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The dive brakes on the SBD are friggin' HUGE! And they found out on the A-36A that you BETTER open those very much smaller dive brakes BEFORE you go into the dive or almost immediately the Apache will be going so fast that it'll be too late to open them.From people who fly it, I can tell you it feels like you fly into Elmer's glue when you deploy the dive brakes.
A lot depends on the target type and the bomb type. if the SBD is attacking a fleet carrier in 1942, then it will be delivering a 1000lb GP bomb and the release altitude will be a low as possible to ensure a hit and still safely pull out of the dive. OTOH, in 1944 that 1000lb bomb might be AP and be dropped on a battleship, and then the release altitude is as high as possible, to ensure a high striking velocity for good armour penetration, but low enough to have a reasonable probability of a hit.I haven't been able to find a definitive online answer to a simple question, so I figured I would ask the experts here:
What was the normal altitude for an SBD Dauntless pilot in a vertical (70°) combat dive to release his bomb and begin the pullout?
A long time ago I read a historical novel that began with Midway and continued to Guadalcanal, and it stated somewhere that bomb release was at 2700 feet, but since then I've read lower figures, even as low as 1000 feet, and I really don't have a feel for what figure seems reasonable. How fast was the plane traveling downward with dive flaps extended?
Which, given the Danger Close distance for a 1,000 lb bomb means that you start pilling out at 2,000 - 1800 or so ft, rounding out at about 700 ft - where not only might you just frag yourself, but the Japanese Light AAA would actually be dangerous.A lot depends on the target type and the bomb type. if the SBD is attacking a fleet carrier in 1942, then it will be delivering a 1000lb GP bomb and the release altitude will be a low as possible to ensure a hit and still safely pull out of the dive. OTOH, in 1944 that 1000lb bomb might be AP and be dropped on a battleship, and then the release altitude is as high as possible, to ensure a high striking velocity for good armour penetration, but low enough to have a reasonable probability of a hit.
Fortunately for the SBDs the IJN tended not to use a ring formation for carrier escorts as per the USN, so the density of IJN light AA was fairly low in 1942.Which, given the Danger Close distance for a 1,000 lb bomb means that you start pilling out at 2,000 - 1800 or so ft, rounding out at about 700 ft - where not only might you just frag yourself, but the Japanese Light AAA would actually be dangerous.
One thing I was wondering is if anyone has ever read of an SBD shooting down another aircraft except in self defense. The guy flying the SB2C described his flight of four Helldivers attacking and shooting down a Betty bomber over Taiwan. SBD's were sent out at Coral Sea to defend against IJN torpedo bombers but I think the only ones to score kills were fighting Zeros. By the way, Maj Howard of CMH fame thought that using SBDs as fighters was insane.
Japanese Light AAA was never what would be considered sufficient by U.S. or even British standards.Fortunately for the SBDs the IJN tended not to use a ring formation for carrier escorts as per the USN, so the density of IJN light AA was fairly low in 1942.
When I was in high school I read a novel in which the dive brakes on an SBD were described as being "as large as basketballs." I thought of my 1/48 Monogram SBD and said "No Way! Must be more like the size of baseballs!" But indeed, basketballs are a lot closer. Note that the holes in the dive flaps of the SB2C appear to be not as large, although the general arrangement is similar.You can see the just how large the dive-brakes are.
M MIflyer For the uninitiated, which Major John Howard are we referring to & who or what was CMH? Accounts I've read of the battle of the Coral sea indicate the SBDs were used as fighters because they were short of the real things, needs must as it were.Maj Howard of CMH fame thought that using SBDs as fighters was insane.
Maj John Howard, USAAF, P-51B "Ding How!" Congressional Medal of Honor, former Flying Tiger and before that, USN pilot.which Major John Howard are we referring to & who or what was CMH
Thanks for that clarification, I did wonder that but struggled to see where his knowledge of the SBD might have come from, although his knowledge of air fighting per se is in no way in question.Maj John Howard, USAAF, P-51B "Ding How!" Congressional Medal of Honor, former Flying Tiger and before that, USN pilot.
There were several Kates shot down by SBDs on CAP at Coral Sea. Lundstrom:There has not been much written about the Coral Sea battle, probably not 10% of what has been published about Midway. But the Dogfights video claims that the SBDs were sent out to intercept Kate torpedo planes. Okay, between a Kate and an SBD, I'll bet on the SBD getting the Kate unless it involves a long chase.
But instead of Kates they found Zeros. And most of the SBDs just flew like dive bombers, except for one guy who actually flew his like a fighter.
From a correlation of Japanese and American sources, it appears reasonable that the F4Fs actually shot down no Zeros, but perhaps splashed three dive bombers and one torpedo plane, while the SBD crews accounted for no Zeros, but downed one dive bomber and five torpedo planes—total ten Japanese aircraft destroyed by aerial engagement. American antiaircraft fire from the ships likely destroyed one dive bomber and two torpedo planes.