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Dauntless - Aircraft Profile - Douglas : Dauntless

Dauntless

Manufacturer : Douglas
Number Built :
Production Began : 1940
Retired :
Type :

The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval Dive Bomber and was the US Navys main dive bomber from mid 1940 to late 1943. The Douglas SBD Dauntless, which earned the nickname Slow, But Deadly entered service with the USN and USMC in 1940. Powered by a 1,000 HP, 9-cylinder, Cyclone radial engine the SBD was capable of a maximum speed of 250 MPH. The Dauntless could stay airborne for a long time with its 1,300 mile range and slow cruising speed, The Douglas SBD Dauntless was capable of delivering a 1,200 pound bomb load. Because of its slow speed the SBD needed armament to discourage attack by enemy fighters. Two forward firing machine guns and either one or two rear firing guns mounted in the gunners cockpit behind the pilot, gave the SBD enough firepower to make it a challenging target for enemy fighters. The aircraft was also operated by the United States Army as the A-24 Banshee

Dauntless

Dauntless Artwork Collection



Midway The Turning Point by Robert Taylor.


Midway - The Setting Sun by Ivan Berryman.


Pressing Home the Kill by Randall Wilson.


Battle of the Coral Sea by Robert Taylor.

Midway - Attack on the Soryu by Anthony Saunders.


Midway - Strike Against the Akagi by Robert Taylor.

Victory at Midway by Stan Stokes.


Midway: The Turning Point by Stan Stokes.

Top Aces for : Dauntless
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name.
NameVictoriesInfo
Stanley W Vejtasa11.00The signature of Stanley W Vejtasa features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available.

Dauntless
Squadron details



Dauntless
Pilot and aircrew signature details



Dick Best
Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Dick Best

Lt. Commander Dick Best led attacks on Wake Island and Marcos Island and flew escort flights for the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo as Commanding Officer of VB-6. Commanding VB-6 on June 4, 1942 he led his squadron of SBD dive-bombers against the Japanese carriers Akagi and Hiryu and was consequently awarded the Navy Cross.


Commander Harold L Buell
Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Commander Harold L Buell

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.


Captain Bill Christie
Our estimated value of this signature : £45

Captain Bill Christie

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.


Captain Robert M Elder USN
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2008

Captain Robert M Elder USN

Robert M. Elder was born in Saskatchewan, Canada on December 5, 1918. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle as a Naval ROTC student, where he majored in Aero Engineering. Elder commenced his flight training at Pensacola, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the USNR in May of 1941. In June, Elder was assigned to Bombing Squadron 3, the Black Panthers, who were at that time were equipped with Douglas Dauntless S1313-3 bombers, and were assigned to the USS Saratoga (CV-3) based in San Diego. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Elder and his squadron mates from V13-3 would be soon be involved in the heat of battle in the Pacific. Elder flew numerous bombing missions during the Battle of the Coral Sea. During the Battle of Midway, V13-3 flying off the USS Yorktown, along with bombers from the USS Enterprise, sunk three Japanese aircraft carriers in a matter of minutes. This would prove to be the turning point in the War in the Pacific. Elder would later fly in both the Guadacanal and Easter Solomons campaigns. He was awarded two Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and received two Presidential Unit Citations. Following the War, Elder remained in the Navy. He was one of the first graduates from the Navy's test pilot training school in 1950. He was also one of the first Naval aviators to fly jet aircraft, and he participated in developmental flights on both the F8F Bearcat and the F7F Tigercat. On the former Elder carrier qualified the aircraft. In 1953 Elder returned to combat duty with VF-191 flying off the USS Orinskany. Subsequently he commanded Carrier Air Group 12, the USS Waccamaw, and the USS Coral Sea. Following the Korean War, Elder continued to fly. In 1957 Bob was assigned as Director of the Flight Test Division at the Navy's Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland. Here Bob personally conducted initial test flights on many of the Navy's new supersonic fighter aircraft including the F3 Demon, F-1 1 Tiger, the F-4 Phantom 11, the A-5 Vigilante, and the F8U-3 Crusader 11. Elder retired from the Navy in 1963. He then worked for the Northrop Corporation for 23 years, holding the positions of Chief Test Pilot, Director of Flight Operations, and Head of Flight Test and Evaluation. He was one of the driving forces behind the programs which evolved into the F/A- 18 Hornet. Bob also was founder of the Tailhook Association, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1964. During his amazing flying career, Bob Elder has flown more than 8,000 flight hours in 142 different types of aircraft. He has become carrier qualified in 35 different aircraft, and has made almost 1,000 carrier landings. Bob s also served as President of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He died 12th September 2008.


Commander Harry A Fredrickson
Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Commander Harry A Fredrickson

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.


Captain Ben Preston
Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Captain Ben Preston

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.


Commander Joe Riley
Our estimated value of this signature : £45

Commander Joe Riley

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.


Captain Arthur J Schultz
Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Captain Arthur J Schultz

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.


Captain Lawrence G Traynor
Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Captain Lawrence G Traynor

Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.



Captain Stanley Swede Vejtasa USN
Our estimated value of this signature : £40
Died : 2013

Captain Stanley Swede Vejtasa USN

Commissioned in August 1939, Swede Vejtasas first combat assignment was in May 1942 whilst flying the SBD Dauntless with VS-5 aboard the USS Yorktown during the Battle of the Coral Sea. here he participated in the attack on the Japanese carrier Shoho, and flew anti-torpedo plane patrol, claiming three Zeroes. Switching to fighters with VF-10 flying the F4F Wildcat aboard the USS Enterprise he took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz, where he notched up 7 air victories on one flight in October. In March 1943 he flight-tested the new F4U Corsair in the combat zone. His final tally for the war was 11 aerial victories. He died on 23rd January 2013.

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