Greatest Carrier-Born Dive Bomber of WW II...

[lm2f]

no corsair?

 

[Wayne Little]

Mmm, haven't voted...Guess I should have a crack...From such a short list it seems to be no real contest.....The SBD Dauntless!..... it's giant killing efforts at Midway would be a significant high point.

 

[syscom3]

Wayne, one battle dosen't win a war.

But look at the other big ones it was involved with that it added to its reputation.

Coral Sea
Eastern Solomons
Santa Cruz Islands
Numerous small naval and ground support missions during the fight for Guadalcanal
Numerous small naval and ground support missions during the fight up the Solomon Islands
Rabaul
Tarawa
Kwajelein
Eniwetok
Marianas
Hollandia.

Now someone tell me about the other dive bombers that had such a sterling naval record?

 

[Wildcat]

Sys, can you tell me why the USAAF never favoured dive bombers in WWII?

 

[syscom3]

I think it was because of their high vulnerability to fighters and AAA, plus they were specialized aircraft.

The A-24's used by the AAF in New Guinie didnt have a good record, and that sealed their fate.

 

[Wildcat]

The A-24 losses may have been a big influence, however if you look at the Vengeance wing that was deployed by the RAAF in late 43 early 44 over New Guinea you'll see they were making pinpoint attacks on jungle targets for very little losses- yet Gen Kenney ordered them out much to the surprise of the RAAF. I've never understood this attitude seeing as the Vengeance was possibly the must accurate bomber in New Guinea at the time.

 

[ratdog]

i say the cat,
not really a "dive" bomber, but still sank a quite a few ships between recon missions

 

[ratdog]

sry, otherwise i vote for the sbd

 

[Wayne Little]

Wayne, one battle dosen't win a war.

But look at the other big ones it was involved with that it added to its reputation.

Coral Sea
Eastern Solomons
Santa Cruz Islands
Numerous small naval and ground support missions during the fight for Guadalcanal
Numerous small naval and ground support missions during the fight up the Solomon Islands
Rabaul
Tarawa
Kwajelein
Eniwetok
Marianas
Hollandia.

Now someone tell me about the other dive bombers that had such a sterling naval record?

Of course Sys., totally agree with you!.....simply pointing out but one that immediately came to mind amongst many....

 

[Burmese Bandit]

"My body lies under the ocean.
My body lies under the seeeeeaaaa...
My body lies under the ocean,
Wrapped up in an SB2C!!!

Oh bring back, bring back,
bring back my Douglas to me, to meeeee...
bring back, ooooh brinnnng baaaack...
bring back my Douglas to meee!!!!"

Actual ditty sung by carrier pilots during the war, showing what they thought of the Curtiss (SB2C = son of a bitch second class was their verdict) and how much they loved their Douglas...

 

[Cromwell]

OK people, IMHO (again you know me) The Barracuda could have been a *really good plane* with a Griffon in it earlier in the war

In fact they DID make a version with the Grif - it was the Barracuda V - but it was too late in 45 to be used

Yes Kool K, it was dormant for about a half year before somone re-started it with a brilliant informative analysis....

But I was serious about the Barracuda, it was a neat aircraft, could be used as TB or DB. Not that I am an expert by any means.

Fairey Firefly

Would this qualify as a kind of Dive Bomber or just an 'Attack' plane ?

It was pretty darn good plane anyway and was used in Korea too, as you know probably.

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

I went with the SBD.
Syscom covered my reasons.


Wheelsup

 

[Flyboy2]

Would this qualify as a kind of Dive Bomber or just an 'Attack' plane ?

I'm pretty sure its an attack plane... I don't think it was designed or operated as a dive bomber

 

[vikingBerserker]

SBD hands down.

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

Have to go with the SBD. Excluding it's feats at Midway, it also did a good job in Coral Sea, Guadacanal, and other battles in the Pacific.

 

[Grampa]

I whonder if we do an hypotecikal thinking about the A-1 Skyraider, If the Douglas company manage to produce the A-1 earlier enought to take part in the beginning of 1945 pacific combat. How big impact whould it do in compare to the other divebombers?

A-1 Skyraider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By the way does anyone have some interesting info of how the Aichi B7A Ryusei whas compare to other bombers?

Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) - a knol by net-junkie

 

[Freebird]

Fairey Firefly

Would this qualify as a kind of Dive Bomber or just an 'Attack' plane ?

It was pretty darn good plane anyway and was used in Korea too, as you know probably.

Is there any record of notable Firefly missions as a Dive Bomber?

 

[Waynos]

I voted for the Dauntless too, a true classic. Regarding the Griffon Barracuda, I read recently that Fairey may well have been unfairly maligned for their feeble warplanes in WW2. It appears that both the Barracuda and the Battle were designed for the Griffon but Fairey were forced to adapt them for the Merlin, with the predicatbly disastrous results we saw. So Fairey knew what they should have been doing all along.

 

[Freebird]

Regarding the Griffon Barracuda, I read recently that Fairey may well have been unfairly maligned for their feeble warplanes in WW2. It appears that both the Barracuda and the Battle were designed for the Griffon but Fairey were forced to adapt them for the Merlin, with the predicatbly disastrous results we saw. So Fairey knew what they should have been doing all along.

The Barracuda did have a fairly successful career though, while the Battle was a big failure in combat IIRC

 

[Waynos]

The Barracuda got sorted eventually, but was awful in its first few incarnationas. Interesting point that after the Swordfish, not only its first generation replacement, the Albacore, was incapable of fully replacing it, but the 2nd generation replacement, the Barraccuda, was in exactly the same predicament. Only Fairey's 3rd attempt, the Spearfish, was deemed suitable to take over completely but then the war was over and the money dried up, only the 4th go, the Gannet, finally put a new torpedo bomber in Royal Navy service

That Battle's biggest problem was the tactics employed, but with Griffon Power, and sized down a little to match the Fulmar, its crews could have stood a much better chance.