Avenger or Dauntless

[spitfire101]

If you had to fly one in WW2 by performance which one would you chose the avenger or dauntless?

And sorry ive been in Texas for track, my team won states and we broke a high school record, so i havent had much time to finish my first model if you guys still remember my post but ill try to get back to that and get some pictures up.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Dauntless....

Something about a dive bomber and silk scarfs....

 

[spitfire101]

whats was the dauntless' toughest thing to accplish, like hitting a target or being shot down before it could accoplish its mission? this is to flyboyj

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Actually the Dauntless hit their targets with minimal losses - it was highly maneuverable and although somewhat obsolete when the war started still served well. Here is the most detailed report you'll ever read abut the SBD, it explains why the aircraft was so successful...

http://www.midwaysaircraft.org/DAUNTLESSreport2106.pdf

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Well it would depend on what my mission. Dive Bombing I would take the Dauntless and Torpedo Bombing I would take the Avenger.

The Dauntless and the Avenger had two completely different missions. Two completely different aircraft.

 

[lesofprimus]

Same here Adler, 2 different craft designed for different mission profiles...

 

[timshatz]

If you had to fly one in WW2 by performance which one would you chose the avenger or dauntless?

And sorry ive been in Texas for track, my team won states and we broke a high school record, so i havent had much time to finish my first model if you guys still remember my post but ill try to get back to that and get some pictures up.

Congrats on the win Spit, well done!

On the question of aircraft, if somebody was shooting at me I would rather be in the Dauntless (more manuverable and a smaller target). If I was dropping bombs on somebody else, I would go with the Turkey (Avenger). Larger payload, longer range, easy to fly.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

But as stated - 2 different aircraft, 2 different missions...

 

[davparlr]

Back to the original question, I'd like dive bombing role better. Droning along at 50' with nowhere to go but up is not my idea of fun. Of course, I know what I would be thinking of as I dove, "don't fixate on the target, don't fixate on the target".

 

[lesofprimus]

Agreed dav...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I too would rather Dive Bomb. You get hit up there you can still jump out. You hit at 50ft in a torpedo bomber you are going for a swim in the damn thing, and with my luck it would sink before I could get out of the cockpit!

 

[delcyros]

SBD Dauntless. Certainly the best plane to do the job when the war started and still very good in this job when the war concluded.

 

[Gnomey]

I too would rather Dive Bomb. You get hit up there you can still jump out. You hit at 50ft in a torpedo bomber you are going for a swim in the damn thing, and with my luck it would sink before I could get out of the cockpit!

Yeah, the height would be safer, for that reason I too would take the Dauntless.

 

[mkloby]

whats was the dauntless' toughest thing to accplish, like hitting a target or being shot down before it could accoplish its mission? this is to flyboyj

Spit - look up Midway 4 Jun 42 the series of morning attacks. the Dauntless was hugely successful!

 

[spitfire101]

thx mkloby ya ive been trying to find out more information about the avenger and the dauntless, thx for the help.

 

[renrich]

Thanks to you Flyboy for your post with the info about the Dauntless. In the early days of the Pacific war, the SBDs were sometimes used as a CAP against enemy torpedo planes. They had almost no performance advantage over the Kate but it shows how versatile the plane was. Of course this was when only one VF squadron was embarked on our carriers. There was a torpedo bomber developed by Vought, the TBU that reportedly had superior performance to the TBF but the production of the Avenger was already underway so no TBUs beyond the prototype were produced. The SB2C never reportably was able to dive bomb with the accuracy of the SBD but tests showed that the F4U could equal the SBDs accuracy which is one reason the carriers embarked as many F4Us as they did by the end of the war.

 

[syscom3]

......F4U could equal the SBDs accuracy which is one reason the carriers embarked as many F4Us as they did by the end of the war.

It was more a problem with the Kamikazi's that required the use of more Corsairs.

But yes, the USN figured out that a Corsair could also double as an effective light bomber.

 

[davparlr]

There was a torpedo bomber developed by Vought, the TBU that reportedly had superior performance to the TBF but the production of the Avenger was already underway so no TBUs beyond the prototype were produced.

The TBU was almost 50 mph faster than the TBF (top speed of 311 mph), better climb, and almost 300 mile further range with a torpedo. Apparently Vought was too busy building fighters to build this and Consolidated was contracted to build the plane as the TBY Sea Wolf. 180 were built but was cancelled due to the slowness of getting into production. Too bad, the plane looks like it could have been a great torpedo bomber.

 

[Wildcat]

It was more a problem with the Kamikazi's that required the use of more Corsairs.

But yes, the USN figured out that a Corsair could also double as an effective light bomber.

I agree, why have your decks crammed with dive bombers when other a/c such as the corsair were just as capable. Dive bombers also need fighter escort where as fighter bombers could deliver thier payload and fight their way back to base. This was proven in New Guinea when Gen. Kenny ordered the RAAF's vengeance dive bombers be replaced. Although they were very successful in New Guinea (against popular belief) they were taking up precious space on already cramped airfields. RAAF P-40's were already being put to good effect as fighter bombers able to carry the same payload and not requiring an escort so why have two a/c types when one could perform both duties.

Back to the original question I'd prefer the good ol' SBD, I think its achievments speak for themself.

 

[spitfire101]

ok say a duntless just drpeed its bombs, and a zero was attacing it does it have good enough likea rmor and was it able to defend itself beacause it was a dive bomber?