Douglas SBD Dauntless Country: USA Type: Dive bomber Manufacturer: Douglas Service: 1940 - 1944 First Flight: 1 May 1940 Production: 5936

The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the main dive bomber of the United States Navy from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was supplanted, although not entirely replaced, by the SB2C Helldiver. The U.S. Army had its own version of the SBD, known as the A-24 Banshee, which lacked the tail hook used for carrier landings, and a pneumatic tire replaced the solid tail wheel; the Banshee was used by the Army in the early stages of the war. The USAAF used 948 of the 5,937 Dauntlesses built.

The SBD was involved in combat from the first day of the Pacific War, as Dauntlesses arriving at Hawaii from USS Enterprise were caught in the Pearl Harbor attack. Dauntless dive bombers were decisive at the Battle of Midway. During the war in the Pacific, the strengths and weaknesses of the SBD became evident. Although the Dauntless design was already reaching obsolescence by 1941, the SBD was used until 1944 when the Douglas SBD Dauntless undertook its last major action during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

General characteristics