![]() Funding courtesy of Madlyn and Paul Hilliard. On loan courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. In November 1944, this aircraft was lost on a training flight in Lake Michigan where it remained until 1990 when it was recovered by the US Navy and restored to its present condition. The US Navy’s primary dive-bomber at the war’s start, the Douglas SBD Dauntless earned its reputationand helped earn victoryat the 1942 Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers. After a thorough overhaul at our Hangar 805 and a 1942 paint scheme, the Dauntless was barged across from North Island and craned aboard the forward flight deck to a warm welcome on May 29, 2007. In the spring of 1943, BuNo 06508 was assigned to Navy Bombing Squadron 10 aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise for a short time before being returned to the States to serve as a trainer at Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois. Our SBD Dauntless in restoration at Midway’s Airwing, Hangar 805. SBD-3, Bureau Number (BuNo) 06508 was built by Douglas Aircraft Company at El Segundo, California, and is a combat veteran of the Guadalcanal Campaign operating from Henderson Field by Marine Scout Bombing Squadrons (VMSB) 141 and 132. By some accounts, the Dauntless sank more Japanese ships than any other plane. The US Navy’s primary dive-bomber at the war’s start, the bomber earned its reputation-and helped earn victory-at the 1942 Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers. At this critical stage of the battle, when America appeared to be losing, thirty Dauntless SBD dive-bombers from the carrier USS Enterprise suddenly appeared. FLOZ WWII SBD Dauntless Upgraded Version with Pilot Dive Bomber Midway Sea Battle 1/72 DIECAST Aircraft Pre-Built MoSave 3.00 with coupon FREE delivery Jun 16 - Jul 5 Only 4 left in stock - order soon. ![]() ![]() The Douglas SBD Dauntless was sturdy enough for pilots to dive at a near-vertical 80 degrees. It was responsible for more enemy ships sunk in the first half of the war than any. At the Battle of Midway the US Navy relied on two aircraft: the SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber and TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bomber. Dive bombing requires precise maneuverability and accuracy to fly at steep trajectory and hit a moving target. The SBD Dauntless was the Navys most effective dive bomber of World War II. The performance disparity between the Devastator and its accompanying Wildcat fighters and Dauntless dive bombers was catastrophic at Midway.
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