In the summer of 1941, 168 SBD-3s were delivered to the USAAF and were designated as the A-24. The Army had been looking for an airplane to compete with the Junkers Ju-87 dive bomber, but operated no similar aircraft of this type. The A-24 faired rather badly in combat and the USAAF was not as successful with the Dauntless as was the Navy. On 29 Jul 1942, seven A-24s were sent on a bombing mission to Buna, without top cover, and were intercepted by A6M Zeros—only one survived.11 The A-24 was subsequently withdrawn from first-line service. In spite of the apparent lack of success with the A-24, the USAAF continued procurement with 170, A-24As (SBD-4) and 615, A-24Bs (SBD-5).
