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OverviewThe SBD Dauntless dive-bomber was a key cog in the US Navy’s aerial arsenal throughout the Pacific War. Although a product of aviation design in the mid to late 1930s, the type soldiered on even as more advanced aircraft were appearing from American factories as the war progressed. Despite its classification as a dive-bomber and rather dated appearance, the SBD Dauntless could more than handle its own against the feared A6M Zero-sen – a regular opponent, especially during the first 18 months of the campaign in the Pacific. The SBD was credited with 138 victories in aerial combat (principally in 1942), 107 of which were fighters and the rest bombers. Seven SBD units claimed five or more aerial victories, with future ace Lt(jg) John Leppla of VS-2 being credited with four victories while flying from the carrier USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The Zero-sen came to symbolise Japan’s military prowess during the early stages of the war in the Pacific, and it quickly became the world’s premier carrier-based fighter – a title it would hold well into 1943. The psychological impact of the Zero-sen was so great that all Allied fighters were judged by the standards set by it. The aviators flying the A6M in 1941-42 were amongst the most experienced fighter pilots in the world, and they claimed a significant number of the SBDs destroyed while trying to defend their carriers from attack during the Battles of Coral Sea, Midway and Santa Cruz in 1942. While one was a dive-bomber and the other a nimble fighter, both met in combat many times, with the Dauntless proving an elusive and deadly target thanks to the tenacity and skill of the pilots and gunners manning the Douglas aircraft. While the Zero-sen was credited with shooting down many SBDs, the rugged dive-bomber gave as good as it got and emerged, not surprisingly, victorious on many occasions. This book examines these aircraft in detail, exploring their history and development and contains accurate descriptions of the combats between the SBD Dauntless and Zero-sen throughout the first four carrier battles of 1942 and the Solomons Campaign. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Donald Nijboer , Jim Laurier (Illustrator) , Gareth Hector (Illustrator)Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Imprint: Osprey Publishing Weight: 0.264kg ISBN: 9781472846334ISBN 10: 1472846338 Pages: 80 Publication Date: 28 October 2021 Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , General , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of Contents(Subject to Confirmation) Introduction Chronology Design and Development Technical Specifications The Strategic Situation The Combatants Combat Statistics and Analysis Aftermath Further Reading IndexReviewsAuthor InformationDonald Nijboer is a best-selling aviation author, historian, documentary writer-producer and Smithsonian Speaker who lives in Toronto, Canada. Donald is the author of seven books for Osprey in the Duel and Aviation Elite Units series, and he has also written a handful of other books for publishers in North America. Currently, he is writing and producing full-length aviation documentaries for the on-line broadcaster Aerocinema.com. He has also written articles for Flight Journal, Aviation History and Aeroplane Monthly. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |