The Most Deadly Aircraft of the Pacific War?

In this documentary, we compare the dive bombers of the Pacific theatre of World War II. We compare the SB2U Vindicator, the Aichi D4A Val, the SBD Dauntless, the Yokosuka D4Y Judy, and the SB2C Helldiver.

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[CAFMediaTV]

It was a pleasure making this with you, thanks for the great video!

[enscroggs]

I would have enjoyed more discussion of the effectiveness of the dive brakes and their mechanisms. The "Swiss cheese" split flaps on the SBD were one of that plane's greatest strengths. The same mechanical structure effectively controlled the diving speed and helped the plane make safe low-speed carrier landings. That technology was so effective that it was essentially copied by Curtiss in the SB2C.

[BP-]

My father flew an SBD dive bomber in combat from the decks of the USS Hornet (CV-8) and the USS Lexington (CV-16). In addition to the Battle of Midway, he also saw combat at the Battle of Santa Cruz, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, as well as attacks on Japanese installations at Truk Lagoon, Hollandia, Palau, Wake Island, Wolei, the Marshall Islands, and the Caroline Islands. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 2 Air Medals. He flew the SDB exclusively in combat but had also flown the SB2C Hell Diver, the F4F Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat, the F4U Corsair, the TBF Avenger, and the F7F Tiger Cat. After the war he also flew the F2H Banshee. He hated the SB2C and called it a "Son of A Bitch 2nd Class". He loved and trusted the SBD (Slow But Deadly) which probably saved his life a number of times but his all time Navy plane was the F7F because of its raw power.

[davidbeattie]

There are very few aircraft that won a battle and changed the course of a war. The SBD was the point of the spear at Midway and deserves the title of greatest dive bomber of the Pacific Theatre.

[ThetrueJester]

Im partial to the Dauntless myself. Even being considered obsolete it stood with giants and by the stories ive heard from the men who flew it, she'd do the job and get you home more often than not.

Another excellent video TJ keep up the great work

[MH-kceu]

The SBD Dauntless is my favorite plane of WWII. It looks so good and it destroyed the Japanese fleet.

[erikschultz]

The Dauntless was the most decisive dive bomber of WW2. The dauntless changed the course of the war at Midway.

[jessehamm]

26:04 If I remember correctly, it was also a Yokosuka D4Y that sank the US light carrier Princeton at Leyte Gulf on October 20 with a single bomb, the resulting internal explosion of which severely damaged multiple ships in her vicinity and nearly took out the cruiser USS Birmingham.

[flynbenny]

I'm gonna have to go with the SBD on this one. Simple, tough, and turned the tide at Midway.

I'd love to see videos like this comparing the torpedo bombers, fighters, and let's not forget the flying boats and floatplanes used for transport and rescue. One should also consider the Royal Navy's aircraft as they also fought in the Pacific theater, they had some different stuff along with the Lend Lease aircraft the FAA used.

[Atpost]

Another great video. Four first line enemy aircraft carriers eliminated in one day and the entire direction of the pacific war changed. Greatest dive bomber of WWII = SBD Dauntless.

[williamashbless]

Always had a soft spot in my heart for Dauntless.
I did get new appreciation for Judy from your video.

[amerigo]

The Curtiss SB2C "Helldiver" (name recycled from earlier biplane dive bombers), was so bad that it was the main focus of the (Senator Harry S.) Truman Committee which investigated defense contractors that appeared to be corrupt and/or incompetent. The initial SB2C was abysmal and the Navy asked for 700 plus modificatios, IIRC. In the typical pattern, Curtiss made modifications, but they so increased the weight of the aircraft, the engine was overwhelmed. Curtiss tried to make the SB2C large enough to carry far more weapons than the Douglas SBD, but ran out of fuselage space. From noise to tail, Curtiss was constrained by the need for the SB2C to fit on a carrier's elevators. If you look down at a SB2C, the wings and tail look huge in relation to the length of the fuselage. All these issues made "The Beast" a treacherous flying platform, especially when it was time to land on a pitching carrier deck. Far too many flight crews were lost to the flaws of the SB2C.

The video fails to mention the many SBD's used by the US Army Air Force.

[DavidRichardson]

A few years ago, I got the chance to go up for a quick flight in the only remaining flight-capable Helldiver, thanks to the CAF West Texas Wing. To any and all warplane enthusiasts, I implore you to take up any opportunity like that if it ever comes up for you. Mine came at the very end of a little show the CAF put on at an airfield near where I lived.

I tell you, sitting down and strapping into the open seat of the rear gunner, manipulating the turret around (with nonfunctional weapons, obviously), speaking through the headset and barely being able to be heard by the pilot, and being in gentle dives (the pilot could not go steeper than 20 degrees IIRC, or else it would be classified as stunt flying, which the FAA did not allow at this show) was, to vastly undersell it, a hell of an experience (pun intended). I was already pretty good at imagining what those crews went through, but imagining can never compare to directly experiencing, even if it was ultimately just a fraction of what they went through.

I will say that as we were getting ready to take off, I was pretty scared, not just because I was sitting out in the open and facing backwards with a moving gun mount, but also because it was a 70-year-old plane, it was the only one of its kind still flying (three more still exist, but they are permanently grounded), and that thousands of young men did what I did and leagues more than I will ever do. With all of those facts, can you really blame me for feeling scared in the beginning?

However, once we lifted off the ground, the fear suddenly stopped registering. Oh, make no mistake, I was still feeling it, but pretty much all of the other emotions were now swirling through my head, enough so to knock the fear out of its previously settled place, leaving me feeling semi-numb throughout the short 15-minute flight. I did try to crack a few jokes, namely because the flight path took us over a Toyota automotive manufacturing plant (the pilot called out that we were coning up to it, and I think you can guess what I pretended to do once I saw it), but I could barely tell that I made them. I was simply too busy experiencing and thus unable to truly feel.

I was still numb by the time we landed, and it was not until the engine was shut off before the numbness finally passed. As the emotions took over again, the one that I noticed was failing to get any grip was fear. Maybe it was because the flight was now over, but I remember thinking, "...Wow, I now have a better idea of what so many did so long ago." That was the biggest smile I had ever cracked.

My only regret about that Helldiver flight was that I did not have my own setup for recording it, which may seem odd because I managed to record an earlier flight I made at that same show where I went up in the bombardier seat of a B-17G using my phone. I did not have any sort of rig to ensure I never lost my phone - the B-17 recording was handheld - so I did not want to risk losing it midflight in that old Sonofab^tch 2nd Class.

[robbierobinson]

Good comparisons. No doubt, the impact of the Dauntless had huge that impact on the warships and subsequent landings. However, from strategic impact, on warships, tankers and freighter, tanks, troops and infrastructure, the Stuka was THE dive bomber despite apparent crudeness. Just a mention as to place the Pacific theatre dive bomber exp;oits in perspective would have been an bonus to a good episode.

[KanJonathan]

Judy also sunk USS Princeton, while Helldiver play a part of sinking Musashi.

[iancarswell]

The Dauntless.Don't forget it's decisive roll at the battle of 'The Coral Sea 'as will as 'Midway'.

[RepublicThunderbolt]

The best 2 dive bombers of the war are definitely the Stuka and Dauntless, change my mind.

[rayl.clemonsjr.]

The greatest of this list is the Dauntless hands down.I noticed that the Devastator that probably is comparable to the Vindicator was conspicuously absent from this list.A fantastic video break down of these warbirds.

[waufo]

According to two books by an American and British historian, rated by ships sunk, the Japanese Val sank more Allied ships than any other Axis aircraft. I love the looks of the Val and have nice models of the Val and the Zero with Saburo Sakei's paint scheme. Also two P40s with Nationalist Chinese Insignia. Next will be a Kate and a F4U Corsair. Thanks for a very informative video!

[jaytowne]

The SBD was also used in New Guinea by the Army Air Corps in a close support role especially in the Owen Stanley mountains