WarSimBox
The perforated flaps
The Dauntless was developed from Northrop’s BT-1; when that part of Northrop passed to Douglas, the aircraft became the SBD. Its best-known feature was its perforated split flaps: these “Swiss cheese” flaps slowed it in the dive, and the holes prevented the buffeting that would otherwise shake the tail. So the SBD stayed steady in a 70-degree dive and could release its bomb very accurately.
Coral Sea and Midway
In May 1942, at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Dauntlesses sank the Japanese carrier Shoho. A month later at Midway, as the Japanese carriers’ decks were crowded with fuelled and armed aircraft, SBDs diving from above hit the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu. All four sank, a loss the Japanese navy never made good.
Its crews read the letters SBD as “Slow But Deadly”. In 1943–44 it gave way to the SB2C Helldiver.
In WarSimBox
In the game it is a dive bomber: it dives at about 70 degrees with its dive brakes open and releases at about 700 m. It is tougher and better armed than the Stuka, with two .50 in guns above the engine and twin guns in the rear. It is still slow and needs an escort against fighters.
Unlocked in the aircraft tree after researching Junkers Ju 87 B-2 Stuka, Perforated dive flaps and Twin-row radial engine. Leads on to: Junkers Ju 87 D-5 Stuka.
- Top speed
- 409 km/h · 4,000 m
- Climb
- 7 m/s
- Sustained turn
- 25.8 s
- Stall speed
- 139 km/h
These figures come from the game’s flight model (climb, turn and stall at sea level).
Fly it in WarSimBox