Jane Goodall, British anthropologist, known for her work with African chimpanzees. [10][11] More than 880 changes had to be incorporated into the SB2C’s design before the Navy was satisfied. Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver Aéronavale (French Naval Air Arm 1910-now) Flottille 9F 9F.9 1952 Indo-China War - Aromanches FS15042 Gloss Sea Blue All I thought was, ‘Hell, we’ve lost our first plane for today’s strike, and we haven’t even completed the launch.’ The next plane, following Matteson, got a little more deck run, but he, too, dropped off the bow, turning in a right arc. A vivid memory among early-model Helldiver crewmen–including my father, Paul D. Guttman, a Navy combat photographer who sometimes flew in the ‘back seat’–was that while other aircraft types would lift off the deck and climb away, the overweight, underpowered SB2Cs would often reach the end of the deck and simply drop out of sight. It is significant, however, that the Royal Navy rejected the Helldiver for combat service, even while it continued to use the antediluvian Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber until the end of the war. To supplement Curtiss production, Helldiver contracts were also placed with the Canadian Car and Foundry Company and Fairchild Aircraft, which were terminated in 1945. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was an carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. The SB2C also had poor aileron effectiveness below 90 knots. By that time, the conservative Naval Bureau of Aeronautics was finally coming to realize that the biplane’s days were numbered. The eventual result was the development of the infamous Junkers Ju-87 Stuka. Under normal circumstances, the Navy would probably have cut its losses at that stage and canceled the SB2C. [18] The Helldiver, however, could still deliver ordnance with more precision against specific targets and its two seat configuration permitted a second set of eyes. After World War II ended, however, the importance of the dive bomber diminished rapidly. Adapted from fighters and scouting planes, the early dive bombers were not well-suited to their roles. Naval aviation tactics therefore emphasized the accurate placement of a relatively small payload rather than smothering the target with as large a bombload as possible. This article was written by Robert Guttman and originally published in the July 1999 issue of Aviation History. The early prognosis of the "Beast" was unfavourable as it was strongly disliked by aircrews due to its size, weight, and reduced range compared to the SBD it replaced. One Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver was restored in 1997 and is displayed in the Hellenic Air Force Museum.[24]. The Navy bought 124 of that variant, the SBC-4, but in that same year Curtiss began designing a replacement. (856 літаків, з них 50 — sbf-1, 28 — sbw-1b) SB2C-3 — оснащувався двигуном Wright R-2600-20 потужністю 1900 к.с., озброєння аналогічне SB2C-1C . Taylor, John W. R. "Curtiss SB2C/A-25 Helldiver. In February 1941, two months after its first flight, the prototype crashed on final approach, and further flight testing was delayed until October. Exactly two weeks before the prototype’s second crash, however, Japanese carrier planes had attacked Pearl Harbor, and the United States–now officially involved in the conflict–was gearing up for a truly massive war production effort. Initial prototypes were underpowered which led to handling difficulties and less than admirable performance. Again produced by Blaylock’s design team, the XSB2C-1 was built around a 1,500-hp Wright R-2600 Cyclone radial engine, the same engine that Grumman would use with more satisfactory results in the dive bomber’s stablemate, the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber. The work force had been hired, raw materials allocated and numerous subcontractors lined up to produce dive bombers by the thousands. Consequently, a higher percentage of carrier air groups was composed of fighters, at the expense of dive bombers. The same rockets, however, could be carried by the more versatile fighter aircraft just as well. Rear gunner station and its twin MGs were deleted, as no aerial opposition existed and weight reduction was used for bombs and extra machine guns. Lead Pilot Mark Allen tells us he started by flying the Harvard , but he is now especially lucky and privileged to be commanding this last flying SB2C in the world. [6][7] In 1939, a student brought a model of the new Curtiss XSB2C-1 to the MIT wind tunnel. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was the successor of the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber. The Curtiss-Electric propeller and the complex hydraulic system had frequent maintenance problems. Built at Curtiss' St. Louis plant, 900 aircraft were ordered by the USAAF under the designation A-25A Shrike. Although not yet involved in the conflict, the United States was beginning a massive rearmament program, both on its own behalf and on behalf of the Allies. Curtiss redesignated the plane XS4C-1 and then XSBC-1, in hopes of having it accepted as a scout bomber. [23], Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers saw a relatively brief combat service and were gradually phased out by 1953. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C faced off against Brewster's entry - the XSB2A Buccaneer - with the SB2C coming out the eventual winner. The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Henry R. Luce, magazine publisher, founder of Time, Fortune and Life. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. He was referencing controllability issues with the small vertical tail. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. The U.S. Navy would not accept the SB2C until 880 modifications to the design and the changes on the production line had been made, delaying the Curtiss Helldiver's combat debut until November 11, 1943 with squadron VB-17 on the USS Bunker Hill, when they attacked the Japanese-held port of Rabaul on the island of New Britain, north of Papua New Guinea. That tactic was first used by a Marine aviator, Lieutenant (later Brig. Many of the alterations were demanded in response to combat experience over Europe, such as self-sealing fuel tanks and additional armor protection. November 11, 1943, nearly three years after the first flight of the prototype. Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldiver of VB-18 in flight over U.S. An SB2C Helldiver failed to catch the wire on landing and hit the first barrier, nose-diving into the deck (USS Hornet, 3 July 1944). Moreover, the supposedly obsolescent Dauntless enjoyed the lowest combat loss rate of any U.S. Navy aircraft of that period. U.S. Army Air Force A-25 Shrike (Serial Number: 41-18787) in flight. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The Last Dive Bomber," p. 3. Another factor also hampered its service introductions—due to the poor handling of the aircraft both the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force cancelled substantial orders. Because of Curtiss’ commitments to build P-40s for the Army Air Forces and Hawk 75 fighters for export, working space at their factories was at a premium. If an airfield was too short for the operation of such large aircraft, the Army could simply lengthen the runway. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was the US Navy's principal dive bomber during the latter part of WWII. Curtiss SB2C-3s of CV-12 prepare to land on the carrier Hornet following strikes on Japanese shipping in the South China Sea in mid-January 1945. "The Douglas SBD Dauntless & Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Specifications: Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver April 7, 1945, a Helldiver rolls in on its target, the Japanese battleship Yamato. A total of 7,140 SB2Cs were produced in World War II. (PhotoQuest/Getty Images). Delivered too late to see action in the Battle of France, the French SBC-4s sat out World War II in Martinique, where their possession by the Vichy French government provided a diplomatic headache for the U.S. State Department. Delivery of an SB2C-5 to Thailand in 1951. Curtiss second Helldiver evolved from the XF12C, a parasol monoplane two-seat fighter with enclosed cockpits and retractable landing gear. SBDs acquired an enviable reputation in the critical battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, the Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz and Guadalcanal, and many Navy dive-bomber crews were understandably reluctant to relinquish an airplane that had earned their trust. On the whole, American servicemen enjoyed an overwhelming superiority in the quality as well as the quantity of weaponry during World War II. One reason for the plane’s instability was that the fuselage was not long enough, due to the Navy’s requirement that the SB2C fit on existing aircraft carrier lifts. Uncouth individuals are sometimes accused of having been brought up in a barn. The first of an eventual 25 F8C-4s entered service with fighter squadron VF-1B aboard the carrier Saratoga in 1930. I saw only one person getting out of the crash debris. Delivered in 1937, it became obsolete even before World War II and was kept well away from combat with Axis fighters. The new dive bomber was accepted for production on August 29, and the first SBC-3s–given the resurrected name of Helldiver by Curtiss, although once again the Navy did not officially refer to them as such–began entering service with VS-5 aboard the carrier Yorktown, VS-3 on Saratoga and VS-6 on Enterprise in late 1937. Yet, the Helldiver is remembered today mostly as an unpopular latecomer to the war, a less than stellar performer built by an aircraft company in decline. Naval aviators felt that pinpoint dive-bombing attacks, delivered simultaneously with coordinated low-level torpedo-plane attacks, would be the most effective method of dealing with an enemy fleet. In the film scenario, the crash is attributed to pilot error brought on by battle fatigue. The Navy dropped the SB (scout-bombing) designation for those aircraft, redesignating them ‘A,’ for ‘attack.’ Vought introduced a postwar version of the Corsair, called the AU-1. At that stage, no one seriously doubted that Curtiss, with its wealth of previous experience, would be able to perfect the new dive bomber. The Helldivers soon became well thought of by the French troops on the ground during the battle at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. In spite of the fact that prototype XF8C-2 crashed on December 3, 1928, just days after its first flight, Curtiss built an identical plane that satisfied the Navy enough to achieve production status as the F8C-4. In any event, the SBC was the last U.S. combat biplane. The Truman Committee investigated Helldiver production and turned in a scathing report, which eventually led to the beginning of the end for Curtiss. [7] The first version of the SB2C-1 was kept stateside for training, its various development problems leading to only 200 being built. A less charitable VB-17 pilot irreverently remarked that ‘the SB-Deuce had more bugs than an Oriental flophouse.’, Commander Herbert D. Riley, who served on the staff of the deputy chief of Naval Operations (Air) during that period, was one of the officers responsible for procuring new aircraft for the Navy. Curtiss SB2C "Helldiver" The Curtiss SB2C had a difficult start to its career. ", "Maui Helldiver dive bomber wreck dive SB2C-1C. It performed its maiden flight in December 1940, was introduced in 1942, and was retired in 1959. The French Aeronavale flew the Helldiver from 1951 to 1958. An oddity of the SB2Cs with 1942 to 1943-style tricolor camouflage was that the undersides of the outer wing panels carried dark topside camouflage because the undersurfaces were visible from above when the wings were folded. The Helldiver’s maximum range was 1,100 miles, and its combat radius was 276 miles. The Dauntless’ maximum range was 1,100 miles, and its combat radius was 285 miles. Marlon Brando, actor (On the Waterfront, The Godfather). Initially, Navy scouting and fighter aircraft carried out dive-bombing missions. A total of 7,140 Helldivers were produced by Curtiss, as well as in Canada by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd., which built 300 SBFs, and Canadian Car and Foundry Co., Ltd., which built 894 SBWs. ", "Curtiss SBW-1B Helldiver (Curtiss SB2C Helldiver).". Curtiss thought it only fitting that the name be applied to its purpose-built dive-bomber, although it was not officially used by the Navy. Although a massive production program was planned around the SB2C before the prototype ever took to the air, the airplane itself was already showing signs of trouble. The aircraft was a replacement of the Douglas SBD Dauntless as a carrier-based bomber in service with the United States Navy. Curtiss was less successful in forcing the Helldiver down the throats of the British Admiralty, which only procured 26 of the planes. That opinion was shared by Britain’s Naval Air Arm, which operated numerous Grumman Wildcats, Hellcats and Avengers, as well as Vought Corsairs, from its carriers. Matteson’s plane hit the water hard, and the Helldiver just disintegrated. The SB2C Helldiver experienced a variety of technical problems during its developemnt and after its introduction which led to a widespread dislike of the aircraft by crews. The A-25As were converted to the SB2C-1 standard but the Marine SB2C-1 variant never saw combat, being used primarily as trainers. As for the Navy’s needs, in addition to the SB2C, Curtiss was developing the SO3C Seagull two-seat spotter seaplane for use on cruisers and battleships equipped with catapults. Around 7000 of them were built before Italian Air Force retired the last one in 1959. Naval aircraft, in contrast, were restricted both in size and in the number of bombs they could carry because of the length of the aircraft carrier flight decks from which they operated. Dive-bombing was officially adopted by the Navy as a regular part of its operational repertoire in 1928. Starting with the SBC-4, the Helldiver was equipped to carry eight 5-inch rockets under its wings. Another reason the dive-bombing technique held a greater appeal for the Navy than for the Army was the fundamental differences in the two services’ operational requirements. 83479 - under restoration at the NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 18 December 1940. The inevitable result of all that added bulk was a marked deterioration in the plane’s performance. The first deployment model was the SB2C-1C. Fifty years later, however, an objective assessment of the SB2C’s merits can only conclude that the success of those squadrons owed far more to the gallantry and skill of their aircrews than to the quality of the aircraft in which they flew. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The Last Dive Bomber", p. 4. Title: Curtiss SB2C Helldiver No 1 and 2 Designed to a US Navy specification for a new scout-bomber to replace the earlier biplane SBC Helldiver, the first Curtiss XSB2C Helldiver was flown in 1940. Despite these issues, the SB2C Helldiver saw extensive service during the last two years of the war. Greek SB2C-5 Helldivers had minor changes for their COIN operations: Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers, Supermarine Spitfires and North American T-6D/Gs were used in ground attack missions against Communist ground forces, camps and transports during the last stages of the Greek Civil War. [19] The first 10 aircraft had folding wings, while the remainder of the production order omitted this unnecessary feature. If the power of available engines was insufficient, the Army could simply build the planes with two, three, four or more engines. A final Helldiver variant, the SB2C-5, appeared early in 1945 and had a greater fuel capacity. Another change that had come about in the years since the SB2C had first been conceived was the advent of high-velocity aircraft rockets that enabled pilots to hit surface targets accurately without subjecting themselves and their planes to the violent stress of a power dive. Curtiss SB2C Helldiver (Commemorative Air Force), Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911[43], O'Rourke, G.G, CAPT USN. He started going into a tight right turn. U.S. Navy dive-bomber crews flew the unpopular and flawed Curtiss SB2C Helldiver late in World War II. A SB2C-4E Helldiver belonging to the United States Navy crashed and burned in foul weather on October 9, 1945, while en route from New Cumberland, Pennsylvania to its base at Grosse Ile, Michigan after participating in Nimitz Day celebrations held in Washington, D.C. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive-bomber left a trail of wreckage in its wake, the debris and detritus of a devastated foe. 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