Daring Dauntless

Hello everyone,

This post highlights the Douglas SBD "Dauntless", a US Navy dive bomber used in the early years of WWII.   The aircraft was used both as a naval scout plane and dive bomber.  It was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Co. from 1940 through mid-1944 when it began to be replaced by the larger, and longer range, Curtiss Helldiver. These aircraft played a pivotal role in the Battle of Midway where the Japanese Air Carrier Fleet, the Kido Butai, and US Navy aircraft carriers; Enterprise (CV-6), Hornet (CV-8), and Yorktown (CV-5), collided in a epic aircraft carrier battle.  In that battle, four Japanese carriers were sunk and one US carrier was sunk.  The outcome of this naval battle created a seismic shift of the war in the Pacific. A naval historian called it "one of the most consequential naval engagements in world history."  I was very happy to get some great shots of this plane at the Hillsboro Air Show, OR, this year.  Check out my "Dauntless" image I've titled 'Master of Midway'. Enjoy!

Talley ho!

Steve