockpit.

Wreckage of a SBD scout bomber, still burning after it was destroyed by a Japanese air attack on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, 1942.

Watercolor by Albert M. Leahy, USMCR (Ret.), depicting Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers operating out of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in October, 1942. U.S. Marine Corps Art Collection.

Flight deck of USS Hornet (CV-8) on the morning of 4 June 1942. Aircraft are spotted and ready to take off for strike on Japanese Kido Butai during Battle of Midway. F4F-4 Wildcats (from left to right) F-21, F-16, F-20, F-24 and F-22 can be identified in the foreground. This photo shows only 10 Wildcats and according to Lundstrom's The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway (p. 333-334) take-off order these should be all of Mitchell´s escort fighters. Therefore another five unidentified Wildcats should be F-18, F-5, F-9, F-19 and F-13. None of them will return. SBD Dauntlesses in the background should be (according to Lundstrom) from Scounting Eight. According to Clayton Fisher's story  the forward SBD in the middle should be Fisher´s Bombing Eight SBDs. Note the old type of helmets on heads of handling-crew.

U.S. Navy LCDR James D. "Jig Dog" Ramage in an Douglas SBD Dauntless aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) circa 1944.

Navy pilots head for ready room after landing their planes on USS Yorktown CV-10, circa October 1943.

Pilot of VMSV-231 at Majuro Island, Capt. John F. Adams, USMC on the wing of his plane, August 1944.

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 1942: Plane handling crews at work aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the action, 26 October 1942. The plane at center is Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighter. To the right is a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless. Other planes are overhead. Note that the ship is heeling over to port.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2/3 Dauntless of the Enterprise Air Group pictured on the after part of the Big E's flight deck during escorting of USS Hornet (CV-8) and the Doolittle Raiders for the Tokyo Raid. A Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat is being armed on the right.

A crewmember inspects and cleans the .30 caliber (7.62mm) twin Browning M1919 machine gun of a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless on board of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 10 April 1942.

SBD Dauntless with Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller, 6 March 1945.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-8 on deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942. Note the mix of old and new style helmets on the plane handlers.

The fighter strip at Torokina was hacked out of the Bougainville jungle. This December 1943 view shows a lineup of U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsairs and a Douglas SBD Dauntless, which is completing its landing rollout past a grading machine still working to finish the new landing field.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2/3 Dauntless aircraft of scouting squadron VS-8 catching the arrestor wire on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) in early 1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2/3 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-6 crashes into the catwalk after catching an arrestor wire on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during operations in the Pacific, in early 1942.

A crewmember of a ditched U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber of a stateside training unit is rescued by a Sikorsky HNS-1 helicopter, circa 1944-45.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5/-6 Dauntless during a mission over Luzon, Philippines, in 1945. Marine Air Groups 24 and 32 arrived at Mangaldan on 25 January, and combat operations began two days later. By the end of the month, 7 squadrons consisting of 472 officers and more than 3,000 men, and 174 SBDs of VMSBs-133, -142, -236, -241, -243, -244, and -341 had reached Mangaldan.

Battle of the Coral Sea, 8 May 1942: A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless of Scouting Squadron 2 (VS-2) passes through the "screen" for the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) during the anti-torpedo plane patrol action of that day. The plane may be that of Lieutenant Junior Grade William E. Hall (who was awarded the Medal of Honor that day) or Ensign John A. Leppla, (who won a Navy Cross). Previous captions state that this is a Japanese plane. The silhouette matches that of an SBD, however.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5/-6 Dauntless takes off for a mission over Luzon, Philippines, in 1945. Marine Air Groups 24 and 32 arrived at Mangaldan on 25 January, and combat operations began two days later. By the end of the month, 7 squadrons consisting of 472 officers and more than 3,000 men, and 174 SBDs of VMSBs-133, -142, -236, -241, -243, -244, and -341 had reached Mangaldan.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bomber from Bombing Squadron VB-3, probably flown by Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Paul A. Holmberg, ditches near USS Astoria (CA-34) at about 1342 hrs on 4 June 1942. This was one of two VB-3 planes that ditched near Astoria after they were unable to land on the damaged USS Yorktown (CV-5). A Consolidated PBY Catalina is flying nearby, in right center.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-10, Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10), launches from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 1615-1630h on 19 June 1944. The squadron took part in the strikes against the Japanese carriers at dusk on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Of the 12 planes of the squadron only one ran out of gas, but the crew was rescued. They had taken off at 1615h and landed at 2215h.

Maintenance on U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers of composite squadron VC-22 on the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22) in mid-1943. By the time the light aircraft carriers went to combat in late 1943, SBDs had been omitted from their air groups.

U.S. Navy flight deck personnel maneuver a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-6 onto a deck edge wheel mount on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 17 April 1942. This allowed for more room on the flight deck. The SBD-3 6-B-15 (BuNo 4542) was flown during the Battle of Midway by Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr. It was damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga on 4 June 1942 and landed on the USS Yorktown (CV-5) as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier.

U.S. Navy plane handlers maneuver a Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-2 into position on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2). Note the overall gray light gray paint scheme with white numbering and lettering that was carried on U.S. Navy aircraft for a brief time during 1941. Established as bombing squadron VB-5B in 1934, the squadron was redesignated VB-2 in 1937 and began operating from Lexington. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, VB-2 participated in the March 1942 raid against Lae and Salamaua and the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942.

A damaged U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6, aircraft 6-S-5) on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 1 February 1942. Withdrawing after launching an attack against Kwajalein, Enterprise was attacked by five Japanese Mitsubishi G3M land-based bombers. Manning the flexible rear machine gun on an SBD-2 of bombing squadron VS-6, AMM Bruno Gaido attempted to help fight off the attackers. The wing of one of the disabled bombers severed the tail of Gaido's Dauntless, spreading burning gasoline across the deck before crashing into the ocean. For his heroism, Gaido was promoted and assigned duty as an aircrewman. Gaido was shot down with his pilot Ensign Frank W. O'Flaherty on 4 June 1942 and later picked up by the Japanese destroyer Makigumo. Circa 8-9 June both were murdered as they were tied to water-filled gasoline drums and dumped overboard.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3/-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 41 (VB-41) on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), at anchor in Placentia, Newfoundland. VB-41 was redesignated Bombing Squadron 4 (VB-4) on 4 August 1943. While operating with Royal Navy's Home Fleet, in October 1943, aircraft from Ranger attacked German shipping on Norwegian coast ("Operation Leader"). This was the second of only two periods of combat for Ranger in Atlantic Theater.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of either scouting squadron VS-8 or bombing squadron VB-8 landing on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), probably during the Battle of Midway, 4-6 June 1942.

View of a U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless from Marine scout bombing squadron VMSB-236 Back Panthers in 1945. The plane was flown by 1st Lt Frank H. McFadden, who flew 133 missions in the Philippines, and was hit over Manila, Luzon, by Japanese flak. VMSB-236 In had moved to Luzon in the Philippines in January of 1945 and was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) at an airfield in Mangaldan near the Lingayen Gulf.

A damaged U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-6 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), 1 February 1942. Withdrawing after launching an attack against Kwajalein, Enterprise was attacked by five Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" land-based bombers. Manning the flexible rear machine gun on an SBD-2 of bombing squadron VB-6, AMM Bruno Gaido attempted to help fight off the attackers. The wing of one of the disabled bombers severed the tail of Gaido's Dauntless, spreading burning gasoline across the deck before crashing into the ocean. For his heroism, Gaido was promoted and assigned duty as an aircrewman. Gaido was shot down with his pilot Ensign Frank W. O'Flaherty on 4 June 1942 and later picked up by the Japanese destroyer Makigumo. Circa 8-9 June both were murdered as they were tied to water-filled gasoline drums and dumped overboard.

Douglas SBD Dauntless, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, and Grumman TBF-1 Avenger aircraft are re-spotted for takeoff at "FLY 3", on a U.S. Navy Bogue-class escort carrier, circa mid-1943. Note the 2-way tie downs on wings and tails, with wheels chocked. The planes wear yellow training unit markings and the red-outlined national insignia.

SBD-1 (BuNo 1603) with Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller, 1940.

A Douglas SBD-1P Dauntless was used the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California (USA), by from 24 October 1941 to 21 February 1942 to gain data on flying qualities, stability and control, and performance.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (8-S-9) assigned to bombing squadron VB-8 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), in mid-1942. Note USS Enterprise (CV-6) on the horizon at right.

U.S. Navy flight deck personnel disengage the tailhook of a bomb-laden Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6) from an arresting wire aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). Note the diagonal tail stripes to assist the Landing Signals Officer when bringing the planes aboard. A "B15" (BuNo 4542), with Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr. landed on board USS Yorktown (CV-5) on 4 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway. This plane, damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga that morning, landed on Yorktown as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier. Perforated aerodynamic brakes lowered down as normal during landing or deck operations, above them perforated diving flaps in the neutral position.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless of Marine scout bomber squadron VMSB-233 at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in 1943. Note the bombload and the rough hand-painted side number on the fuselage. VMSB-233 was established on 1 May 1942, and arrived at Guadalcanal in January 1943. The squadron was later redesignated VMTB-233 and operated during the Okinawa campaign from the escort carrier USS Block Island (CVE-106).

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron VMSB-233 pictured on the ground at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The damaged aircraft is probably being used for parts to support other SBDs. Note the rough hand-painted side number on the aircraft. VMSB-233 was established on 1 May 1942, and arrived at Guadalcanal in January 1943. The squadron was later redesignated VMTB-233 and operated during the Okinawa campaign on board USS Block Island (CVE-106).

Majuro Island, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands: bombs on their carts (most of these appear to be 1000-pound bombs), ready for loading on the Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bombers in the background, March 1944. The "Ace of Spades" insignia on planes indicate that these SBDs belong to Marine Scouting Bombing Squadron 231 (VMSB-231).

A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless (BuNo. 28520) that was being used as the station weather plane at Naval Air Station Jacksonville (Florida) when this photo was taken on 18 April 1945.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron VB-10 is readied for launching on the catapult of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). VB-10 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10) aboard the Big E from 16 January to 15 July 1944. Note the crewmen turning a crank to start the Wright R-1820 engine.

A U.S. Navy launch officer on board USS Lexington (CV-16) waves the checkered flag signaling the launch of an Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron VB-16 on a strike in the Central Pacific. VB-16 operated from Lexington during the period September 1943-June 1944, and was for a time one of only two Dauntless squadrons assigned to Pacific fleet carriers. The squadron participated in the famous attack against the Japanese Fleet during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944.

Flight deck crews aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) spot Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) for take-off, 20 November 1943. Yorktown was then hitting targets in the Marshall Islands, to cover the landings in the Gilbert Islands.

Nineteen U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 9 (VB-9) on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9), probably at Pearl Harbor. VB-9 operated Dauntless´ in combat during the period from 31 August 1943 to 22 February 1944, participating in strikes against Marcus Island, Wake Island, Rabaul, the Gilbert Islands, Wotje-Kwajalein, Roi, Truk, and the Marianas.

Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) preparing for takeoff on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for the Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. Air group commander Lieutenant Commander Howard Young, USN, is in the following plane, as denoted by letters "GC" (Group Commander) on cowl front. Note the gun gallery of 12.7 mm cal. water-cooled Browning machine guns and the fleet oiler in the background.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers aboard an aircraft carrier during the Marshall Islands campaign. Three Grumman TBF-1 Avengers are flying overhead.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron 8 (VB-8) and Scouting Squadron 8 (VS-8) tied down on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) during the carrier's participation in launching the "Doolittle Raiders" against Tokyo, April 1942. Note that parts of the wings and tails of some of the USAAF North American B-25B Mitchell bombers are visible in the photograph.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3/5 Dauntless dive bombers of composite squadron VC-29 lined up for launch from the escort carrier USS Santee (ACV-29) during operations in the Atlantic. Armed with depth charges, the aircraft will fly antisubmarine patrol over the convoy ships visible in the background. As escort-scouting squadron VGS-29, the squadron also flew missions in support of the North Africa invasion in November 1942.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bombers preparing to take off from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), during operations in the Coral Sea, 18 April 1942. The first plane is from Scouting Squadron 5 (VS-5). Note that it has no insignia painted under its starboard wing, and that the insignia below its port wing is much smaller than that on the next SBD. The man standing at left, just beyond the first plane's wingtip, is Boatswain Chester E. Briggs.

U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of Marine scout-bombing squadron VMSB-231 taxi on the airstrip at Majuro, Marshall Islands, prior to launching on attack against Japanese installations on Mili Atoll (6°7'60N 171°55'0E). Mili was bombed for eighteen months by US aircraft. All supply lines were cut off, and of the originally 5,100 strong Japanese garrison only 2,500 survived, dying mainly from starvation. It was the first Pacific island to surrender on 22 August 1945. Redesignated from Marine Scouting Squadron Two (VMS-2) in July 1941, VMSB-231 aircraft flew to Midway in December 1941, and in March 1942 some elements returned to Hawaii. The remaining personnel formed the nucleus of a new squadron, VMSB-241, which fought during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Following the battle, the survivors returned to VMSB-231. The squadron arrived at Guadalcanal on 30 August 1942, and remained there until November. Subsequently, the squadron served in the Marshalls, where for a brief time it flew F4U Corsairs under the designation VMBF-231. The squadron was redesignated VMTB-231 in August 1945.

SBD being serviced, Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1944.

Pilots and aircrewmen of VB-303, Santa Rosa, California, 25 April 1944.

Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft, 1943.

A tractor pulls a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless off a makeshift dock and onto the beach on Espiritu Santo island in 1942. Note the LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) beached in the foreground.

Twin flexible 7.62 mm (0.30 in) Browning M1919 machine gun in the rear cockpit of a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless. 8 July 1942.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, circa 1942.

U.S. Navy Lieutenant John A. Leppla (right) shakes hands with Radioman 3rd Class John Liska in front of a Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California (USA), on 6 July 1942. During the Battle of the Coral Sea they were pilot and gunner of a SBD-3 from Scouting Squadron 2 (VS-2), based onboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), and were credited with shooting down five Japanese planes during one air action. Leppla joined Fighter Squadron 10 (VF-10) and was killed during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942.

Flight officers of VMSB-235 with a SBD Dauntless.

The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) loading Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from a barge, circa 1944.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless dive bombers and Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers (aft) on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) in early 1942.

The flight deck of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 15 May 1942. Visible are 15 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of fighting squadron VF-6 and six Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-6 and/or scouting squadron VS-6.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, and Grumman TBF-1 Avenger aircraft of Carrier Air Group Ten (CVG-10) on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), on 2 May 1943. The battleship USS Washington (BB-56) is visible astern. The ships were part of Task Force 16 and were en route to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (USA), after leaving Noumea, Espiritu Santo, on 30 April. TF 16 arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 May 1943.

View of the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9), looking aft from the carrier's island during her shakedown cruise, 20 March 1943. Planes parked on deck are Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters (in the foreground, with wings folded) and Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless scout bombers from Carrier Air Group 9 (CVG-9).

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-8 or scouting squadron VS-8 landing on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942. Note the personnel wearing battle gear and the pilot in full flight gear, including leather helmet, Mae West, and flight suit. VB-8 and VS-8 did not locate the Japanese fleet during operations on 4 June 1942, losing six aircraft between them. However, on 6 June the squadrons participated in attacks against the Japanese cruisers Mogami and Mikuma.

The new U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22) in San Francisco Bay on 15 July 1943. Note that she still carries Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers. Before entering combat the air group would only consist of Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters and TBF Avenger torpedo bombers.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber of composite squadron VC-22 taking off from the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22) in mid-1943. By the time the light aircraft carriers went to combat in late 1943, SBDs had been omitted from their air groups.

A U.S. Navy Gleaves-class destroyer passing aft of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) off North Africa on 8 November 1942. The Air Group Screen was composed of the light cruiser USS Cleveland (CL-35) and Destroyer Division 10, consisting of USS Ellyson (DD-454), USS Forrest (DD-461), USS Fitch (DD-462), USS Corry (DD-463), and USS Hobson (DD-464). Nine Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters and five Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers are visible on the flight deck. Note Ranger´s distinctive stacks in the left foreground.

The U.S. Navy fleet oiler USS Sabine (AO-25) approaches the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for refueling on 11 May 1942. On deck are Douglas SBD-2/-3 Dauntless from Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) and Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6). A Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat from Fighting Squadron 6 (VF-6) in foreground bears the old red-centered star markings.

Vella Lavella airfield in the Solomons on 10 December 1943. Visible U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsair aircraft of Marine fighter squadrons VMF-123 and VMF-124, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats, a Douglas SBD Dauntless, and RNZAF Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk.IV (P-40F) on the primitive runway at Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands, which was seized in the summer of 1943 and served as a base of operations to support landings by Allied forces in the Treasury Islands and at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. The swift advance of Allied forces in the South Pacific soon bypassed Vella Lavella and the airfield ceased operations in September 1944, less than a year after the first aircraft arrived.

A U.S. soldier paints a third Japanese flag on a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, signifying Japanese planes shot down in attacks on the Solomon Islands, 26 August 1942. Note that this type of aircraft was an attack aircraft and not a fighter plane. SBDs were operated from Guadalcanal at that time by Marine Scouting Bombing Squadron 231 (VMSB-231), VMSB-232, "Flight 300" from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) with aircraft from Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) and Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) and a detachment of VS-3 from USS Saratoga (CV-3).

WAVE aviation metalsmiths at work on an Douglas SBD Dauntless in the Assembly and Repair Department at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, on 24 July 1943.

Parade on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), 10 April 1942, during the "Yorktown Jamboree". Following the ship's band, Marines with M-1 (Garand) rifles and fixed bayonets guard the Big T-Bone Steak ... the only one in captivity that was one feature of this celebration. At the extreme right is the tail of a Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter (BuNo 3999) that had been transferred to Fighting Squadron 42 (VF-42) from VF-2 in March 1942. It was lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea three weeks later. Note the Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless aircraft of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) parked in the background and the volleyball net in the upper center.

A-24 Banshee dive bombers of the 635th Bombardment Squadron in Alaska, 1943. Visible in front is Douglas A-24B-1-DT (S/N 42-54298) "Bar Fly".

8th Bombardment Squadron posing with an A-24 Banshee Dive Bomber - Breddan Airfield, Charters Towers, Australia, March 1942.

Assembling a United States Army Air Force Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bomber aircraft (s/n 41-15802) of the 27th Bombardment Group (light), at Archerfield, Queensland (Australia), in January 1942. A total of 52 of these aircraft were assembled in Queensland. 41-15802 crash-landed at Redbank near Ipswich (Australia) in January 1942. On 25 March the surviving 27th Bomb Group personnel consisting of 42 officers, 62 enlisted men, and 24 A-24s were assigned to the 3rd Bombardment Group at Charters Towers airfield in Queensland. 41-15902 was salvaged but finally written off on 7 November 1942.

A U.S. Army Air Force Douglas A-24 in flight, circa 1942.

A USAAF Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bomber, about early 1942. Note the extended dive brakes.

A USAAF Douglas A-24 Banshee in flight about 1942/43. Official text: "The Navy's SBD light dive bomber is the counterpart of the Army's A-24 (Dauntless) with the differences that adapt it to Navy requirements. This Douglas plane is equipped with slotted wing flaps to decrease air speed and obtain greater bombing accuracy. It is more maneuverable than the German Stuka and is capable of carrying heavier bomb loads."

A United States Army Air Force Douglas A-24B-15-DT Banshee (s/n 42-54736) of Headquarters Flight Section, 13th Air Force, on Morotai Island, Halmahera Islands, Netherlands East Indies, on 1 January 1945.

View of the top portion of the Wau airstrip, New Guinea, which was unique in that it ran up the slope of a hill requiring pilots to use judgment in landing. The aircraft are, from left to right, a CAC Wirraway of 4 Squadron RAAF (coded QE-L), a Douglas A-24 Banshee (s/n 41-15801) of the USAAF and a Stinson L-5 Sentinel (s/n 42-98060) of the 25th Liaison Squadron USAAF.

Douglas A-24 Banshee.

Douglas A-24 (S/N 41-15780) in flight.

Douglas A-24 Banshee, the USAAF version of the SBD Dauntless.

Douglas A-24 in flight.

A U.S. Army Air Force Douglas A-24B-1-DT Banshee (s/n 42-54298), in 1943.

A Douglas A-24 Dauntless of the U.S. Army Air Forces, probably in 1943. An interesting fact is that this plane was flown by female pilot Helen W. Snapp (WASP), Washington D.C., who was assigned to a low-target squadron at Camp Stewart, Georgia.

Unidentified 1941 Douglas A-24-DE Banshee (Dauntless) dive bomber, ex-27th Bombardment Group, reassigned to the 8th Bombardment Squadron of the 3rd Bombardment Group, 1942.

Original contemporary caption: "Gunners in the 'bucket' ready seat of the diving Dauntlesses use their twin thirties to strafe targets, as the ship pulls out of her dive, or to hit Nips flushed during "flat hatting" runs at treetop levels, and on the return trip to home base, they watch skies for any Jap planes. In the Philippines, they were alert in vain most of the time... the Japs just didn't come up to fight... but hope springs eternal." 1st MAW, Zamboanga, 1 July 1945.

SBD-5 from USS Lexington (CV-16) over Majuro Atoll. Photograph released 13 May 1944.

SBD aircraft flying in foreground. Oblique looking southeast with Mt. St. Helens, Washington, in the background. Photograph released 18 July 1944.

SBD’s on patrol duty. Photographed by Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, released November 1942.

Aircraft carrier SBD’s at dawn. Photographed by Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, released November 1942.

Operation Torch, November 1942. SBD Dauntless planes from USS Ranger (CV-4) en route to invade French North Africa. A Navy scout bomber flies on anti-submarine patrol.

Operation Torch, November 1942. SBD Dauntless planes from USS Ranger (CV-4) en route to invade French North Africa. A Navy scout bomber flies on anti-submarine patrol.

SBD’s of a U.S. Marine Squadron fly to Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands, for another strike against Japanese islands, August 1944.

SBD’s of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 236 (VMSB-236), from Bougainville Island, head for early morning strikes against Japanese-held islands.

SBD’s of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 236 (VMSB-236), from Bougainville Island, head for early morning strikes against Japanese-held islands. The aircraft is passing Bagana, Bougainville’s active volcano, on the way to Kavieng.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, circa 1943.

U.S. Navy or Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Allied Air Solomons (AirSols, also known as "Cactus Air Force") head out on a bombing mission in the Solomon Islands in early 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft in flight, 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, circa 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses in flight, circa 1942.

Four U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avengers from Torpedo Squadron 10 (VT-10) and eleven Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bombers from Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) fly in formation, with their parent aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) below, en route to strike Palau, on 30 March 1944. Both squadrons were assigned to Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10) which operated from the deck of the Big E during the period from January to July 1944.

The gunner of a U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) secures equipment as the pilot tries to release bombs, in preparation for ditching, 30 March 1944. The plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over the Palau Islands. After ditching, its crew was picked up by a Task Force 58 ship. Note oil, coating the upper fuselage and tail.

Douglas SBD-3 Dauntlesses in flight, circa 1942.

A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of U.S. Marine Corps scout/bombing squadron VMSB-144 Hensagliska turns toward the beachhead area prior to peeling off in one of the pre-landing airstrikes at Cape Torokina, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, on 1 November 1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless assigned to Scouting Squadron VS-2 pictured in flight. Note the diagonal stripe to assist the Landing Signal Officer during carrier approaches and the Indian head squadron insignia on the cowling. Circa 1942.

A U.S. Navy or Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless in tricolor scheme carrying bomb, ca. 1944-45.

U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in flight over the Solomons, in 1942-1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless makes slow and low pass over the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) to drop a weighted message during the Doolittle Raid, 18 May 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless scout bomber goes around for another landing attempt, after being "waved off" by the Landing Signal Officer on USS Ranger (CV-4), circa June 1942.

Beached Japanese transports burn at Guadalcanal, as a U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless flies by in the foreground, 16 November 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless in a bombing dive using its characteristic dive flaps, circa 1942.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers on a combat mission off New Georgia Island in the Solomon Islands, 16 January 1944.

A U.S. U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD Dauntless in flight over Guadalcanal, in 1943. The plane was named "The Milk Wagon to Munda Plane". The Japanese airfield at Munda, New Georgia, was almost daily attacked by Allied aircraft between 2 December 1942 and 1 August 1943.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 4 (VB-4) lands on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), in early 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, circa 1941.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber takes off from the training carrier USS Wolverine (IX-64), 20 March 1943. Note the ice in the water.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless flies over the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6), foreground, and USS Saratoga (CV-3) near Guadalcanal on 19 December 1942. The aircraft is likely on anti-submarine patrol. Saratoga is trailed by her plane guard destroyer. Another flight of three aircraft is visible near the Saratoga. The radar array on the Enterprise has been obscured by a wartime censor.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2/-3 Dauntless dive bombers of Scouting Squadron Six (VS-6) peeling off for a practice attack in 1941.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless in flight in 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-10, Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10), based on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), in 1944. The plane with its crew, pilot Don Lewis and gunner John Mankin, took part in the strikes against the Japanese carriers at dusk on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The crew and plane returned to finally land aboard the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10). They had taken off at 1615h and landed at 2215h.

Two U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless scout bombers from Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6), based aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), in flight over the Pacific, circa in late 1941. They are painted in the two-tone grey camouflage scheme adopted during the latter part of 1941.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless in flight off Hawaii, 10 October 1941. The plane is flown by the USS Enterprise (CV-6) Air Group Commander, Lieutenant Commander Howard L. (Brigham) Young, USN. The letters CAG are painted in black on the plane's wing, immediately outboard of the wingwalk.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers from scouting squadron VS-8 from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) approaching the burning Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her, during the Battle of Midway, 6 June 1942. Mikuma had been hit earlier by strikes from Hornet and USS Enterprise (CV-6), leaving her dead in the water and fatally damaged. Note bombs hung beneath the SBDs.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber of bombing squadron VB-8, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in May 1942. U.S. Navy "Battle of Midway" movie screenshot.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless in flight, in 1943.

A rare Dauntless photo for the markings as it carries the insignia of the Naval Air Transport Command. Over South San Francisco in April 1946.

A rare Naval Air Transport Service Dauntless in flight over San Francisco Bay in April 1946.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bombers of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) fly in formation near their carrier, USS Enterprise (CV-6), during operations with Task Force 58 in the Central Pacific, March 1944.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16) en route to strike Japanese defensive positions on D-Day at Saipan, 15 June 1944. VB-16 operated from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) during the period from September 1943 to June 1944, and was for a time one of only two Dauntless squadrons assigned to U.S. Pacific Fleet carriers.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5) lands on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) after striking the Japanese base at Truk, 17-18 February 1944. The Yorktown senior Landing Signal Officer, Lt. JG Red Voltz, is visible on the right. Two planes in the landing circle can be seen in the background.

Four U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Composite Squadron 35 (VC-35) fly over the northern part of Eniwetok Atoll, on 18 February 1944. VC-35 was assigned to Escort Carrier Air Group 35 (CVEG-35) aboard the escort carrier USS Chenango (CVE-28) from November 1943 to March 1944. The large island below is Engebi, captured on 17-18 February.

A formation of U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers from Marine Scouting Squadron 3 (VMS-3) "Devilbirds" in flight near the Virgin Islands. Based at Marine Corps Air Station Bourne Field, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, during the entire course of its existence, the squadron logged patrols from 1934 to 1944. Included among them were flights on 11-14 May 1942 to circumvent the expected escape attempt of the French Fleet for Guadeloupe. Note the Atlantic Theater camouflage on the aircraft.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bomber en route to strike enemy targets during the carrier raids on the Hollandia, New Guinea, area, 21 April 1944. Hollandia air field is directly below, with Sentani airfield in the middle distance and Lake Sentani at the top. Wrecked Japanese planes litter Hollandia field, largely the victims of USAAF attacks earlier in the month.

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless from Marine scout/bombing squadron VMSB-231 Ace of Spades flying from Majuro Atoll in early 1944. The markings indicate 23 bombing missions having been flown by the aircraft. Note the mission markings and Ace of Spades insignia on the aircraft. The pilot of the aircraft is Major Elmer G. Glidden, a Midway and Guadalcanal veteran, who commanded VMSB-231 twice during the period September 1942-September 1943 and 1 November 1943-September 1944. He logged 104 combat dives during World War II. Re-designated from Marine Scouting Squadron Two (VMS-2) in July 1941, VMSB-231 aircraft flew to Midway in December 1941, and in March 1942 some elements returned to Hawaii. The remaining personnel formed the nucleus of a new squadron, VMSB-241, which fought during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Following the battle, the survivors returned to VMSB-231. The squadron arrived at Guadalcanal on 30 August 1942, and remained there until November. Subsequently, the squadron served in the Marshalls, where for a brief time it flew F4U Corsairs under the designation VMBF-231. The squadron was redesignated VMTB-231 in August 1945.

Three U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless scout bombers of Scouting Squadron 51 (VS-51) fly in formation over the Pacific Ocean in October 1943.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16), Carrier Air Group 16, from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16), over Saipan on their way to bomb Aslito airfield, 15 June 1944.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16), Carrier Air Group 16, from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16), fly over the invasion fleet off Saipan, on "D-Day", 15 June 1944.

Three U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless scout bombers of Scouting Squadron 51 (VS-51) fly in formation over the Pacific Ocean in October 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses in flight, circa 1942/43.

Fifteen U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger in flight over Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, on 9 November 1943. A single Douglas SBD Dauntless is visible in the background.

SBD Dauntlesses from US Navy squadron Scouting Five from the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) head for Lae, New Guinea to attack Japanese shipping. 10 March 1942.

Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, circa 1942/43.

A flight of Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers speeds to the attack of a Japanese base at Rekata Bay.

A Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber returns to its base after a late patrol flight as the sun sets in a brilliant display of color across the Pacific, June 22, 1943.

A U.S. Navy Landing Signal Officer guiding a Douglas SBD on a shore base during the Second World War.

A captured Japanese Nakajima B6N2 Tenzan ("Heavenly Mountain", allied code name "Jill") shown in US markings in 1945 flying in company with a Douglas SBD Dauntless. After capture, it was restored by the Technical Air Intelligence Unit South-West Pacific and flown by allied pilots for assessment purposes.

Two U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Scouting Squadron 5 (VS-5) fly past the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), during operations in the Coral Sea, circa in April 1942. The planes parked on the flight deck, in the foreground, are Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat of Fighting Squadron 42 (VF-42).

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) in formation over the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on the day of strikes against Palau. The lead aircraft is flown by LCDR James D. Ramage. One of the last two SBD squadrons to operate from U.S. fleet carriers during World War II, VB-10 flew from the deck of the Big E during the period January-July 1944, and participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19-20 June 1944.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-4 in flight, 1943. VB-4 was assigned to the USS Yorktown (CV-10), but was replaced by VB-5 before Yorktown departed for combat duty in the Pacific.

Three U.S. Marine Corps Douglas SBD-5/-6 Dauntless from Marine scout bomber squadron VMSB-235 Death Angels on a ferry flight from Cape Torokina, Bougainville, in 1944. Note the drop tanks. The pilots were: Schluckebeir (206), Larson (208), and Schall (209).

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless scout bomber in flight over the Pacific, circa mid-1941. This is the USS Enterprise (CV-6) Air Group Commander's aircraft, wearing the light grey color scheme used during the first part of 1941. "Commander Enterprise Group" is painted in white block capital letters on the fuselage side, immediately in front of the National star. Commander, Enterprise Air Group was Howard Leyland Young from April 1941 to April 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless assigned to Scouting Squadron Five (VS-5) in flight. Note the overall light gray paint scheme with white lettering. VS-5 traced its origins to 1937, and all of their prewar carrier duty occurred aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5). Receiving SBD-3 aircraft in 1941, the squadron participated in the 1 February 1942 raid against targets in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, and in the strike against Lae and Salamaua the following month. On 7-8 May they flew strikes against Japanese carriers during the epic Battle of the Coral Sea.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless assigned to either Scouting Squadron 71 or 72 (VS-71/VS-72) off USS Wasp (CV-7) in flight in the vicinity of Guadalcanal. The aircraft of these squadrons helped support Operation Watchtower, the invasion of Guadalcanal beginning on 7 August 1942. Following the sinking of Wasp on 15 September, eleven VS-71 aircraft and crews were sent to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, flying combat missions from 28 September to 7 November 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-3 pictured in flight with Lt. Harold S. Bottomley, Jr., and AMM2c Daniel F. Johnson aboard. It is the same aircraft they flew during the Battle of Midway in June 1942 from the aircraft carriers USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Enterprise (CV-6), although it was then marked "B-10". Bottomley and Johnson participated in the successful attacks on the Japanese carriers Soryu and Hiryu on 4 June 1942, flying "B-10".

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-6 in flight in 1942. During the Second World War VB-6 operated from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) from the Pearl Harbor attack until she had to return to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24/25 August 1942. VS-6 and VB-6 crews under VS-6 CO Turner Cladwell then operated for another month form Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, known as "Flight 300" (from the Enterprise flight schedule on 24 August).

Naval Air Transport Service SBD-5 (36550).

SBD-5 landing OLF Concord, 1944.

SBD-5 landing OLF Concord, 1944.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) pictured in the landing pattern above the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during operations in the Pacific. Note the bomb rack and YE radar antenna beneath the starboard wing. One of the last two SBD squadrons to operate from U.S. fleet carriers during World War II, VB-10 flew from the deck of the Big E during the period January-July 1944, and participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19-20 June 1944.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless assigned to Composite Squadron 22 (VC-22) pictured with hook down during an approach for landing. VC-22 operated from Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, during May-June 1943, and spent time at sea in USS Independence (CVL-22). However, when the carrier entered combat in late-1943, VC-22 operated Grumman TBF-1s rather than SBDs.

SBD-5 from USS Lexington (CV-16) over Majuro Atoll.

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntlesses in tricolor scheme from USS Yorktown (CV-10), circa 1944.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers and Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers from Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10) in flight. CVG-10 was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of U.S. Navy bombing squadron VB-4 during Operation Leader, on 4 October 1943, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). The planes are flying over Mel Fjord. The objective of the force was the Norwegian port of Bodø. The task force reached launch position off Vestfjord before dawn 4 October completely undetected. At 0618, Ranger launched 20 Dauntless dive bombers and an escort of eight Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of VF-4. One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter LaPlata, while the rest continued north to attack a small German convoy. They severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport. They also sank two of four small German merchantmen in the Bodø roadstead.

Two U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bombers of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6) fly over the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 12 November 1943.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers commence their attack against Japanese carriers at Midway, 4 June 1942. Watercolor by Captain Robert L. Rasmussen, USN (Ret)

Four U.S. Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft in flight over Choiseul Bay, Choiseul (Lauru) Island, Solomon Islands, during an attack on a Japanese transit base. In the rear seat of the aircraft closest to the camera was Sub-Lieutenant Alexander Nicol Anton Waddell, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RANVR), who had been a coastwatcher on the island since October 1942. He was now guiding the aircraft in strikes over the Bay. 18 February 1944.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) pass over the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) prior to recovery aboard the carrier following strikes against Palau, 30 March 1944. One of the last two SBD squadrons to operate from U.S. fleet carriers during the Second World War, VB-10 flew from the deck of the "Big E" during the period January-July 1944, and participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19-20 June 1944.

Two U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers attached to bombing squadron VB-5 returning to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) after the attack on Wake Island, 5 October 1943. Note the recently overpainted red surrounding of the U.S. national insignia. VB-5 was initially assigned Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldivers, but the problems encountered with these aircraft during Yorktown´s shakedown cruise prompted her skipper, Capt. Joseph J. Jocko Clark to order them replaced by the more reliable Dauntless. The squadron took SBD-5s into combat aboard the "Fighting Lady" (USS Yorktown) in August 1943.

Two U.S. Navy or Marine Corps Douglas SBD-3/-4 Dauntless dive bombers in flight over the Solomon Islands, circa 1942.

A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber of composite squadron VC-22 taking off from the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22) in mid-1943. By the time the light aircraft carriers went to combat in late 1943, SBDs had been omitted from their air groups.

SBD dive bombers from the USS Yorktown (CV-5) over Makin Atoll during the February 1942 Marshalls-Gilberts raids. Aircraft in background is flown by flight leader LCDR Bill Burch. Aircraft in foreground is piloted by Ensign Thomas A. Reeves. 1 February 1942.

Douglas SBDs of USS Yorktown´s air group head back to the ship after a strike on Japanese ships in Tulagi harbor on 4 May 1942.

Ground crew working on Douglas SBD Dauntless, Midway.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers on USS Enterprise (CV-6).

Douglas SBD Dauntless under construction, circa 1943.

Douglas SBD Dauntless ready for takeoff from carrier, circa 1942/43.