Also though the SB2C had the weight/space to carry the bigger more advanced later war radars, in 1945 SB2C units did radar bombing. USN attack a/c losses to enemy fighters were neglible in the SB2C's period of operation there's no reliable evidence on which to compare the two planes in that respect. 6%, that's in 1944 only to ensure apples v apples Japanese AA effectiveness (the TBF's rate was 1.8% ). The SB2C also had a higher loss rate v AA 1.7% v. 8% part of the 1944 difference would be length of experience with the a/c (the TBF/M all war rate was also. 24% for the SBD in '44 but the SBD's all war rate was closer. Statistically rather than anecdotally, the SB2C's all-war operational loss rate on combat sorties from carriers was 1.2% (almost all in '44-45) v. Both agreed however the SB2C was a handful for less capable and experienced pilots, that seems without doubt. Some pilots liked the SB2C (examples in autobiography: Don Engen, later Korean War F9F pilot, test pilot, eventual head of the National Air and Space Museum) even some who'd also flown the SBD in combat (example: Harold Buell, another later F9F pilot in his book "Dauntless Helldivers"). That's a frequently expressed conventional wisdom but the reality was at least a little more complicated. Its best quality was its sheer quantity.Ĭlick to expand.1. That the Helldiver made a big contrbution to the Pacific War, is more a reflection of the overwhelming superiority of the USN fighters, than it is of the quality of the AC. This from the first Navy to operate the Corsair off of carriers. Not to mention that the USAAF ordered close to a thousand (8-900?) of them, yet never saw fit to use them in combat (At least I don't think so) The Royal Navy also tested and rejected it, citing its handling as 'appalling'. Too large to operate off the smaller carriers (Unlike the equally large and complex TBF), despised by its crews, and offering little real advantage over the SBD, it was the result of a flawed and out-dated design philosphy, as is demonstrated both by it's premature retirement in '47, and the design of its successor, the justly famed single-seat AD Skyraider. The Helldiver was a dog in every sense of the word. The SBD may have been 'obsolete', but it was still a better AC than the 'Beast'.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |