The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the United States Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was supplanted, although not entirely replaced, by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver.
The Dauntless first entered service in mid-1940 and distinguished itself in the June 1942 Battle of Midway against Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu. Its capacity to absorb battle damage made it a rugged adversary and is one of aviation history's classic warplanes.
The Dauntless equipped no less than twenty Marine squadrons and were retained until late 1944. It was the main type US navy dive-bomber and was not only used in the Pacific, but during the Allied landing in North Africa and in the Battle of the Atlantic. The Dauntless had the lowest attrition rate of any US carrier aircraft, because of its ability to absorb battle damage. Dauntless aircraft accounted for many Japanese aircraft shot down in air-to-air combat, and finished their wartime career as antisubmarine bombers and as attack aircraft, carrying depth charges and rocket projectiles respectively. The total production of the Dauntless was 5,938 aircraft built. The first SBD-1 was completed in April 1940 and flown on May 1, 1940 with production continuing until to the end of 1944.