What was the point of dive bombers?
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb’s trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughout the bomb run.
What does SBD Dauntless stand for?
Scout Bomber Douglas
The Dauntless played a starring role in the war in the Pacific. The SBD (“Scout Bomber Douglas”) was the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps scout plane and dive-bomber from 1940 to 1944. In total, the Dauntless sank more enemy shipping than any other Allied bomber.
What is a German dive-bomber?
Stuka, German in full Sturzkampfflugzeug (“dive-bomber”), a low-wing, single-engine monoplane—especially the Junkers JU 87 dive-bomber—used by the German Luftwaffe from 1937 to 1945, with especially telling effect during the first half of World War II.
What plane was a dive bomber?
Douglas SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944.
Was the dauntless a good plane?
During its combat service, the SBD proved to be an excellent naval scout plane and dive bomber. It possessed long range, good handling characteristics, maneuverability, potent bomb load, great diving characteristics from the perforated dive brakes, good defensive armament, and ruggedness.
How many SBD dauntlesses are left?
The aircraft remains airworthy and is only one of a handful of A-24B/SBD-5s flying today out of a total of 3,640 built (USN 2,965; USAAF 675).
Are there any Stuka bombers left?
Only two intact Stukas remain—one in the Chicago Museum of Industry and the second in the RAF Museum at Hendon. Neither is flyable, though when the 1969 film Battle of Britain was in production, plans were laid to restore the Hendon Ju-87 to flight for use in the movie.
What is it like to fly a dive bomber?
A dive bomber dives at a steep angle, normally between 45 and 60 degrees or even up to a near vertical dive of 80 degrees with the Junkers Ju 87, and thus requires an abrupt pull-up after dropping its bombs. This puts great strains on both pilot and aircraft.
Was the Vultee A-31 Vengeance used in WW2?
The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States, but was operated as a front-line aircraft by the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force,…
When was the first interwar dive bomber?
Interwar era. First flown in 1935, it was a single-seat dive bomber carrying the same bomb load as the Stuka with a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed advantage in level flight. As the Royal Navy again took control of the Fleet Air Arm, it began to receive the Fairey Swordfish from 1936 and Blackburn Skuas from November 1938.
When was dive bombing most widely used in WW2?
Dive bombing was most widely used before and during World War II; its use declined during the war, when its vulnerability to enemy fighters became apparent.