Douglas SBD Dauntless 1/72 Scale Model

American SBD-3 - This is a model of a carrier based Navy dive bomber that flew against the Japanese at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The Dauntless was one of the most successful dive bombers of WWII, responsible for sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers during the June, 1942, Battle of Midway, perhaps the most decisive and spectacular victory in U.S. military history. The Dauntless began replacing the Vought Vindicator in 1940, but by 1943 the Curtiss Helldiver began to replace the Dauntless. The Dauntless, however, had been given the affectionate nickname of "Slow But Deadly" (SBD) by Navy fliers and was so popular that it was used until the end of the war. The U.S. Army flew a land-based version of the Dauntless, called the A-24 Banshee, with little success.

More Photos: Left, Right, Top, Front Angle Left, Front Angle Right, Rear Angle Left, Rear Angle Right, Above Left, Above Left, Above Right

American Aircraft of World War II, David Mondey

At Dawn We Slept; The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, Gordon Prange

Battle of the Coral Sea, Chris Henry

The Cactus Air Force, Thomas Miller

Carrier Clash: The Invasion of Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, August 1942, Eric Hammel

Carrier Strike: Battle of Santa Cruz, October 1942, Eric Hammel

The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War Two, Barrett Tillman

Dauntless Helldivers: A Dive Bomber Pilot's Epic Story of the Carrier Battles, Harold Buell

Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific, Eric Bergerud

"A Glorious Page in Our History"; The Battle of Midway, June 1942, Robert Cressman

Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, Richard Frank

Incredible Victory; The Battle of Midway, Walter Lord

Midway 1942, Mark Healy

Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan; The Japanese Navy's Story, Mitsuo Fuchida

Miracle at Midway, Gordon Prange

SBD Dauntless in Action, Robert Stern

SBD Dauntless in Detail and Scale, Bert Kinzey

SBD Dauntless Units of WWII, Barrett Tillman

The Siege of Rabaul, Henry Sakaida

U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII, Barrett Tillman