Douglas SBD Dauntless

The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber, manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. It was the United States Navy main carrier-based scout and dive bomber from mid-1940 to mid-1944 and was also flown by the Marine Corps from land bases and carriers. The SBD is remembered as the bomber that delivered the fatal blows to the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, and its initials earned it the nickname Slow But Deadly. It had long range, good handling and effective perforated dive brakes. A land-based version without an arrestor hook was built for the Army Air Forces as the A-24 Banshee, which its pilots judged too vulnerable by mid-1943.